Despite denials by OP10.33 spokesmen that the organization is not getting involved in electing local politicians to targeted boards, the canvassing of neighborhoods by their banner carriers belies their protests.
Voters in the north side of town within the Brownsville Navigation District witnessed various block walkers for Ed Rivera and Raul Villanueva whose campaign sings and literature that bear a striking appearance to each other.
"They're running as a ticket, apparently," said a resident off Robindale Road. "I mean, even their cards and signs are designed the same way."Rivera had filed first against John Reed, but later in the day, changed his mind and filed against Tito Lopez. Patrick Anderson, a teacher at Los Fresnos, and an anti-LNG advocate, is also in that race.
Villanueva filed against Ralph Cowen.
And Reed, after Rivera withdrew from his place, will not have any challengers.
OP 10-33's Roger Lee, director of communications, told the local daily that the group believes that having the "right people" in elected positions is part of the group's strategy to banish poverty in Cameron County.
He said that aspect of the group’s mission – supporting candidates who agree with OP 10.33 goals and opposing those who don’t – would be done without regard for party affiliation, he said.
Lee also said the group isn’t ready to name names and hasn’t decided which races to back, though it has interviewed candidates and elected officials. He said the board has also spoken with business leaders to gauge their workforce needs as part of preparations to establish a not-for-profit trade and technical school.Well, this may be fine for some, but those observers on the ground floor of local politics know that Ed Rivera, as trustee for Texas Southmost College championed the college giving a yearly $20,000 "membership" despite the college district being spread out far beyond the City of Brownsville area.
Rivera is often seen int eh company of Carlos Marin, the architect of what is now United Brownsville after its metamorphoses from the $1 million Imagine Brownsville comprehensive plan during Mayor Eddie Treviño's tenure.
It's notable to see that Marin is listed as job development director with the staff of OP 10.33.
Since it started, the college and the Port of Brownsville have been paying memberships to United Brownsville. The port has approved the "membership" being budgeted, but the commissioners have not released the money to the organization in the past two years.
With Rivera on board, that money will probably be handed down to United Brownsville.
Under OP 10.33 boss Mike Hernandez III, the plan is to make the county “the land of opportunity by October 2033.” Hernandez chose that deadline because it will mark exactly 20 years that Brownsville was identified as the poorest city in America by the Houston Chronicle.Among other things, Hernandez seem to think that establishing a non-profit for a trade school and tapping into state grants for poor communities, he will be able to achieve that goal.
But now, with River and Villanueva apparently running as a ticket under the auspices of United Brownsville and OP 10.33, any pretense that the group isn't targeting specific politicians to defeat in the furtherance of their goals can't simply be denied.
17 comments:
Similar to the resident off Robindale, I was approached by a block walker on Saturday who knew my name as he approached, but he had not been schooled much in what his pitch was. He asked for my support for both candidates, Rivera and Villanueva, becuse the port was only operating as a storage facility like the ones you see at apartment complexes. I asked that if that were the case, why were some of the tenants paying more than a million dollars a year for the property they were leasing? He really had no answer. He proceded to tell me that it was ranked 72nd in the state, so I explained that there were not 72 ports in the State. He then said well maybe it was Brownsville that was ranked 72nd. but he was not sure. I felt sorry for the young man because he was sent out with almost no real facts and only a lot of untruths. I don't know who had engaged his services, but he did say that he was really happy to have met Mr. Villanueva earlier that morning, and yes he knew that Mr. Rivera lived in Laguna Vista. He was so positive I didn't have the heart to tell him that Mr. Rivera lives with his girlfriend here in Brownsville, even though he maintains his homestead in Laguna Vista. It appears that Mr. Villanueva and Mr. Rivera have the same campaign Director, A mister Ben Guerrero, I have a hard time thinking any of them are so ill informed about the port as to provide such totally erroneous information to their block walkers. Althoug Mr. Villanueva's first and only visit to the Port was the afternoon that he drew for position on the ballot, even though he has lived in Brownsville all his life, perhaps he really believes it is just one GIANT Store-More located along State Hwy 48 on the way to Port Isabel. Wornder how they would explain the almost 11,000 people that work within the area know as the aport of Brownsville. However, many candidates and their campaign directors do put out pure BS if they believe it will gain them votes. Yes rumors are swirling that OP10.33 is the organization that selected these two persons to run for the Port board, and remember they are supporting fair and open government without pressure, coercion,and most of all without corruption. OP10.33 is all about the truth??? Those candidates are the ones Mary Helen Flores and her CAVA group are trying to get rid of, maybe she needs to look into OP10.33 a little closer. As a note, at least Mr. Anderson, also running against Mr. Rivera and the incumbent, Mr. Lopez has the cojones to state that he does not support any growth at the port because it should be a nature preserve that would employ many, many grass cutters. Maybe not 11,000 but a bunch!
