Tuesday, June 2, 2015

IS MOMENTUM SHIFTING TOWARD AHUMADA IN MAYOR'S RACE?

By Juan Montoya
I would never have thought I'd ever write a headline like the one above for the resurrected candidacy of mayoral runoff candidate – and former mayor – Pat Ahumada.
While other pundits have scratched him off as a possible winner in the June 13 election, one can sense in talking to voters and looking at the redoubled efforts of incumbent Tony Martinez that a momentum shift is in the air.
If the literature emanating from the Martinez camp is any indication of the level of threat that he perceives in Ahumada, then Martinez definitely feels the footsteps behind him.
In fact, Martinez was personally campaigning at the entrance to the library on Monday and had his BBQ chicken grill smoking in Abraham Galonsky's property across Central Blvd.
The latest color flyer prominently features a photo of Ahumada being led off in handcuffs above four newspaper headlines dealing with the gag order by a court on the $26,000 "check scandal," one announcing his indictment, another his DWI trial, and one of his losing the 8-liners that were seized in much-publicized raid.
"Enough!," proclaims the kicker, "Lets not go back down this road with Pat Ahumada again."
The Ahumada camp in turn is distributing a press release with the slogan by Socrates: "Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people."
On Monday, the first day of early voting, less than 700 people showed up at the voting sites. Those who don't live in District 1 get a ballot that only has the mayor's race. The District 1 runoff is being waged by incumbent Rick Longoria against challenger Roman Perez.
this indicates, Ahuamda's release states, that "every single votes counts. And when those votes are gathered by scandalous lies and scare tactics, well ladies and gentlemen, there's a recipe for disaster."
Ahumada counters on the check "scandal"  that a jury of 12 men and women "just like you and me" and decided "the DA did not prove anything and it was a waste of taxpayers money."
The DWI was dismissed and on the eight-liner charge Ahumada was found not guilty.
"The truth is Tony's record of reckless spending, high utility rates, unpaved streets and secretive deals leading to $770 million in debt (almost $1 billion-dollar debt) which puts us in a course for higher property taxes." the release states.
Ahumada also challenged Martinez to a debate at the Central Public Library "tomorrow" (Wednesday) to discuss the issues raised in the flyer and on the press release.
Then Ahumada's press release charged that:
"The truth is Tony Martinez conspired to swindle the city out of $2.3 million with the Casa Del ylon purchase from his friend Abraham Galonsky.
The truth nis Tony Martinez is going to give away Lincoln Park if reelected.
The truth is we will never see our utility rates lowered if Tony is reelected.
The truth is Tony Martinez ram-rodded the Tenaska power-plant investment by paying $325 million for 200 megawatts that bis not needed, according to the city financial advisor and Fitch Bond Rating Agency and is costing us $125 million more than market value.
The truth is that Tony Martinez has been a dismal failure, but tries to take credit for SpaceX, and the unemployment rate going down when in reality he had nothing to do with this," Ahumada charged.
"I've been in Brownsville for over 50 years," said Mr. Green, an Ahumada supporter sitting near the library entrance,"and I've seen them lawyers graduate and come to town. Lawyers look out for lawyers, and that's it."

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great artivle juan!

Anonymous said...

I Love Love LOVE this. Brownsville, wake up and vote for Pat! We can't afford 4 more years of Tony!

Anonymous said...

The Tony Martinez's, Galchonskys, Cártel Marin's, ABC banks, Aunt Jemimas, have been Frucking the city's and college resources to the tune of 500 million dollars these past few years . If that is what you citizens want, then go ahead and vote for the present thieves.

Anonymous said...

Vote for the present thieves !

Anonymous said...

Mr. Green !!! He's a great guy, good to see him !!!

Anonymous said...

"The people deserve the govt they have." Voltaire.

Anonymous said...

