Sunday, April 12, 2015

IN DISTRICT 1, ANYONE BUT RICARDO LONGORIA



By Juan Montoya
There are three candidates vying for your vote if you live in District 1.
They are: 1. Roman Perez, 2. Ricardo Longoria Jr., and 3. Michael Gonzalez. The incumbent Longoria, who has been in the position for the last 12 years, lately has taken to invoke the voters of the district as "my people," yet his votes on important issues belie his claims that he has their interest at heart.
Take for example, his failure to use FEMA monies appropriated specifically to construct a hurricane-protection  dome in an area where – by his own admission – people live in structures that would probably not withstand a strong wind.
On May 25, 2013 – almost two years ago – the city commission, with Longoria present, voted on a "substantial amendment" to this item:
8. FIRST Public Hearing for the proposed 2012/2013 HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Funding allocation. (Stephanie Reyes – Grants)
The "substantial" part of that amendment was the proposal to shift $535,000 from a construction of the planned Southmost Community Center (Dome) to provide hurricane protection to that community and add $300,000 to John Villarreal's District 4 Oliveira Skate Park's $150,000 and another $235,000 to meet the needs of additional amenities to District 2 Jessica Tetreau's Portway Acres Park which was originally programmed for $107,692.
According ot the minutes of that meeting:
"Commissioner Estela C. Vasquez moved that the proposed 2nd Substantial Amendment to the
Fiscal Year 2012/2013 HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Funding
allocation, be approved. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Jessica Tetreau and carried
unanimously.
Longoria had another chance to protect "his people" on December 12, 2014 when the commission considered delaying the construction once again. The minutes of that meeting state:
9. Consideration and ACTION to request that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant the City of Brownsville a 12-month extension to complete construction of  the Community Safe Room project (DR-1791-361), located at the Southmost Library. Commissioner Ricardo Longoria Jr. moved that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant to the City of Brownsville, for a 12-month extension to complete construction of the Community Safe Room project (DR-1791-361), located at the Southmost Library, be approved. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Jessica Tetreau and carried unanimously.
And at a meeting last month, the minutes will reflect that Longoria voted once again to cancel the project in his district.
The commission instead authorized city officials to use the money for street and drainage improvements in the Southmost area.
This is not the only issue where Longoria has failed "his people."
He was the MC at the hearing held at Gonzalez Park Oct. 30 where residents were given the opportunity to choose a spot for a new public park and agree to the "proposed conveyance of Lincoln Park." Ostensibly a public hearing, it instead turned out out to be a chance to get the public to rubber stamp something that had been decided long ago by the city commission majority led by the United Brownsville trio of Mayor Tony Martinez, commissioner Rose Gowen and Girl Friday Debbie Portillo.
In fact, included in the city's response to the UT System's Request For Proposals (RFP) for real estate dated October 15, 2012, is the offer of Lincoln Park. The public vote to allow the city to negotiate with the UT System was just the last of many chances that he had to oppose the "transfer."
At a recent meeting of the Southmost Committee, he could claim that he had voted against it, even though the record show he supported the sale until things got too hot and his vote was no longer needed to complete the deal. Those attending that meeting said the commissioner had prepared the audio-visual presentation with nhis won DJ equipment.
Then, his vote to increase the Brownsville Public Utility Board electric rates by 36 percent to fund a questionable $325 million portion of a power plant with private utility company Tenaska assures that those rates will continue increasing and will never decrease.
The majority of the commission voted to pass along the increases to the PUB ratepayers, including Longoria. Even if he was in the minority, a "no" vote on any of these items would have sent a message that the commissioner from District 1 as standing up for "his people."
There are two other candidates on the ballot for District 1. We know what Longoria didn't do. We should give the other two a chance to do the right thing. 

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why vote for a representative that will not be in the community's interests !

Anonymous said...

If he voted for that TENASKA b/s in the poorest district in Brownsville he's not for his people as he says he is.they want voters to think that we should help pay for a private companies constuction while the rate payer gets nothing for it .,how does this help peoples pocket books life is allready expensive ,and the poor?

Anonymous said...

Rick Longoria says he is a teacher. How many students does he teach? Answer 0. He's an IT staffer.

Anonymous said...

He resembles Clencia of the Godfather movies.

Anonymous said...

Yep. He does resemble Clemencia.

Anonymous said...

BWC: "Yes rates will go up - but so too will the wages of the young people in Southmost as more manufacturing job comes to Brownsville. The jobs will more than make up for the higher electricity rates - but why mention that when you can turn Tenaska into a bogeyman issue."

This is the logic of BWC. How utterly ridiculous. Without the benefit of any of the details of the Tenaska transaction, other than that Fitch downgraded our credit ratings and our electricity rates have gone up 36% (which info he got from you, Juan), the document driven loser known as BWC, in order to promote United Brownsville Founder, Rick Longoria(yes he said so at the Bd. of Realtors Forum), BWC thinks it's ok to bring in Tenaska. Mind you that Hino-Gas had to file a law-suit, which is pending in the Court of Appeals, to force PUB to disclose the details of the deal and we still don't have it. We don't know, if the deal will provide enough electricity to meet our needs. We don't know much, except that our rates will go up and our credit rating is going down.

