BROWNSVILLE AT THE X-ROADS: REMAIN NEGATIVE OR FLY

By Juan Montoya
The board of directors of the Brownsville Economic Development Corporation and the Brownsville city commissioners have a decision to make.
Do they heed the ravings of a self-declared morphine-driven misanthrope or do they welcome a respected aviation corporation that is seeking to make Brownsville the hub of travel in northern Mexico and South Texas?
On its face, the question would be a no-brainer.
With double-digit unemployment, decreasing commerce with Mexico and communities feeling the slice and dice at the state and federal level, an offer from fly Frontera Airlines to begin daily flights at super competitive rates between Monterrey, Tampico and Mexico would be a godsend.
But things have a way of getting curiouser and curiouser when they happen in Brownsville.
Suddenly, a transplanted blogger from Dallas and self-appointed paladin of human morals has intruded in the negotiations between the city, the BEDC and Fly Frontera.
He has taken it upon himself to call Jim Gallagher, the president of the company, and raise serious imputations against the very person who introduced him to the possibility of looking at Brownsville as the headquarters to a regional airline hub with northern Mexico.
For months, maybe years, Robert Wightman has accused Accion America president Carlos Quintanilla of everything from child abandonment, corruption and labels him a "convicted felon" every time he gets a chance. Now, because the airline's officers say it was Quintanilla who lobbied with them to look at Brownsville as a potential business site, Wightman suspects a vile conspiracy and does his utmost to poison the well by threatening destruction and scandal on the firm if they do not do his bidding and disassociate themselves from Accion America.
In his communications with Gallagher he has insinuated that he represents the views of city commissioner Melissa Zamora and mayoral candidate Tony Martinez. He has also accused a diverse number of people from Brownsville – this blogger included – of a vague conspiracy to plunder the citizens of Brownsville through Fly Frontera.
Quintanilla, while part of the Jane Byrne administration in Chicago oh so long ago accepted donations for several Latino soccer teams from a corporation and after a lengthy trial, was convicted of only two of 80-plus counts in the indictment.
The feds, unable to nail anyone higher in the Byrne food chain, had to settle for the small fish and they came at him with a vengeance. After paying his dues and re-establishing his life, Quintanilla has set about to better himself and his community through his role as an activist and community organizer.
So far, so good. As an organizer for Accion America he has been successful in numerous efforts in the Dallas area. Go to http://www.accionamerica.com/ for the whole story.
It was while Quintanilla was in Brownsville at the request of the parents of children with special needs at the BISD that he realized Brownsville residents could benefit from establishing regional air service with violence-wracked northern Mexico.
He looked far and wide and found Charter Air Transport (CAT) a U. S. Direct Air Carrier (certificate number GNOA005I) authorized by the FAA to operate under 14 CFR Part 135.
CAT presently operates five (5) Embraer EMB-120 “Brasilia” 30-passenger regional airliners in addition to other turbine-powered aircraft and has a TSA-approved full aircraft security program permitting operations into and out of “sterile” airport terminals. CAT has significant experience in operating scheduled public charter programs, both in the continental US and internationally.
Gallagher, president of Public Charters was excited and in his proposal to the city and to the BEDC said he will start offering competitive airline service primarily between Tampico, Tamaulipas, and Monterrey, Nuevo Leon and Brownsville by June 1 out of the Brownsville-South Padre Island international Airport.
“We're thinking of initiating flights between Monterrey and Brownsville once a day, four days a week, and twice on Friday, Saturday and Monday," Gallagher told Notimex. Gallagher said Fly Frontera will also fly to Tampico three times a week. The cost of a round trip to Monterrey with Fly Frontera would be about $260. A one-way flight would cost $130."
Marketing staff at the Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport are ecstatic at the prospects of making Brownsville the hub of north Mexico-South Texas regional travel.
"The response from media and from travel agents across northern Mexico is "phenomenal," one of their communications with Fly Frontera states. "We are looking forward to moving forward on your proposal."
But there are flies in the ointment.
Wightman – a disbarred lawyer – admits that he called Gallagher and point out Quintanilla's forgotten past. He has also "threatened" to "expose" his alleged ties to any number of things. In his posts, he freely admits that he is consuming copious and continuous doses of morphine.
One thing that was confirmed from his rantings was that there was an indirect attempt to make Gallagher believe that unless he chose a local advertising firm to handle his marketing, the deal might fall apart. Gallagher, correctly, pointed out that his corporation had its own marketing department and firms and would not accept the precondition for bringing his company here.
Tonight the BEDC is meeting at ITEP on Mexico Blvd. where we understand that member Ruben Gallegos will attempt to cast doubts on the Fly Frontera proposal for incentives for the company to continue with its plans.
At the city, Zamora is also expected to raise paper tigers to convince her fellow commissioner not to accept the proposal.
Will Wightman, Zamora, Gallegos and sweetheart deals using taxpayer money control the rest of us as we attempt to encourage outside companies to invest in our impoverished city?