Union City Pool Controversy; The Return of Former Mayor Rudy Garcia

Something doesn’t add up.

The City says the Bruce D. Walter Pool passed inspection and received a satisfactory rating. At the same time, complaints were filed raising concerns about ventilation, humidity, water leaks, maintenance issues, and other conditions inside the building. An engineering review even recommended that some of those concerns receive further evaluation.

So who are residents supposed to believe?

What makes this situation even more frustrating is that many people feel like Union City is run by the same political insiders who always seem to end up on the same side, no matter how bitter their battles were in the past.

Brian Stack built his political career by taking on former Mayor Rudy Garcia. The fight between the two men helped reshape Union City politics and eventually led to Garcia leaving office and Stack becoming mayor.

Fast forward to today, and Rudy Garcia’s law firm, Dunkin & Dunkin LLC, is representing the City in this matter.

For residents watching from the outside, it’s hard not to notice the irony. The political enemies of yesterday now appear connected through City business while taxpayers are left asking questions about conditions inside a public facility.

Then there is Justin Mercado and the rest of the City’s leadership. Residents deserve to know who is responsible for making sure public buildings are properly maintained and why concerns raised by employees and members of the public continue to generate controversy.

Adding even more questions to the situation are anonymous reports that concerns about the facility have allegedly reached OSHA and PEOSH, the federal and state agencies responsible for workplace safety in public-sector / private workplaces. If employees feel the need to take their concerns outside City Hall, that should be a warning sign to City officials.

Whether those reports result in any formal action remains to be seen. But many residents are asking why workers and members of the public feel they have to go outside the City government in the first place.

The bigger issue is trust.

For years, Union City’s political establishment has told residents that everything is under control. Yet every time another controversy surfaces, the public is told not to worry, not to ask questions, and to simply trust the people in charge.

That approach is getting old.

If the facility is safe, release the reports.

If the concerns are unfounded, show the evidence.

If repairs are needed, explain the plan.

Residents should not have to rely on rumors, leaks, and political insiders to learn what is happening inside a public building paid for by taxpayers.

At the end of the day, this is about more than a pool.

It is about transparency, accountability, and whether the people running Union City are willing to answer tough questions instead of expecting the public to simply take their word for it.