TONIGHT: LINCOLN PARK GIVEAWAY DRAWS PROTEST

By Juan Montoya
The plan by Brownsville City Mayor Tony Martinez and the city commission to give away Lincoln Park to the oil-and-gas wealthy University of Texas System has exploded in their face.
Today, a large number of people disenchanted with Da Mayor, the city commishes and the city administration in general will give them a piece of their mind. The meeting is set for 5 p.m. at City Hall at the old federal building at the corner of 10th Street and Elizabeth.
If previous protests are any indication, the mayor and the city commissioners will let them have their say, go about their business and proceed to do exactly what they had voted to do in the past.

On September 4, 2012, the UT System let out a Request For Proposals (RFP) for real estate and gave entities a month to give a response. At once, Martinez jumped into action and hired (on his own) the buildingcommunityWORKSHOP group and had his offer on the UT Regents desk less than a month later on October 12.
In it Martinez (with the commissioners' approval) offered UTB the following tribute from the different municipally-funded entities:
* Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation - $2,500 to $5,000 for every University job associated with UTB's location downtown
* Brownsville Economic Development Corporation - BEDC will contribute tax revenue from increased sales, mixed beverage, and parking meter taxes to UTB for public realm improvements downtown
*Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation - BCIC will provide funding and/or subsidies for "quality of life" projects, including cultural and athletic amenities in greater Downtown Brownsville
* Brownsville Metropolitan Planning Organization and BCIC - MPO and BCIC will increase bicycle infrastructure, including the extension of city hike and bike trails to better connect the UTB facilities with surrounding downtown neighborhoods and amenities
* Public Utility Board - PUB will provide reduced utility rates for new UTB buildings that are built to LEED accreditation standards
* Brownsville Metro - Brownsville Metro will increase their bus coverage area to better serve UTB's campus and to increase service frequency to UTB campus facilities
The invoice for the RFP was $27,803.12 which included round-trip flights from Dallas to Harlingen for its principal at a cost of $541. 20 (Sept. 21), $347.20 (Oct. 3), and $535.20 (Oct. 8). Among the items in the invoice is the $475 monthly rent on an apartment (Sept. 21). Since it was under $35,000, he had City Manager Charlie Cabler pay it without going through the city commission.
And, of course, there was Lincoln Park, which has to be the most traveled park in any city. Once it was an island park on the east side of International Boulevard. Then, when the extension of 77-83 was built to Los Tomates Bridge, the loss of the park was "mitigated" to the present location, a 47.956-acre site along the river near the bridge abutting the university.
Now, if  Martinez and the commissioners get their way, God knows where it will go. Remember, first the park was removed from La 421 and the projects across the resaca. Then, it was moved closer to Southmost across 77-83. In every case, there has been no public hearing on this gift that  his pliant commissioners have already committed themselves to give the UT System. They're just barrio people, anyway, right King Tony?
Already, some commissioners like Jessica Tereau-Kalifa – like Sgt. Schultz in Hogan's Heroes – that they "knew nothing" about the conveyance of the park.
"I am firmly against the sale or transfer of Lincoln Park," she wrote on her FB page at 3 a.m. this morning (after closing time?). "I was the only commissioner who chose not to participate in this vote because I had serious issues with taking from our kids to gift our valuable and community rich assets to the wealthiest university system in the world."
She made her response not to the local newspaper, television stations, not to Tony Martinez, not to the open mike on the city cable television, but to her supporters with Cheezmeh. The caveat to that, however, is that she  chose not to voice an opinion one way or the other. So what do we need her there for, then?
The only recourse we have, then, is to take matters into our own hands and let Generous Tony and Recalcitrant Jessica and the Silent Majority on the commission know in no uncertain terms that the public's property is jot for them to give away without at least having the courtesy to give us a little kiss.
But – and there is always a but – in order to give, sell, or lease a public park, the commissioners have to abide by Section 253.0001 of the Texas Local Government Code.
It states:
§ 253.001. SALE OF PARK LAND, MUNICIPAL BUILDING SITE, OR ABANDONED ROADWAY. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the governing body of a municipality may sell and convey land or an interest in land that the municipality owns, holds, or claims as a public square, park, or site for the city hall or other municipal building or that is an abandoned part of a street or alley. A sale under this section may include the improvements on the property. (b) Land owned, held, or claimed as a public square or park may not be sold unless the issue of the sale is submitted to the qualified voters of the municipality at an election and is approved by a majority of the votes received at the election; provided, however, this provision shall not apply to the sale of land or right-of-way for drainage purposes to a district, county, or corporation acting on behalf of a county or district."
And even if the park is less than 100 acres and does not come under the requirement for an election, who cares? It's our park, not Tony Martinez's or anyone of those commissioners or city administrators.

Tonight at 5 p.m., many people plan to be at City Hall at the corner of Elizabeth and 10th Street to hold the mayor and city commissioners' fee to the fire. Join us.