SR MONTOYA...Primero quiero felicitarlo por sus comentarios. Por favor seria muy bueno decirle al sr hernandes que no tire su dinero porque con la jente que se esta rodeando son los que apoyan a que la CORRUPCION Y OPURTUNIDAD 'SI'PUEDEN VIVIR JUNTOS el sr Marin tiene comprado al muncipio de brownsville los concursos de ingenieria todos se los dan a el tiene comprado desde el flamante "City Manager y a varios comisionados(el raton longoria) el el PUB lo mismo los contratos de ingeneria se los dan a el (Ambiotec)habria que ver cuantos contratos les dan a otros ingenieros puros contratos chicos. este senor ha hecho muchos estudios para que disque traer empleos no ha traido una CHINGADA de empleos. SR HERNANDEZ su intencion es buena y lo felicito pero quitese de estos parasitos porque lo unico que han hecho es que la opurtunidad y corrupcion "SI" pueden vivir juntos, Sr Hernandez hay mucha jente valiosa en Brownsville la cuidad mas pobre de este pais,quitese a estos rateros cheke lo que le digo otra ves su proyecto es muy bueno pero juntese con otra jente.
Those are terrible pushcarts and political signs. Crappy work done by Ben Guerrero….who knows nothing about politics.
YOU SUCK BRO!
Marin got you that gig.
OP1033 is going down.
They are a ticket. They are Marin's puppets.
No se cuanto le pagaron a Ben Guerrero pero que mugrero hizo. Por cierto no tiene mucho con que trabajar porque con esos dos deshonestos no se puede hacer mucho. Ed Rivera se ha creado una reputacion fatal. El sabe que es deshonesto al decirle a la gente que vive en Brownsville, el sabe que va a ser un titire porque no sabe en lo absoluto de el puerto.
Que lastima que con toda su educacion se preste a esas ilegalidades. Que lastima que la gente murmure a sus espaldas y que sus padres se den cuenta de lo que el esta haciendo. Yo creia a la familia Rivera Honesta y con Valores.
What's funny to me is that OP 10.33 stands for October 2033, the deadline to lift Brownsville out of the dump and turn into a first rate place. Mr. Hernandez and his cohorts, I'm sure, have good intentions. But why wait until October 2033? Mr. Hernandez, why not bring D&M Leasing to the Valley now? Why not rent the old WalMart out on Highway 48 and bring a culinary institute to Brownsville or an Arts Institute, something? Why not partner up with the cities of Harlingen, Brownsville and SPI and build a soccer stadium at the intersection of Highway 100 and Highway 77? Start a minor league Soccer team, with the goal of having a professional soccer team in Brownsville sometime in the future? Haven't you idiots been reading the news? Brownsville produces the best soccer teams in Texas?! Why not start a soccer academy, right away? Why not partner up with BISD and inject capital into making sure our kids get scholarships to play college Soccer? Get an education? We, Mexicans, have to realize we're never gonna be able to play College/Professional Football! Or Basketball! We're not tall enough! It's time to focus on our talents, and get our heads out of asses. This is what OP 10.33 should really focus on. GETTING THINGS OFF THE GROUND, NOW!!!
NOT 17 YEARS FROM NOW!!! Instead of paying big-fat retainers to all the brown nosers associated with the group.
