UNITED BROWNSVILLE: WE'LL DO YOU A FAVOR AND FLY BROWNSVILLE, YOU'LL PAY FOR IT ANYWAY

By Juan Montoya
In what can only be considered a lambiscon way to ingratiate themselves by to the City of Brownsville and its taxpayers, United Brownsville will come before the commission tomorrow asking for approval of its air travel policy.
The organization, which is not elected by the voters, is seeking the approval of a policy that states that "all approved air travel must originate from the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport."

And it is headed by the likes of IBC President Fred Rusteberg and UTB-TSC President Juliet Garcia.
The proposed policy also states that United Brownsville members "are encouraged to also use (the Brownsville airport) for their travel needs."
You remember United Brownsville. That's the quasi-governmental entity created at the expense of city taxpayers in the waning days of the Eddie Treviño administration at a cost of $1 million.
At the time it bore the name of "Imagine Brownsville."
It convinced the city, the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, the Brownsville Independent School District, the Brownsville Navigation District, the Public Utilities Board, the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation and University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College to pitch in $25,000 a piece annually to allow Rusteberg's underlings to run the city with little interference from its voters or elected officials.
It has held before that its meetings could behind closed doors and at one time claimed it was not required to follow the requirements of the Open Meetings Act.
One of the only employees it can claim is "board facilitator and communications director" Brian Godinez, who will be paid some $34,000 to coordinate, whatever the hell that means. Godinez has not made a name for himself in McAllen, where he hails from.

Rusteberg, when questioned when he made his pitch before PUB, said that he had a good track record in Baghdad, Iraq. Well, when you're a contractor there, you basically have a monopoly on whatever service you provide from the U.S. Government. How can you fail?

Another United Brownsville operative is Mike Gonzalez, the former mayor of Kyle and a conservative Republican, who was handpicked by Rusteberg as the United Brownsville's director at $78,000 a year.
The lobbying firm of Patton Boggs LLP is being paid $75,000 for three months of work. Last we checked, this firm is from Dallas, by way of Washington D.C.

Now, after getting all that public money from Brownsville-based entities, it only stands to reason that they spend it here, doesn't it? So, really, they are doing us no favors.

On the other hand, when the same proposed policy urges all "City of Brownsville employees" to do the same thing, that's when you run into problems.

For example, during tonight's meeting there is a travel request for Wellness Coordinator Judy Garcia with the Public Health Dept to travel to Austin. Her boss Arturo Rodriguez tells the commission that because the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reimburses travel costs for municipal health representatives to attend their meetings, they must also travel using Southwest Airlines, the state-contract holder for air travel, out of Harlingen.

Does this mean that Garcia must forgo the meetings and instead opt to travel out of Brownsville without reimbursement and at cost to the city to acquiesce to the whims of United Brownsville?

And if United Brownsville is so gung-ho about believing in Brownsville, why do they have to go to McAllen and Kyle to staff their organization?

While we're at it, why does Rusteberg insist on getting Brownsville to fund his pet organization when he himself lives in Rancho Viejo? Isn't it about time that we have a policy that states that unless you live in Brownsville you will not be hired by the city or city-funded entities?

Or is that pushing the "believe in Brownsville" policy a bit too far for his comfort?