CITY OF BROWNSVILLE ELECTIONS SCUTTLEBUTT, INTRIGUE

By Juan Montoya
The word around City Hall is that Jude "The Obscure" Benavides, of UT-Brownsville precedence, has sent his Girl Friday from the Bike Barn to pick up an election packet for a run at the At-Large "A" seat vacated by Estela Chavez-Vasquez and contested so far by attorney Cesar De Leon.
Benavides, a toady for United Brownsville's (and former UTB president Julieta Garcia) is a true believer who has  drunk the Kool-Aid for Garcia's schemes in the past. If you thought Chavez-Vasquez used to roll over for Da Mayor Tony Martinez, Julieta, and United Brownsville's Carlos Marin, Benavides will only nod and ask "how high?."
We wondered when Da Mayor's candidates would rear their slimy heads and it looks like we didn't have to wait long. Will there be more jumping in the fray now that the money boys have shown their hand?
Benavides' claim to fame is that he is an Associated Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources with the UTB. En otras palabras, la vive regando.
One local officials who apparently did not pass the litmus test for adherence to the United Brownsville line is none other than Cameron County Treasurer David Betancourt who we hear will not get reappointed to the pro forma board of the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC).
Betancourt was a "get along to go along" GBIC board member who didn't blink when he was asked to fund dubious studies by the United Brownsville crowd that lined the pockets of UB executive Director Mike Gonzalez's former cronies from Lyle, Texas, or those of Julieta's son Oscar Garcia Jr.
Betancourt voted to approve the GBIC's share who, in tandem with the Port of Brownsville and the Bronwsville Public Utilities Board paid nearly a half million dollars($454,592.08) for a plan for the industrial corridor, including the Port of Brownsville.
 Robin McCaffrey is the same person who worked on the City of Kyle Comprehensive Master Plan, under the name of Mesa. McCaffrey was hired when Mayor Mike/Miguel Gonzalez was still in office in Kyle. Gonzalez is now the executive director of United Brownsville, a rather tidy arrangement.
Betancourt also voted to fund the $185,000 contract with Jacob's Engineering "to identify funding to implement a part of plan.
The local representative for Jacob's Engineering is is none other Oscar Jr., the son of United Brownsville's Coordinating Board member Juliet Garcia. Garcia Jr. used to be the operations manager for Su Clinic Familiar, a facility run by Marin's wife, a doctor.
Why Betancourt fell out of favor with the United Brownsville bunch is not known. But he's served his purpose and he's out, we guess.
For now, however, United Brownsville commissioner Rose Gowen can rest easy. Commissioner Deborah Portillo will continue in the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation. Portillo, a member of the three-chair United Brownsville triumvirate along with IBC President Fred Rusteberg and Tito Lopez, from the Port, will make sure that Rose "La Chisquiada" Gowen will continue to milk the BCIC for the implementation of bike trials that will somehow deflate the obese majority of our population. And we thought the New England Patriots had something new just as we thought Charlie Atkinson was goofy for pumping millions into the Sports Park!
Meanwhile, so far we have three candidates for Ricardo Longoria's District 1. Attorney Michael Gonzalez and college instructor Roman Perez have announced so far. The fight for Southmost is on and the looming issue will be the vote to giveaway Lincoln Park to the UT System before the heat forced Longoria to recant. If there had been no public outcry about that sale and the placing of the new park in front of the stinky sewer plant on East Blvd., Longoria would still be supporting the sale and the move.
As far as the mayor's race, it might be interesting to remind King Tony what happened to the Code of Ethics he promised the city residents when he took office. The appointment of city contract attorney Mark Sossi should have let us know that the promise was a gambit to keep the lid on future shenanigans. So far, no code.
If Benavides jumps in to do Tony's bidding, we'll have the best city commission money can buy, again!