Just how many times can a bridge be grand opened?
Well, from the same city that brought you the Guinness World Record zumba dance to the Hooked on Life mass anglers, we now have what may be the third grand opening of the West Rail Bridge Relocation project out on Military Highway.
This time it won;t be the former mayor of Matamoros Alfonso Sanchez Garza, although he did participate in a grand opening there some time back.
And it won't be U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela.
But it will be Cameron County Judge (and 2016 candidate?) Pete Sepulveda and City of Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez although the invitation states that the ceremony is being held "in conjunction with the City Commission, the Cameron County Commissioners Court, and the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority. Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the bridge site.Let's see who won't be there.
Matamoros Mayor Lety Salazar won't be there, and neither will Gov. Greg Abbott, or his Secretary of State Carlos Cascos, perhaps the one public official who pushed for the construction of the bridge in the first place.
No, this show is to allow Martinez to place himself leading the parade on a project that he had blessed little to do with. In fact, some county staffers are complaining that the city has yet to plunk down its $3 million share for its construction. But that hasn't slowed Tony down any.
The last time Sepulveda had a grand opening and appeared in the newspaper was to escort a locomotive engine all the way to the middle of the bridge. Come to think of it, Pete may be practicing grand openings. Hopefully, the third time will be the charm. In the invitation, a Kansas City Southern train engine seems to be hurtling toward a Union Pcific engine in a otorized version of train chicken.
This has all the trappings of a city hijacking of a railroad.
After all, there already was the one gran opening August 7 with the CCRMA, Commissioners Court, U.S. Rep. Fil Vela, Da Mayor, Port of Brownsville representatives, CBP officials, The media was there with TV crews were from Ch. 4, 5, and even Televisa.
Those of us who rememebr that far back realize that a similar event was staged in 2003 (see photo) where Sanchez Garza attended at the same bridge.
It has to be one of the most celebrated spans of all time. This time we understand that Finance Minister Luis Videgaray will be there as will his U.S. counterpart. Videgaray just finished opening the special SENTRI Pass crossing at San Ysidro, Calif.
We're not sure why Tony’s office set this up other than for the attention. County officials we contacted tell us that they understood that the invited big wigs were already to be invited by the county and the RMA. But unlike the current event being held at 2 p.m., the first event was held at 9:15 a.m. – a more reasonable time when the summer heat is somewhat tolerable.
It has to be one of the most celebrated spans of all time. This time we understand that Finance Minister Luis Videgaray will be there as will his U.S. counterpart. Videgaray just finished opening the special SENTRI Pass crossing at San Ysidro, Calif.
We're not sure why Tony’s office set this up other than for the attention. County officials we contacted tell us that they understood that the invited big wigs were already to be invited by the county and the RMA. But unlike the current event being held at 2 p.m., the first event was held at 9:15 a.m. – a more reasonable time when the summer heat is somewhat tolerable.
The folks calling it a hijacking do so because there is little that the city did on the project. The contracting was all done by the RMA and the county commissioners court. The land was acquired by the county. The real question is why did the Judge allow this to be hijacked? In fact all, invitations came from the city – and not anyone else.
The political season has started way too early for some of us.
The political season has started way too early for some of us.
5 comments:
Da Mayor was disguised as the train engineer and hijacked it to La Havana?
They are all a bunch of PENDEJOS!
Diego Lee Rot Barton
jIM bARTON ON ASHLEY MADISON website
Actually there were no county commissioners nor the County Judge in attendance. I heard they did not receive invitations that the City was passing out. However the mayor of Matamoros, Letyt Salazar and teh governor of Tamalipas were in attendance. You are correct, the Mayor did hijack and presided over, the program, without recognizing many in the audience that really should have been recognized because of the time they spent getting this thing put together and finished. He was like the bandit who stole all the passengers money and jewelry since this was all he had to do with getting this accomplished. If you look at the picture of the unveiling of the plaque that was done about a year ago, that is the only meaningful part that Cascos, former County Judge, played in the 15 or 16 years that it took to get this done.Cascos is the one wearing the brown vest and the sparcely haired head.
The city just can't get it together. Most citizens don't give a shit who is there to cut the ribbon...just open the rail system. Tony Martinez loves to make a media blitz and in general the citizens don't care and Tony wasn't mayor when that project was started. But, Tony apparently has a need for media. Many of us in North Brownsville, where the greatest commercial expansion in Brownsville takes place, wonder if Tony ever leaves downtown??
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