Article originally published in the August 31st 2022 issue of The Cuero Record
By Hans Lammeman | Contributing Writer, The Cuero Record
After leading the Cuero Development Corporation (CDC) through two years riddled with pandemic-related challenges, Executive Director Bobby Seiferman entered his last few weeks in Cuero before stepping down for the position of Matagorda County Judge.
In an interview with The Record, Seiferman reflected on his tenure in Cuero and the CDC’s initiatives to keep local businesses operational since 2020.
“I got in mid-January (2020), and about two weeks later, the bottom was dropped out. All the COVID shutdowns began, and then it was decision time for my office and for the board. This was new, uncharted waters for everyone, for our country (and) for us locally — particularly in a smaller community,” said Seiferman. “So, we very quickly came up with a couple of new grants that we hoped would help our local community be able to survive the shutdown because nobody knew how long it’ss gonna last.”
With the help of a proactive CDC board of directors, Seiferman introduced a utility reimbursement grant and a rental assistance grant to provide relief to local businesses through the economic dry spell associated with pandemic-related shutdowns. He said about 110 businesses applied for the COVID relief grants during a year-and-a-half period.
“(Over 18 months), the board awarded about $600,000 to local businesses through those two grants,” said Seiferman. “I think it made a world of difference and I think the local businesses would reaffirm that.”
Read the full story in this week’s edition of The Cuero Record, available at local newsstands! (Call 361-275-3464 to subscribe.)
