EMPEROR TONY FETES HIS BODS AT CITY EXPENSE

By Juan Montoya
As early as May 17, R. Steven Lewis, a licensed architect and self-described "UTB Relocation Consultant" was in touch with Mayor Tony Martinez and his staff ironing out the details of his trip to Brownsville to advise the city leaders on how to deal with the TSC-UTB separation.
In a May 17 email he wrote Ivonne Soto, the receptionist at the Martinez, Barrera and Martinez Law Office that he could come to Brownsville as per Mayor Martinez and that he had told "the Mayor that if the city would be responsible for my travel expenses – flight, lodging, meals, etc. – I will not charge for my time for my initial visit. Please let me know what works best for the Mayor."
Soto and the city staff made the hotel (Marriott Courtyard) arrangements for Lewis to stay at $85  a night.
On July 4, in anticipation of his coming to the planning "charrette" held at the Cueto Building, Lewis sent the city an invoice for "professional services" for his research into Urban Campuses ($400, 4 hours at $100 per), travel to Austin Tx., and meeting attendance (12 hours at $100, $1,200),
develop research and meeting notices ($400, 4 hours at $100 per), for $2,000.
However, Lewis "gave" the city a $500 "opportunity investment discount" and submitted his bill 22 days before the charrette for $1,500. It was approved by Martinez and paid on July 25.
As far as the city staff was concerned, that would be it for Lewis since there was no formal agreement signed except for the mayor's approval.
Then, just five days later, on July 31, the City Manager Charlie Cabler's secretary Rachel Figeroa received another email invoice from Lewis, this time for $4,500 for his "UT Brownsville Relocation Consultation" and participation in the design charrette to be held at the Cueto Building July-26 to 28.
Among the itemized costs were a gobbledygook of costs such as "consultation with Mayor Martinez, "charette participation," strategic planning sessions with consultant team, "ongoing review/comment on team deliverable," and "development of comparative matrix."
Still thinking that Lewis would not be charging for his visit, Figeroa inquired from purchasing what she should do with the bill since "she had not received anything to process...(and had run across the email)..."stating he was not going to charge for his presentation just flight and hotel."
The matter was subsequently cleared when Cabler wrote City Finance Director Pete Gonzalez on September 17 and asked him to "As per Mayor Tony Martinez please process this apron there was no letter or agreement signed.
The Complete Streets Workshop" held May 16 also featured Kevin St. Jaques, a member of the Complete Streets Speakers Bureau which was held at the mayor's initiative and which required the Brownsville Community Incentives Corporation (BCIC) to fork over $5,000, of which $2,300 was paid to Freese and Nichols, of Ft. Worth, to have Jaques tell us that our streets in Brownsville left much to be desired.
Martinez also moved on his own to have the city bring Gil Peñalosa, the executive director of the 8-80 Cities, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, come and tell us on August 28-30 at a conference at (you guessed it) the Cueto Building, that we should be ashamed of ourselves for having such bad streets and sidewalks.
Almost a month (August 1) before Peñalosa browbeat the citizens, city administrators and local bigwigs over the sidewalks and streets, the city meekly approved payment to him for $7,974 that included $6,500 for professional services, $988 for air transportation, and $485 for accommodations and meals in good old "American dollars," not in Canuck currency.
By the way, none of these costs were ever seen by the rest of the city commission or ever came before them for their approval.
Neither were they run by the purchasing department or went out as Requests For Proposals. (RFP).
It was our good old Mayor Tony "Believe in Brownsville Bucks" Martinez.
If you think this is bad, the worst is yet to come.