PEOPLE ARE NOT COMFORTABLE BEING ADDRESSED AT THEIR HOME BY THESE PEOPLE CARRYING THE PUSH CARDS. THEY WALK UP TO YOU, ADDRESS YOU BY YOUR NAME AS IF THEY KNOW YOU AND THEN ASK YOU TO COMMIT TO THE CANDIDATE THEY ARE BEING PAID TO ENDORSE. SPOOKY. THIS ACTION TELLS YOU WHO NOT TO VOTE FOR. THEY APPROACH YOU AS IF THEY KNOW YOU WELL, WHEN IN FACT THEY DO NOT KNOW YOU AT ALL. DIDN'T ANYONE SPEAK TO THESE PEOPLE AND TELL THEM JUST TO GIVE THE CARD TO THE HOME OWNER AND POLITELY ASK THEM TO SUPPORT FOR THEIR CANDIDATE AND NOT TELL THEM TO COMMIT TO VOTE FOR THEM.
Super-PACS. No more no less. What has ruined American politics. The office goes to the highest bidder. I don't care what divine entity they claim to be inspired by, they are a metastatic malignancy which invades and perverts the democratic process resulting in an elite oligarchy.
March 28, 2016 at 3:50 PM
Mr. Anderson is running as a candidate with a five point platform, including a pro-business agenda, but not business as usual for the Port. Go to patricktanderson.com to learn more.
Marin and the wife beater Brothers have this gig. Mr. Hernandez will get raped by these thugs. Mr. Hernandez they willing (rob) spend your money.
BEN GUERRERO. GO BACK TO DOING MAILERS. BECAUSE YOU SUCK AT POLITICAL SIGNS.
MIKE HERNANDEZ NEEDS TO SEE THE AND UNDERSTAND THE POOR WORK YOU DID. THOSE POLITICAL SIGNS ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL. NO MAMES. I CANNOT READ THEM AS I DRIVE BY 25MPH.
DOESNT MATTER. YOUR CANDIDATES OR SHOULD I SAY, MARIN'S CANDIDATES, WILL LOSE. ONCE THEY DO, I HOPE MIKE DISCOVERS THE TRUTH THAT HIS FAIRYTAIL POLITICAL PLAN ISN'T GOING TO WORK UNLESS MARIN IS OUT OF THAT PICTURE.
MARIN. GREAT WORK, VATO. QUE LINDA CHINGA LE ESTAS DANDO A MIGUELITO. SUERTE!
VILLANUEVA AND RIVERA= THUMBS DOWN!
Mr. Marin is a very intelligent man. Glad he is on board to change Brownsville. Its the small educated population in this town that have to suffer because of all the poor uneducated individuals who are unwilling to learn or work.
Estas pero bien, bien pendejo pinche lambe huevos.
It is those poor who are being robbed of their future by self-serving bastards like Carlos Marin.
REPLY 10.04AM. sI EL SR MARIN ES MUY INTELIGENTE PARA HACER TRANZAS CUANTOS ESTUDIOS HA HECHO A LA CD,DE BROWNSVILLE QUE DISKE PARA TRAER EMPLEOS EN UN ESTUDIO DEL SPORTS PARK COBRO 800,000 DLLS QUE DISKE IVAN A VENIR TIENDAS A ESA AREA Y IVAN A CREAR EMPLEOS NO HA VENIDO NADIE, NO TARDA Y LOS FEDERALES DEN CON TODAS LAS TRANZAS QUE HA HECHO EN LA CUIDAD CONDADO Y P U B.POR FAVOR SR. HERNANDES NO SE JUNTE CON ESTOS PARASITOS,ESTE GUEY NO TARDAN QUE DEN CON EL.
Anyone else think that it's funny that Eddie Lucio III running around in Range Rover with D&M leasing plate and pushing 10-33. Sure it's just a coincidence
Now you know what a Carpetbagger is.
For the last few years the elites of the town have run a vanity fair to save us local yokels from ourselves. If that is not enough, they now import fellas from the big city to show us how.
They do have a point. nothing they have done has worked. We can be sure they'll get it right this time.
Don't worry. This will all end when Marin and his crew have all the money. That won't be much longer. They'll have the college and the port to finish the job.
CALLATE BEN GUERRERO! UUUUUYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!
Post a Comment