WHERE'S THE VITRIOL AND FUROR OVER NEW AIRLINE?

By Juan Montoya

The coverage on AeroMexico starting service between Monterrey and Brownsville was remarkable for its circumspect treatment of several major issues.

For example, although the Brownsville Economic Development Corporation's spokesperson Gilbert Salinas stated that the Mexican company had not asked for incentives (read money) as has Continental and American, he left the door open that it could do so in the near future.

And what about the role of commissioner Melissa Zamora in the scheme? Is there a gig for her in the Big Plan?

"We can't be naive, Juan," Salinas said a day after the article appeared. "It's part of doing business if you want to attract companies here."

Salinas, of course, is right.

In the case of establishing safe travel through what everyone agrees is a crucial necessity for Mexican industrialists and investors trying to avoid the open fire zone that Mexico's highways have become, airline travel between Monterrey and Brownsville was a dire necessity.

Due to a number of personality conflicts and poor political work, the attempt by FlyFrontera was shot down and that opportunity was discarded. Yet, city administrators and commissioners had been very busy luring AeroMexico here.

And, unlike the case of FlyFrontera, they didn't come asking for the incentives up front as did Continental, American and FlyFrontera.

This doesn't mean, however, that they won't, as Salinas admitted.

So far, observers say that Continental has received some $3.7 million and American another $2.5 million from the various city economic development corporations to set up business here, a kind of priming the pump with our tax dollars (even if it is sales tax).

The political work will probably be done quietly to approach these funding sources quietly and avoid the circus surrounding FlyFrontera. No black-T-shirt throng with pitchforks and torches here.

Salinas said that AeroMexico had not been interested in going into McAllen because that city basically provides retail shopping for wealthy Mexicans. And Laredo is basically a huge truck stop, he said.

"Brownsville is about business," he said, adding that the Brownsville-Monterrey relationship basically centers around the import and export of industrial materials to supply its industries.He did say that as far as he knew, the promotional work that was to be performed by commissioner Melissa Zamora was not coming from the BEDC. He said that as far as BEDC was concerned, if the commissioner was going to do any work it would be in her role as an office holder and not renumerated by the BEDC.

We don't know what circuitous manner that funds to pay for her work (she was after all the public relations director for South Padre Island) will be made available to pay for her labors, but as another blogger has pointed out, she was a vocal critic of former city commissioner Charlie Atkinson for his supposed paid position should FlyFrontera had flown.

Will the city pay AeroMexico to promote its fights and then the funds be paid out to vendors and other professionals (such as the commish) by the company?

Where there's a will, they say, there will be a way.