RICK AND JESSIE: KNOWN ENTITIES, JUST SAY "NO"

By Juan Montoya
Voters in the City of Brownsville Commission District 1 and 2 are being courted by a number of candidates, including incumbents Ricardo Longoria and Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa.
Longoria is using the "my people" approach while Tetreau's supporters are urging them to blacken her oval because she didn't vote for the sale of Lincoln Park and she kept a landfill away from schools.
Yet, when one looks at the record of theior performance on pocketbook issues, their siren song turns into the bleating of misled sheep.
They nhave been lured by the enticements of Da Mayor Tony Martinez and his United Brownsville elite that (if they do as they are told), they will also have a place at the Big Table with the likes of Martinez, UTB's Julieta Gracia and IBC President Fred Rusteberg. Meanwhile, keep those votes (and public money for their cronies) coming, children.
On the issue of Lincoln Park, Tetreau likes to say that she has never voted to sell (or convey) the park to the UT System for a song ($6.5 million instead of the $21 million appraisers say it's worth). Of course, she is technically right. Longoria now says he voted against the sale when he saw the anger of "my people."
But let's examine the record.
In the Feb. 5, 2013, meeting, the minutes reflect that then-commissioner Melissa Zamora moved to authorize the donation of the Lincoln Park property and another 21.5-acre tract.
Voting "aye" were Zamora, Mayor Tony Martinez, and commissioners Estela Vasquez, Rose Gowen, Rick Longoria and John Villarreal. Tetreau abstained without any reason given.
At the Feb. 25 meeting, the minutes reflect that Gowen made the motion that the property "be donated" to the UT System if a downtown site was selected for the campus UTB campus (now UTRGV) and was seconded by commissioner Villarreal.
Voting "aye" were Martinez, Gowen, Longoria and Villareal.
Voting against ( in a flip flop of her previous vote where she made the motion to donate it) was then-commissioner Melissa Zamora. Tetreau and Vasquez were listed as absent.
Now, taken in this context, we find the protests by Tetreau, Longoria and Villarreal that they are against the donation, sale, conveyance, etc., self-serving at worst and disingenuous at best.
Even before the Feb. 5, 2013 vote was taken, the city commission had already responded to the UT System's call for Requests For Proposals for property for a university site as early as October 12, 2012 where they placed the park on the barrel head for donation to the UT System. The response to the RFP (http://issuu.com/jtirsun/docs/cob_rfp_no.reo_09_04_2012_bor) clearly stated that Lincoln Park was in the incentive package for the UT System to stay put at the current site.
Longoria is even worse.
When federal money became available for the Southmost area to build a hurricane dome shelter, he voted three times to send the money elsewhere.

On May 25, 2013 – almost two years ago – the city commission, with Longoria present, voted on a "substantial amendment" to this item:
8. FIRST Public Hearing for the proposed 2012/2013 HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Funding allocation. (Stephanie Reyes – Grants)
The "substantial" part of that amendment was the proposal to shift $535,000 from a construction of the planned Southmost Community Center (Dome) to provide hurricane protection to that community and add $300,000 to John Villarreal's District 4 Oliveira Skate Park's $150,000 and another $235,000 to meet the needs of additional amenities to District 2 Jessica Tetreau's Portway Acres Park which was originally programmed for $107,692.
According ot the minutes of that meeting:
"Commissioner Estela C. Vasquez moved that the proposed 2nd Substantial Amendment to the
Fiscal Year 2012/2013 HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Funding
allocation, be approved. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Jessica Tetreau and carried
unanimously.
Longoria had another chance to protect "his people" on December 12, 2014 when the commission considered delaying the construction once again. The minutes of that meeting state:

9. Consideration and ACTION to request that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant the City of Brownsville a 12-month extension to complete construction of  the Community Safe Room project (DR-1791-361), located at the Southmost Library. Commissioner Ricardo Longoria Jr. moved that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant to the City of Brownsville, for a 12-month extension to complete construction of the Community Safe Room project (DR-1791-361), located at the Southmost Library, be approved. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Jessica Tetreau and carried unanimously.

And at a meeting two months ago, the minutes will reflect that Longoria voted once again to cancel the project in his district.
The commission instead authorized city officials to use the money for street and drainage improvements in the Southmost area.
The candidates running against Longoria in District 1 are Michael Longoria and Roman Perez,
The candidate running against Tetreau is Sergio Zarate.
We don't know what the others will bring to the table. But we do know that the incumbents have failed in their promises to "their people."