I went to vote at the public library on Central. It was around 10 am, calm, only one person holding a Tony Martinez sign and one person holding a Pat Ahumada sign. One person ahead of me, one person behind me, no big line. Most of the people there going to the library or to get a cup of coffee. I was asked for a picture ID and my voter card; I voted and left the building. A friend of mine asked me why should she vote for Pat Ahumada and not Tony Martinez. I told her I didnt vote for Tony Martinez; I voted AGAINST Tony Martinez but not because I belive that Pat Ahumada is the solution. Mr. Ahumada was the only other choice and rather than not vote, I exercised my right as a citizen and voted. When I was a teenager, during election time I would always hear a commercial on the radio, on tv. "If you DONT VOTE, DONT COMPLAIN". This announcement was always in Spanish or in English. When I registered to vote I decided that right or wrong I would always exercise that right. I LIKE To be able to COMPLAIN when I exercised that right so every time someone complains how bad our city government is, what horrible politicians we have and that comes up in a conversation, if the person is a registered voter, I always asked if he/she voted on the last election. If you dont believe that your vote (one vote) makes a difference, you should ask Jessica Tetreau or Sergio Zarate what they think about that.

Anonymous said...

Good enough for Mr. Green, Good enough for me. Yo con Pat.

Anonymous said...

Save Brownsville! Vote against Tony Tranza!

Anonymous said...

This is very much like Mexican politics. When the PRI (Tony) is in power, all the shit quietly hits the fan and everyone who is someone makes their money. Everyone knows their place. Everything gets swept away quickly and without much fanfare.
When the PAN (Pat) is in power.....when it hits the fan, it hits the fan. Power struggles emerge and things are off balance. In the end, both candidates are just about the same. The difference lays in who can do it gracefully and with tact.

Anonymous said...

You are what you do, not what you say you'll do.

Anonymous said...

The poor performance of Tony Martinez as mayor and his willingness to turn the city policy making over to non-elected members of United Brownsville, have turned many voters against him. While Pat may have a DUI in his resume, he never sent the city into debt buying poor real estate that doesn't benefit the city.

Unknown said...

Tony Martinez looked like a fool passing those flyers to the adult day cares trying to make another Peron look bad so you can win if your going to win do it fare not by lieing on your aponet.pat Ahumada you got my vote and all my families votes!!

Anonymous said...

VOTE PAT AHUMADA!!!!

Anonymous said...

Eloquence got us tenaska casa nylon Lincoln park 700 million dolls of debt united brownsville shall I keep going.? Who knows what Tranzas has planned for the next 4 years, I don't want to pay more in taxes and bills, screw Tony I don't believe anymore. At lest you can stop pat on the street to talk to him. Eloquence? You can't even get a meeting with him is I couldn't say first hand

Anonymous said...

Pat is a fucking retard (looks like one to). If Pat wins the election the city will go to some serious shit. He is the most conservative prick alive! Yeah some of Tony's actions lack transperancy but the job he is doing now will have a bright outlook on Brownsville's future.

Anonymous said...

"The job he is doing now will have a bright outlook on Brownsville's future." What future?? How will Brownsville survive with the policies Tony put into place that created close to a $1Billion Dollar DEFICIT? How will Brownsville survive when Tony buys buildings like Casa De Nylon for $2.XMillion Dollars, when it's only worth $600K? How will Brownsville survive if we give away our assets, like Lincoln Park? It sounds like the prick, sir, is you for being so ignorant about our city's state of affairs. The fact that lack of transparency is fine by you tells me you're either A. Benefiting from Tony's crooked deals, or B. Just plain uninformed. God bless your children, who will have to deal with the sordid state of affairs Brownsville will be left in if Tony is re-elected.

Anonymous said...

LOL! el que se enoja pierde putito

Anonymous said...

So for which one of these two "gems" does one vote? I've been posing that question here for sometime now, but no answers. Both are crooks - one a low-level, crude, not-very-sophisticated - but at least it's all out in the open and we know what we're going to get. The other - white collar criminal - stealing from the public coffers - and all the time anointing himself on the sacred altar of self-righteousness - sheer hypocrisy. So I went to the library this afternoon to vote (even though I previously said no "lesser of two evils") and saw Martinez' paid lackeys at the entrance. It dawned on me the" this MFer is trying to buy the election." So I did vote for the lesser of two evils.

