Tony Martinez, mayor of the City of Brownsville, has never made it a secret.
From the time he was elected and in speeches before the United Brownsville choir and even as his first two years in office are drawing near, he has made it clear at IBC meetings and in Matamoros that he would prefer many departments in the city to be privatized.
As a member of the Public Utilities Board, he has made the pitch for that entity to be sold to a private entity who will staff and manage the utility "like a business."
He has also said that he favors departments like the Brownsville Public Works to be privatized as well.
What will that mean for the current employees?In all likelihood, what usually happens to workers when their places of employment are privatized: they will lose seniority, will have to reapply for their positions, and will have to start at the low end of the pay scale.
To those city workers who fell for his "Believe in Brownsville" campaign slogan, this new and improved Martinez must sound like a nightmare come true.
Already, some grumbling has been heard in city corridors against Martinez's plans. But with the recent city election drawing a dismal voter turnout, it appears likely that Martinez plans will come to fruition with the election of Deborah Portillo in the District 3 runoff June 22 against Martin Sarkis.
Martinez already owns the majority of the votes on the commission. Marginally independent commissioners like Ricardo Longoria and Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa have been chafing at the bit after a number of highly-speculative real estate purchases engineered by Martinez in the blighted downtown area.
Then, the rumor that Martinez wants to move the employees currently occupying the old federal courthouse to a renovated Casa del Nylon has added fuel to the fire that the autocratic mayor will run roughshod over the wishes of any commissioner who might want to voice an independent opinion of his plans for the city.Martinez has aligned himself with the United Brownsville shadow government and with the Imagina Matamoros group across the river who want the two cities to pursue their "vision" for the future independent of what the voters of those entities wish. Foremost among these is Carlos Marin, the master manipulator from Matamoros who has found a fortune hoodwinking the local rubes with his "vision" of "Imagine Brownsville" cum "United Brownsville."
As the privatization plans begin to gel and the consequences of having a mayor with the rest of the commission under his control, will the city workers, their families and their extended relations go along with his plans?
18 comments:
Privatization enriches the corporate owners, just look at what happened in 1999, when the State of Texas privatized the WIA Programs, TANF and FS Employment & Training Services now under the Workforce Solutions Cameron. See if you can find the original employees there.
First order of business is to reduce operating costs. How do you do that? Easy, you cut the salaries of the most senior staff.
Bravo for the Mayor. Who care about protecting a bunch of patronage jobs handed out by city politicians. Screw em, let them work for the private sector, where they have to produce something for their pay.
Privatization of PUB is a good thing and would likely eliminate wasteful practices brought upon by political issues that exist due to public ownership. While some "may" lost seniority....the decision will surely be better for the public good. Make it a business and eliminate politics. Use proceeds from the sale of PUB to develop the city. We should also privatize the Port of Brownsville and get that mob off the public tit.
Juan you say that Ricardo Longoria and Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa have been chafing at the bit after a number of highly-speculative real estate purchases? Then why did they support the purchases and give Tony Martinez their vote? Also you're always writing that Melissa Zamora votes with Tony. If that's the case why didn't he privatize sooner with her vote? Why does he need Debbie?????? You don't make any sense Juan.
HEY, I REMEMBER THE LAST TIME A MAYOR WANTED TO SELL PUB CABRONES!!!! IT WAS NONE OTHER THAN THE LITTLE PUTO EDDIE "PANOCHA" TREVINO OJETES!!! NOW THE MAMON IS THE LAWYER FOR THE CHINGADERA HE WANTED TO SELL!!! A CURRENT MAYOR AND A FORMER MAYOR WITH THE SAME PINCHE GOAL IN MIND,...TO SELL THE PEOPLE'S UTILITY COMPANY!!! QUE CHINGONON!! AND THEY ARE BOTH ATOURNEYS...AHHH HOW CUTE!!! AY QUE CUIDARNOS EL CULO PUTOS!!! I FEEL A CHORIZIADA COMING MOAMONES!!!! UP YOUR CULO MAYORS!!!! BUNCH OF CULEROS!!!!...UUUYYYYY!!!
MACLOVIO O'MALLEY
From what people have heard Tony did not reach out to Melissa since she was on the way out.Tony needs somebody he could trust to keep their mouth shut and not taking the credit. Tony likes to call the shots and Melissa does as well and they are lide oil and water together. Melissa like to ask for somebodies head and replace it with someone of her choice to keep control... Tony on the other hand just wasnts puppets to vote his way so he could put his people in. NOT one city commissioner right now has the balls to go up against Tony not even Ricardo Longoria. Rick complains but he likes to hear himself talk and try to sound smart and Tony hates it because with all of Ricks BS he still doesn't get anything accomplished.. he just doesn't have the support of the commisssion and he wants it so bad it reeks jealousy. The city of Brownsville is destined to be poor because the city commissioners have not there fore settle for a fajita taco instead of a steak.
