WHILE PUB BOARD MEMBERS PLAY POLITICS, SNAIL-PACE WORK ON CITY PROJECT IRK RESIDENTS

By Juan Montoya
While public works projects handled by Brownsville Public Utility Board contractors such as the mess at Sixth and Seventh streets near Jackson continue to delay traffic and cause headaches for local motorists, the majority on the board of the utility has ignored their performance and instead engage in political schems  to retain their control
For the better part of four months, a local businessman has coped with detouring Sixth Street from Ringgold Street south to get to his company along Levee Street.
Like his colleagues in his office, he has been patiently waiting for the contractors hired by the PUB to finally finish the utility work that has seen torn up streets and congestion causing severe traffic delays for people coming to and leaving their jobs downtown.
"Do we have any engineers watching these guys?," asked the incredulous business owner. "First one tears up the street, then another comes in and paves it only to have yet someone else tear it up again."
Don't ask former chairman Manny Vasquez. He has been too busy lately kowtowing to politicians and seeking their influence to tell you what's gong on. For that matter, don;t even ask outgoing chairman Arturo Farias, he's one of the members of the board that went along with Vasquez and Oscar Garcia to place their buddy David Morales in the hot chair.
Hinojosa, the vice chair, was scheduled to take the chairman's position and had counted on Vasquez to honor his commitment to the transition to that post. However, Vasquez's latest political maneuver that Vasquez has engineered is reneging on his promise to Raymond Hinojosa assuring him that he would follow him at the chairman's spot only to nominate Morales to fill the spot.
"It came as a surprise to Raymond when Vasquez nominated Morales to the chairman's spot when he had agreed to have Hinojosa take his turn," said a former board member. "Vasquez still continues to pay heed to the political masters who put him there.
One person who could have made a difference in the outcome was PUB ex-officio member Mayor Tony Martinez, but, as his been his wont, he has become the "Stealth Mayor," conveniently absent when his presence counted most.
"Tony is off on his own somewhere," said the former PUB official. "Apparently, he believes in governing by benign neglect."
Many questions have been asked on why Director of Water and Wastewater Engineering and Operations Genoveva Gomez has not exercised stronger control of the PUB-funded projects that have languished for months such as the Seventh and Sixth street improvements that have cause such headaches for city residents.
"Is anyone getting on these people to finish these projects?" asked the businessman. "I have seen projects in Matamoros get done faster and with worse equipment and fewer workers. Don't the board members live in town? hey should get rid of the politicians on the board and get some professionals in there."