With three cities vying to become the permanent home for the Battleship Texas after its extensive restoration—Baytown, Beaumont, and Galveston—the island’s secret weapon just could be Galveston son Paulie Gaido.

A respected native Galvestonian, Gaido, who served six years on the Galveston Park Board, is a retired restauranteur, is actively involved in his community, and a U.S. veteran. He said his motivation to get behind the push to bring the Texas to Galveston is simple: a desire to honor the sacrifices made by those who have served, and to bring jobs and income to the island he loves.

“I’m well into my 70s, and I fully intended to sit this one out, but as time progressed, I started to become more nervous,” he said.

Gaido said there are misconceptions about the costs and liabilities associated with bringing the battleship to the island, including a mistaken belief that the Texas would be incapable of paying its own way.

By examining reported ticket sales related to the other seven U.S. battleships that are open to visitors—Alabama (Mobile, Alabama), Iowa (Los Angeles, California), Massachusetts (Fall River, Massachusetts), Missouri (Honolulu, Hawaii), New Jersey (Camden, New Jersey), North Carolina (Wilmington, North Carolina), and Wisconsin (Norfolk, Virginia)—as well as ticketed attendance at New Orleans’ World War II Museum and Fredericksburg’s Museum of the Pacific War, Gaido was able to extrapolate potential income generated by the Texas, if berthed in Galveston.

“I’ve never felt that the Texas would have any difficulty from a ticket sales standpoint, and there are also different sources of revenue, including donations and all sorts of philanthropies,” he said, noting the source of his research included TripAdvisor for the number of hotels rooms within 15 miles of each of the battleships now open to visitors, Congressional districts as a source of populations within a one-hour drive of them, and 2019 ticket sales from other museum battleships.

Gaido is not alone in his desire to see the Texas make Galveston its home, as evidenced by the “Bringing the Texas Home” campaign phrase used by local supporters of the acquisition. According to a recent survey in the Galveston Daily News, 85 percent of those polled are in favor of creating a home for the battleship on the island.

“Galveston has never been 85 percent in favor of anything,” he said.

Though Gaido initially preferred Seawolf Park as a location for the Texas berth, information from the Wharves Board has led him to the conclusion that it would not be financially feasible: a cost of an estimated $6 million-to $7 million by some calculations, “because a lot of dredging would be necessary. Battleships are not small,” he said.

“The cost of strengthening the bulkheads at Piers 19 and 21, would be about half that amount, and maybe less.”

He noted that The Battleship Texas Foundation, which is managing the vessel on behalf of the state of Texas, “isn’t asking for any handouts. They’re just asking for a berth. The foundation believes, according to their own research, that the ticket sales at Seawolf Park would only be 60 percent of what they would be at the piers due to proximity to other attractions.”

It’s important to recognize that the Texas is the oldest battleship in the world, and the cache that goes with that is priceless, he said.

“We can’t compete for tourism with San Antonio and Corpus Christi without bringing more reasons for people to come to Galveston. This isn’t just bringing people to town in June through August. It’s bringing them the other nine months of the year… when they spend substantially more money and stay longer at their destinations. It would be a larger slice of the economic pie for the island.”

He noted that Galveston is about to roll out the welcome mat at five new hotels, adding a substantial number of rooms available to visitors. The more visitors who flock to the island, he argued, the more jobs created, and more jobs mean a brighter future for Galveston and those who live on the island.

“It’s jobs that gives me the motivation to do more. I’d be in it (the fight to bring the battleship to the island) for the fact that it’s important for the state of Texas. I’d be in it because it honors all those who ever wore a uniform of the United States Navy. I’d be in it for a lot of reasons, but the major reason is economic. It’s jobs.”

What can locals do to set the Texas on a course for Galveston? Speak up, and reach out to the movers and shakers who get things done, Gaido said.

“It always comes down to the same thing. The politicians ultimately have the political power to make the arrangements for the Texas to have a permanent berth on the island,” he said.

“The Wharves and Park boards, historically, have the greatest influence on the economic development of the island. If members of these boards work at it, they can find things that are best for the island as a whole and best for the visitor industry at the same time,” he said.

“If you put the battleship Texas at Pier 19 and Pier 21, is that what’s in the best interest of the waterfront? Probably not. But is it what’s in the best interest of the island as a whole? I would suggest that it is.”

The election of city council is in May, and the appointments to the Wharves Board and the Park Board for replacing two positions on each board generally start in July.

“In my opinion, if you’re going to be appointed or reappointed, it needs to be asked how you feel about the Texas. I don’t consider that an inappropriate question, I just consider it reality,” he said.

“We have to provide more jobs for the younger generations. It would be foolish not to pursue a job creator like this on the waterfront.”

The Texas will be moved to Gulf Copper Dry Dock & Rig Repair in Galveston this summer to undergo repairs that are expected to take approximately one year to complete.