Welcome. I’m Joe Gimenez, a public relations counselor specializing in crisis management and strategic messaging for clients navigating the intersection of governance, regulation, and public scrutiny—across city, state, and federal levels.
Whether it’s defending infrastructure investments or confronting narrative distortion, I help boards, agencies, and communities shape public understanding before reaction overwhelms reason.
🔥 Case in Point: Midland, Texas
In Midland, I helped firefighters secure a $54.4 million settlement to protect their pension fund—preserving both financial solvency and public safety. For nearly three years, we battled stigmatizing attacks and political resistance. Through targeted media outreach, strategic correspondence with officials, public comment preparation, and a grassroots social media campaign, G3 Public Relations helped Midlanders see the issue clearly: pensions and fire protection are civic priorities, not political liabilities. The Firefighters won.
💧 PUC Docket No. 50788: A Regulatory Cautionary Tale
As volunteer Board Chairman and Public Information Officer for the Windermere Oaks Water Supply Corporation, I led our team through PUC Docket No. 50788, a rate-appeal where customers contested a base rate increase for defendant directors’ legal fees. The water company earned favorable rulings from administrative law judges who affirmed our rate structure, recognizing the legal costs we incurred defending against years of coordinated litigation by a small group of determinedly dissatisfied customers. They also recognized Texas Business Code Chapter 8, requiring corporate defense of board directors.
But the take-away lesson was greater than the original success. The Commission overruled precedent, siding with impassioned staff attorneys and ratepayers who displayed charismatic misdirection, subjective appeals, and narrative distortions. The result? The Commissioners ignored Texas Business Code requirements, deemed that the defensive legal positioning of the Board did not qualify as a burden of proof, and ordered refunds and a rate-rollback that financially destroyed the water company. The only surcharge they allowed were the legal fees spent to defend the rate case, which was three times the amount of the de novo legal fees which caused the rate increase! But the message was loud and clear: regulatory decisions can be capricious and untethered to law, especially due to Staff partiality and their penchant for asserting “should be” regulations that don’t exist in Texas code.
Despite the best communications, public affairs victories are not assured given certain distortions law. The distortions, recognized as such by even the Texas Sunset Commission, deserve appreciation: even the best laid plans of mice and men…
What G3 Offers
- Strategic Messaging Rooted in Facts, Figures and Undeniable Truths
- Media Placements That Counter Emotional and Political Narratives
Public awareness should be shaped around the public good, not the selfish interests of “I’m not paying for that.” - YouTube and Social Media Series Development
Translating legal and financial matters into public-friendly storytelling on the most popular media channels. - Stakeholder Engagement & Meeting Prep
Build board unity and credibility with communities - Crisis Communications Planning
Be prepared—before scrutiny escalates!