By Juan Montoya
Despite this denial by OP-1033's Marketing Director, it's hard to convince someone like Trey Mendez, the trustee of Texas Southmost College running for reelection that Beatriz Hockaday – a receptionist at the OP-1033 office there – was not encouraged to run against him this May 7.
Ditto for Tito Lopez, an incumbent running for reelection for the Brownsville Navigation District, who saw former TSC trustee Er Rivera huddling with United Brownsville architect Carlos Marin before announcing he would run against him in the port's election also held May 7.
In fact. much is made of the fact that both Marin and Rivera both Harvard University grads and have the best in mind for "our people."Perhaps, but Rivera, beset by questions of residency since he lists his residence on the TSC website as 22 Harbor Town in Laguna Vista, first filed against John Reed on the port board, only to go back to the elections officer there and change to the place occupied by Tito Lopez. Did the Reed people – uña y dedo of IBC President (and United Brownsville head cheese Fred Rusteberg) get Fred to call Ed to shift gears and target Lopez?
"Some lawyers told me it could cost me more than $7,000 to challenge his residency in court," Lopez said at a recent political event.
So why does the group (not OP-1033?) run candidates coming out of that office (at the west corner of Alridge Avenue and Boca Chica Blvd. (across the street from Taco Palenque) out of that office against these incumbents?
Community organizer Jose Angel Gutierrez of Raza Unida fame and former county judge in Zavala County, said that the guy with the money in Ft. Worth (Mike Hernandez) had adopted the strategy that he would start from scratch and replace all of the elected officials on local boards affecting education and economic development.
Gutierrez said his primary objective in Brownsville was to garner support for the Bernie Sanders candidacy for the Democratic Party nominee for president. But he said that anyone else who came on board with the V3 movement (see graphic of T-shirt) could enter whatever races they wanted on their own as long as they adhered to the Hernandez "vision."
That vision, listed like a missionary vow on the V3 T-shirts one gets when one signs on to obey the V3 philosophy is to "pledge to be part of an Army in the Rio Grande Valley for the Good,"
"Serve with Honor, and Honesty, free from deceit, fraud, lies and hypocrisy," etc..,
Yet, the insertions of candidates to the port and TSC races belie that statement. Doe the OP-1033 people deny that Rivera's residency is one of political convenience, coming perilously close to forbidden "deceit, fraud, lies and hypocrisy" of the organization?
And the scorched-earth policy of running Hockaday against one of the most upright TSC trustees (Mendez) on the board keep in line with that plank of the philosophy?
The one time we visited the organization's office we were told that a young lawyer was making noises about running against Ruben Herrera, another attorney who had announced he would be a candidate on the board. Sure enough, Daniel Pizaña later announced he would contest Kiko Rendon's old seat against Herrera. Pizaña is a frequent visitor at the Sanders campaign headquarters, too.
Perhaps OP-1033's denials are right. Maybe these candidates threw their hats in the ring in the false belief that they would be financially supported by Hernandez up in Ft. Worth in their respective races.Maybe, maybe not.
One things we do know for sure, Hernandez has already pledged $2 million for United Brownsville. United Brownsville's Coordinating Board is made up of Rusteberg, former UTB president Julieta Garcia and UTB VP Irv Downing.
If the strategy to clean out all the boards is followed, the result might be to hand back TSC to Garcia whose dismal academic graduation rate (6 percent) is cited by OP-1033 to throw out the scoundrels, and Rivera and Raul Villanueva (against Ralph Cowen) will carry United Brownsville and Marin's water at the port.
Beware of millionaires bearing gifts, children.
11 comments:
If Mr. Hernandez really wanted to provide opportunity for us poor folk in Brownsville, he would do a better job by investing a couple hundred million dollars in an industry that would put some of us to work so we could support our families. That would be as opposed to him buying all the billboards that reminds us and all who pass through of how bad off we are and how corrupt he imagines us to be.
Juanito, that irv downing dude, wasnt he a banker before he found or got a job at stc-utb or and now he is at United Brownsville way? Guess he wasn't too good as a banker to switch over but now he is in the right place to steal. one for me two for me one for Brownsville united, yikes. puro kool aid- y de verde.
What is hurting the Op1033 is Carlos Marin, why is this because Mike is not political inclined with CAMERON County, and as for. I signed that pledge, and I keep getting calls from that organization to see I'd I can volunteer , I do not work for free. Like everyone else , we need to work, not volunteer. For no nonsense.. And no.organization is going to tell me who to vote for. Take me.out of your dam list.of I will come out public and tag the phone numbers that keep calling me.
Too bad this guy got caught by the vultures first! Doesn't appear he is too bright if he's buying into of the garbage that gang has!
Same ol same ol, looks like a bunch of thieves in my eyes, looking for the public tit, replace all elected officials with their officials sounds like a plan, good luck, hope you got plenty of time because some of these fat rats have been in office elected or appointed for what 20, 30 or 40 years etc etc etc and don't want to get out and will win at no matter what the cost is, and that means fighting down and dirty. Just telling it like I see it.
Marin is a bright man.
Where where, he is in it for the money he is making from .Mr. Hernandez, he don't work for FREE
But no one trusts him.
But Marin is a bright man.
I wouldn't either.
Mr. Hernandez, want to do the Brownsville community a favor, calculate how many millions you plan to give out, divide by the number of households only no commercial interest or businesses and then just mail each one of us in these household a check and we will invest it back into the local economy, that way everyone gets a piece of the pie and not funneled to a small elitist group like Brownsville United, Marin, Julie Garcia, El Rustyberger, Irv downing etc etcv etc. you get my pictures? dude
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