Sort of a microcosm of the upcoming presidential election - the "village idiot" vs. the master of conceit and self-worship. One opens his mouth and inputs the family "silver foot" (remember Anne Richards?) the other keeps her yap shut, but smiles and waives to the crowd in self-adulation. Both funded by $$$$$$ of special interests. She knows best what is best for the peasants and the rest of the unwashed masses, but can't mix with them (which of the Brownsville mayoral candidates is a parallel?). Rand Paul for the Repubs. and Bernie Sanders for the Dems., for whatever you may think of them, stand on principle, but lacking $$$$$$ will not get far. And Brownsville, sadly to say, is a microcosm of the farce now playing on the
national level.

Tunco Maclovio said...

I believe Ahumada is the lesser of the two evils

Anonymous said...

MONTOYA...y el cheke que se chingo ahumada?primero como llego el cheque a las manos de ahumada. que ejemplo puede dar este guey a la jente si se la pasa PEDO. AHORA EL OTRO COMPRO LA CASA NYLON.bueno ahi esta la propiedad no se ha ido a ningun lado.que se chingo una lana no lo dudo.pero yo prefiero un rata FINO que un rata de segunda

Anonymous said...

CONVERSATION I HAD AT DFW AIRPORT SOME YEARS AGO

STRANGER: Hi, how are you? Where you headed today?
ME: Hello, I'm headed to Harlingen, how about you?
STRANGER: Me too. I'm going fishing at the Island, you from the RGV?
ME: Yeah, Brownsville.
STRANGER: Brownsville! Huh, isn't that where they have that kooky
Mayor?
ME: You mean Pat Ahumada?
STANGER: Yeah, that guy, I hear he's been arrested three times for
DWI.
ME: Yep, that's the guy, but he's only been convicted twice.
STRANGER: Why not the last time?
ME: Well third time is a felony and it doesn't hurt that he was
Mayor at the time...and he finally got a good lawyer.
STRANGER: I also heard that he ripped off some money from the City...
something like $25 grand.
ME: Actually a little over $27 grand.
STRANGER: I heard he deposited a vendor's check to the City into his
bank account.
ME: Yeah, but the jury let him off the hook.
STRANGER: Really!! How the hell did that happen?
ME: Good lawyer, same one he had for his third DWI, convinced
them it was a accident.
STRANGER: Convinced them that he fraudulently endorsed a check made
out to the City, damnnn, he is a good lawyer.
ME: Yeah, never hurts.
STRANGER: What does this Ahumada guy do for a living?
ME: Good question. Used to be a shrimper but wasn't very good
at it. Worked for some lawyers for a while, but wasn't very
good at that either. He started dating a cute restaurant
chick that had money and she made him the mai-tre'd at a
restaurant she opened but it didn't work out.
STRANGER: Why not, sounds like a sweet deal.
ME: Well she had to fire him, the waiters complained that he
kept accidently depositing all the tips into his account.
STRANGER: 'reckon bad habits are hard to break, huh?
ME: 'reckon so..by the way, you ever been to Brownsville?
STRANGER: Yeah, one time but I got my wallet pick pocketed and ain't
been back since.
ME: Yeah, I understand, kinda what used to happen when you
walked into City Hall when Ahumada was in office.
STRANGER: Why do the citizens keep electing him? He's got no education
and from what your telling me he's not really good at
anything he does and seems kinda lazy to me...
ME: Well, you've got to understand, its Brownsville, people that
get an education, work hard and make good money are shunned
by the most people, especially the bloggers. Kinda of like
you got to be dumb and stupid to be of good moral character
enough to qualify for public office.
STRANGER: Really, wow!! That's amazing.
ME: Well Brownsville is an amazing town, you 'auht to come visit
STRANGER: No thanks, after what you told me, it explains a lot.
ME: Like what?
STRANGER: I got my wallet snatched while I was at the Courthouse.
ME: I don't blame you, well good luck fishing on the Island.
STRANGER: Good luck living in that amazing town.

Anonymous said...

Ha ha ha, jjiiji, yup el que se enoja se convierte en tamal =(pierde)

Anonymous said...

Amen!!!!

rita