A CITIZEN'S OPEN LETTER TO CURRENT CITY HALL TENANT TONY MARTINEZ

(Ed.'s Note: We occasionally receive missives from our three readers and we received this one recently. It was in Spanish and we took the liberty of translating it into English. Doubtless, some of the issues addressed by the writer (who wishes anonymity) have been addressed before. But the tone of the letter suggests that there exists a deep mistrust and apprehension in the common citizen of the policies implemented under City of Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez's administration. Apparently, the writer did not pay $50 to hear Martinez's state of the city presentation at the Brownsville Events Center. And we hear that she doesn't believe  a word of the mass mail out that Da Mayor sent to all those on the city voting lists.)  

Mr. Martinez,
We, the residents of the Brownsville community demand that you give us detailed information on the following points because we think we deserve it since we pay taxes and we refuse to continue to be deceived.
* Just how much was the cost that the residents of Brownsville paid – or that we will pay – for bringing SpaceX here?
*As residents of this city, we want to get a full listing of all the real estate purchases made by the city during your administration: who the owners were, what appraised value they had, and how much the city ended up paying for them.
*We want to see the actual maintenance contract for the rolling stock of the Brownsville Urban System (BUS) and how it benefits the city and the user.
*Give us an apples-to-apples and oranges-to-oranges comparison and explanation of the rates charged by the Brownsville Public Utility Board vis-a-vis CON AEP, REA, CPL and San Antonio. Since PUB is not a tax-paying entity, the rates should reflect that.
*We have learned that PUB ratepayers will see their electric rates increase by 36 percent by the end of 2016. Tell us why this rate hike was necessary, who approved it, and how specifically the millions in  dollars generated will be spent.
*Release a copy of the contract you signed on behalf of the city with Tenaska. Since the city is said to require only 200 MWs into the future, how will the city profit from the additional 600 MWs that will be produced by that plant?
*What doe the PUB plan to do with the current power provider (Oklaunion) and how many MWs is it producing?
*Who were the owners of the property where Tenaska will be built and how much did it cost us?
* In a meeting you held Feb. 17, 2015 at the Jacob Brown Civic Center, you quoted a total $1 billion price tag for the plant. Please specify in detail how and where that money will be spent.
*We also demand that the city make available information (through a website or publication) the salaries of all city administrators and staff as well as the salaries of all PUB administrators and employees and where they all live.
*Could you also explain why it seems that the City's Health and Inspection Department is constantly blamed for making establishing a business in this city so difficult? This problem has gotten so bad that it now appears that no one does business here unless they "know somebody."
*And finally, what really happened to the failed city move to keep the Aeromexico airline here? Why did they leave, forcing Brownsville residents who want to travel to Mexico City to go to McAllen? What happened to the promises made by you and Airport Director Larry Brown?
These questions have never been fully answered by you or the city administration. We demand that you answer them, fully, clearly and specifically so there is no doubt left. We further ask that you do this publicly.