It makes a lot of sense to back such a clearly beneficial deal for the city. Look at the results so far:
Credit down-rating by Fitch
36% rate increase.

Nice Bobby. Keep promoting something that you don't even know enough about to make an informed decision. We know you have to, since Rick paid you to do so.

That's, also, why you back Tetreau, since she is also a United Brownsville puppet.

These "jobs:" will they be located along the non-existent East Loop that Rick hasn't done shit to advance in 12 years?

Where is your back up documentation to show that more (not cheaper)electricity will be offset by imaginary "higher wages," which will have to be used to pay the higher electricity bills? Who makes out ahead: the imaginary employees of the new non-existant East Loop commercial zone, or......Tenaska?

What a joke. Your logic fails BWC.

It's time for a Rick Roast!!!!

Anonymous said...

BWC: "What he [Montoya] fails to tell you is, Michael Gonzalez is on record as saying the Southmost library is the wrong location for the facility"

Where is he on record for this Mr. Document Driven (in body only) Man.

Anyone who has spoken to Michael, or heard him speak, knows he would do anything to protect the people of Southmost during emergencies and has reached out to the state regarding not only the Domes, but the East Loop, as well.

BWC, apparently, thinks it's ok for "the people's" representative to sit on his ass for 12 years and let the Dome and East Loop slip through his hands, while he plays DJ at City Events.

It's hard to believe anyone would try to defend Rick's record and minimize the importance of such issues, especially when he's always whining about 'real issues." To dismiss an emergency shelter in the poorest district of town, with the greatest needs of any in this city, is journalistic irresponsibility. (And all for a quick buck....sad)

It's time for a Rick Roast....yeah!!!

Anonymous said...

MONTOYA..por vida tuya y de todo el mundo POR FAVOR ya no pongas la foto de charro fracasado del que se dice que' esta con su gente'.RICK LOMGORIA IS OVER.Y TU MONTOYA YA NO LA CHINGES Y SACA OTRA FOTO DE ESTE PENDEJO.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who voted to increase PUB's rates, in the middle of a world wide collapse in energy prices, shoud have their head examined. Why is McAllen's rates per KWH lower than our's?

Anonymous said...

Rick is a piece of shit do-nothing commishioner but Gonzalez is on record as wanting the dome built at the Oznam Center . ....Gonzalez has a hidden agenda and will be exposed.Rick is just too stupid and follows along like part of the mayor's harem.....that's how he got in United Brownsville .

Anonymous said...

The commish is full of shit they want rate payers to help pay for TENASKA construction a privately owned company.they poke your eyes and say it's progress ,yea on the backs of the low income and middle class (majority.) Industry they say where ate all letters of intent from these companies.

Anonymous said...

BWC (Quoting MG press release):

"According to Gonzalez, "the people of District 1 lost out at the hands of Rick Longoria's mismanagement of local funds so the Southmost Safe Room is no longer a reality. The Ozanam Center will also serve the people of District 1 since it is far closer to them than the Sports Park."

It's hard to understand why BWC cannot understand plain English.

BWC Translation:

Michael doesn't want a Dome in Southmost. (Even though Rick presided over the meeting where he voted with the others to scrap the Southmost Dome project.)

Translated for idiots:

1 Rick lost the dome for Southmost

2 The $ the City set aside for the Dome went to Rick to "patch up" some streets in his District (just in time for the elections), hence no more Dome in Southmost.

3 Rick voted to move the Dome to Sports Park (far away from Southmost)

4 Michael said, at least move it back closer to Southmost, to the Ozanam Center, an actual shelter. (It makes more sense from the perspective of a shelter; of course, from the perspective of the Sports Park, it's a nice "Gym," too).

It's not that hard to understand, really, unless you're a Rick propogandist intent on obfuscating the issues and covering up obvious failures.

Like Tenaska. Bobby wants Michael's position, but how can anyone make an informed decision without information, unless, of course, you're an amateur journalist, like BWC and DPM, who are content on reporting rumors or, creating false issues, like Porn Blogs.

If Rick were an effective Commissioner he would DEMAND the details of the Tenaska deal. But, alas, it will never come to pass, if Rick and the other United Brownsville Puppets are allowed to continue governing us.

Their ignorance is like a yoke around their necks and UB is the Teamster driving their agenda.

P.S. Ask Rick Zayas and Ruben Cortez if BWC ever got any money to be their propogandist.

Go Michael.....!!!

It's time for a Rick Roast

Anonymous said...

N E W S F L A S H

BWC has finally admitted he takes money for posting on his blog.

It was known all along, but now he has "come to jesus" and admitted it.

Just ask Rick Zayas and Ruben Cortez. Ha!

Looser.

Anonymous said...

You are so obsessed with Bobby and twist things around.....he didn't admit he takes money for posting on his blog.......he took money to pay for the Internet service so he could report on the Villalobos trial so anyone could read about it....he never covered up that fact, you're just an idiot tied to Galonsky . ....just like the weasel Gonzalez . Quit making a fool of yourself .

Anonymous said...

Clemencia tells you what you want to hear. True of all politicians.

rita