After four years (and starting his fifth) as mayor of the City of Brownsville, Tony Martinez pretty much has had his way.
He could nudge a pliant city commission to approve this and vote for that, sometimes even on items that they weren't even shown.
Take, for example, the city's answer to the UT System's RFP for real estate offers to place their new university (UTRGV). Tucked into the city's offer were some 83 acres of prime city real estate that it was willing to "transfer " to the UT for a song. Included in this bargain-basement offer was the city's 48-acre jewel known as Lincoln Park.
Once the public outcry erupted over the city's generous offer, some commissioners backtracked and grew sour on the deal.
They also approved the Brownsville-PUB deal with Tenaska to indebt the utility some $325 million for a gas-fired electric generating plant by raising rate-payers' utilities well into 2016 without any hope of the cost going down.No one asked the feasibility of having a 800 megawatt plant when there were two going into Edinburg and another 800-MW plant going up in Harlingen. If the Edinburg and Harlingen plants went online before the Brownsville facility and Tenaska had no customers for the other 600 MWs, would it continue to build it?
Questions that were never asked of King Tony before are being asked now.
The clearest indication of this was the vote on the PUB board nominees Tuesday. Martinez had made it no secret the he wanted city commission candidate (and loser) Gerardo Martinez on the PUB board. As usual, he expected a pliant city commission to genuflect and give in to his wishes.
Alas, King Tony was told "no."
It stands to reason. Sitting at the At-Large seat that Gerardo Martinez waned was the winner Cesar de Leon. Did Martinez really think that de Leon would vote to place Martinez the Lesser on the PUB where he would toe the line for Martinez the Greater who already seats on the PUB board as an ex oficio member? At this juncture, Tony should have known better.
Instead, feisty District 2 commissioner Jessica Tetreau was able to get her votes to place businessman Rafael Chacon. Chacon's claim to fame is not in electric, water or sewer, of power plants for that matter. He is just a business buddy of the Tetreau from Coahuila who has a few pocket malls strewn around town. We don't even know if he owns a Tesla like the commish.
Likewise, District 1 commissioner Ricardo Longoria was able to garner support among his peers for his nomination of his pal Martin Arambula. Arambula certainly needed this morale builder.
Not that Armabula knows anything about the cost of utilities past his monthly bill or what the price of natural gas in China may be (although he's been there on the port's nickel), but between keeping the BISD's records in the right file and recycling cardboard, Martin gets bored out in the hinterlands where his office is located.
Besides, Longoria and Arambula have been pals forever, so he got in.
Chacon and Arambula replace Emmanuel Vasquez and Arturo Farias, a pair of quintessential "yes" men who feel perfectly at home being utilized by mean of greater means.
When it appeared to de Leon that his first choice of Martin Sarkis would not get a second, he nominated Armando Magallanes, 357th District Judge Juan Magallanes' brother. That went nowhere but de Leon justified Mando's nomination because he thought he would be a voice for the common people.
The upshot of all this is that King Tony is no longer having his unbridled way as he did in his first term. Is this vote the precursor of things to come?
11 comments:
Arambula, give me a break. This guy is nothing more than a leach. Look at his pay, gratis a payback deal, at BISD. He will soon be sucking the blood from the PUB vendors.
About fking time ,thanks
geez. these are terrible choices, willing to exchange a favor for a favor. When will the commission appoint people who will ask the tough questions and take a stand for the community?
Why the chinga do you not address important issues like why 90% of
Brownsville's population is either pre diabetic, diabetic or post diabetic as
in dead?
The city is a moribundo in slow motion. Why do these people have no self-respect?
I see now, why Martin Sarkis, was supporting tony Martinez, Cesar De Leon,.. During election time....
Yep. My uncle who is a physician checks every new patient for Diabetes. 90% Are diabetic, pre diabetic, post diabetic, and some are at 300mg readings. Since you don't feel anything until the surgeons starts chopping off your toes, feet, leg(s), then you start going on a diet. The advice he gives his patients apparently goes in and out of their Spock ears. There is a TV program called the "Walking Dead. They plan to change it to the"Brownsville Diabetic Walking Dead At The Mall".
Maybe your "physician "uncle needs to stop discussing his patients medical history so you won't feel the need to go on the blogs and make fun of them.
Apparently you are one of those poor souls that did not heed his advice. I did. I am now at 107 mg every day.
A report was published in the Med Journal concerning South Texas diabetic population.
Juan scoops the HERALD once again. Great news that King Tony's power plant deal is being questioned. Is it too late to stop this rip off? This issue is the reason PAT THE RAT, got any votes at all during the last election.
How is Cesar de Leon's lawsuit against the city going, to demand public record disclosure on the power plant deal?
Why do power plants come to McAllen and Harlingen, at no cost to rate payers, while King Tony's plant must be subsidized by our's? Better yet, why not ask why PUB has not reduced their fuel adjustment charge, now that every other power plant in the USA has done so ?
STOP THIS MADNESS JUAN.
No shit! And Bobby at the voice blog is kissing and sucking PUB ASS what a fking loser, always assuming people are dumber than him in how they spend their money.that shit head is always trying to prove and to justify his freeloader life on his health
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