Wait until he privatizes EMS and you have a bunch of basic emergency care attendants, earning Minimum wage, trying to bring you or your loved ones back to life. You get what you pay for people. Cheaper is not always better. All the profits and benefits go to the owners of these companies, while the working stiffs get the bare minimum. And forget about health care and retirement, that will only apply to the top brass.
bravo Maclovio!! you are the only one telling the truth,, The Mayor wants to make richer the already rich, including himself,Carlos Marin and the rest of the Imagine Brownsville sh...t. and we all know why he does need Portillo.
SELL PUB? ARE YOU CRAZY? WE HAVE THE CHEAPEST ELECTRIC RATES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. ALTHOUGH OUR WATER AND SEWER RATES ARE HIGHER THAN MCALLEN OR HARLINGEN, THEY ARE MUCH LOWER THAN OTHER TEXAS CITIES THAT ARE OF COMPRABLE SIZE OR LARGER. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE AEP CONTROL BROWNSVILLE? SO WE CAN BE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY FOR 9 DAYS LIKE THE MUCH OF THE REST OF THE VALLEY WAS AFTER HURRICANE DOLLY? NO THANKS. I HAD MY ELECTRICTY BACK WITHIN 24 HOURS. IF ANYTHING, THE CITY SHOULD PAY PUB TO TAKE OVER PUBLIC WORKS. THEY WOULD WHIP THEM INTO SHAPE
MONTOYA...PUBLIC WORKS DEPT FOR SURE THE MAYOR NEED TO DO SOMETHING THAT DEPT IS RUN BY THE INEPT OF SANTANA TORRES HE IS CABLER'S PET,HE DOSENT KNOW ANYTHIG ABOUT PAVETMENT,CONCRETE WORK,THE DEPT NEEDS NEW BLOOD.
Juan, privatizing PUB might make good business sense but in reality, the City of Brownsville could never afford to pay the utility bills of all the entities, organizations, outfits, freeloaders and groups that now receive free service! It's true that our beloved mayor is set on privatization and, when asked about the employees and their families that might suffer because of it, he said "It's OK, they'll find some kind of work."
Stony should privatize the airport fire station. Puro waste land. Bring in the military to secure downtown Browntown. The polease can't or won't keep the peace. Pseudo cops sure, yeah, ah huh.
now you see it, now you don't, some city depts. need to be flushed out every year, save money here and then spend It elsewhere right mayor?
Que bueno! Pa que se vayan todos los pinches leeches-buenos-pa-nada a chingar su madre.... way to go Tony "the tiger" Martinez!
Clean up the PUB and the City of all the pendejos collecting a paycheck because some compadre put them there pa que se rasquen la panza.
@5:27 says the overpaid bombero. Get what we pay for? I pay a crap load of taxes and I don't get what I pay for. I get a bunch of drunk asses who call themselves paramedics and firefighters. Good-for-nothing idiots.
SI EL ALCALDE LOGRA PRIVATIZAR LA CUIDAD ESTO ELIMINARIA A MUCHOS 'HUEVONES' QUE DISQUE QUE TRABAJAN.Y ESTO LE DARIA A MUCHAS EMPRESAS A HACER TRABAJO Y EMPLEAR A JENTE QUE REALMENTE TRABAJE.PERO LO MAS IMPORTANTE ES TERMINAR CON TODA LA CORRUPCION QUE EXCISTE Y NADIE ESTA HACIENDO NADA,UNA AUDITORIA EN LOS DEPARTAMENTOS COMO PUBLIC WORKS,PARQUES,PURCHASING,LAND FILL,FINANCE.SERIA BUENO PARA QUE DE UNA VEZ ESTOS PARACITOS QUE MANEJAN VAYAN A PARAR AL BOTE.
I paid more for electricity only in a small condo in Corpus than for all PUB services in Brownsville in a house 3 times as large. Wanting to sell PUB will only profit a select few and the rest of us will pay way more.
303am reply..you are wright let the mayor have a majority in the city commision so he can clean up the city,need new blood,MR.MARTINEZ NOW THAT YOU GOING TO HAVE THE VOTE,GET ALL THE 'HUEVONES' OUT OF THE CITY, STARTING WITH PUBLIC WORKS,CITY MANAGER,FINANCE,PARKS,PURCHASING,LAND FILLAND DONT FORGET 'EL TAL WILLY GONZALEZ'
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