UNITED BROWNSVILLE, OP.1033 TARGET PORT BROWNSVILLE

By Juan Montoya
OP. 10.33's head honcho Mike Hernandez has denied that he or Carlos Marin were behind the entry of candidates Beatriz Hockaday and Daniel Pizaña into the Texas Southmost College races to replace trustees Kiko Rendon and Ed Rivera on the board.
"No one is being supported by Mike (Hernandez) or OP1033 in the TSC board election," we were recently emailed by its marketing director.
Instead, the organization – through its too willing cyber mouthpiece the Brownsville Voice – assert that those two candidates were just heeding the call by Hernandez during a pep talk where he issued the clarion call to go forth and prosper politically in their community.

They have asserted, and Trey Mendez, who is being challenged by OP.10,33's staffer Hockaday has confirmed, that each has contributed $1,000  to help Mendez defeat their OP.10.33 staffer.

It gets curiouser and curiouser, as Alice used to say.

While Marin and Hernandez have issued a denial of them fielding candidates in the TSC races, there is no such denial being issued in the Brownsville Navigation District races where self-appointed Brownsville Goodwill Ambassador and noted world traveler Ralph Cowen is being challenged by banker Raul Villanueva and Toto Lopez is being challenged by United Brownsville adherent Ed Rivera, the TSC trustee who opted not to retain his seat there.

In fact, River and Villanueva seem to be running in tandem and even their campaign logo design seem to come from the same mold. (See graphics) Uncanny coincidence, ain't it?

The Rivera candidacy is suspect because up until he announced he would run – first against John Reed and then later in the day he switched to run against Lopez – Rivera listed his address as 22 Harbor Town in Laguna Vista, the same house he lists with the Cameron County Appraisal District for a homestead exemption.

Lopez decided not to challenge Rivera's candidacy citing a $7,000 price tag for the lawyers.

If OP.10.33's Rivera and Villanueva were to be elected, this would give United Brownsville Marin and OP.10.33's Hernandez, a majority on the board with Reed. 

Yet, almost everyone forgets that the power behind the scenes and master puppeteer IBC President Fred Rusteberg almost complete control of the port.

It is Rusteberg, after all, who is listed as one of the three members of the United Brownsville Coordinating Board along with former UTB President Julieta Garcia and UTB VP Irv Downing, also a former banker.

Rusterberg was instrumental in selling the port's Brownsville Rio Grande Railroad to Omnitrax, an offshoot of the Colorado-based Brode Group. In fact, he was on the BRG's board when the plans were being drafted for the sale. At first, the BRG director denied that the railroad was talking to the Brode Group, but later – after diligently checking her files – came up-on a board agenda which included a presentation by the Brode Group to the board.

When the cat was out of the bag and [presentations were made to the community regarding the group's plans to improve commerce at the port, the presentations were made at the IBC main office conference rooms on Price Road.
The port, by the way, is one of eight publicly-funded entities that chips in $25,000 annually for it's United Brownsville "membership." And Rivera, while at TSC, fought tooth and claw with other trustees to continue to fork over the protection money to United Brownsville to "have a seat at the table" with Rusteberg's pals.

Now, nobody is going to deny that Cowen likes his travel and freebies. He has probably traveled to more places as a board member than most airline pilots in the careers. And Ralphie likes to live big, eat fine, and enjoy the perks of public office. That's just his nature.

His brother Phil, a customs broker, relies on trade from the port for his business.

Lopez, on the other hand, is a self-made man who owns and manages a large fleet of transports which works out of the port. If anything, this means that Lopez and Cowen have a personal interest in the port performing well.

In fact, the BND issued the sale of the bonds for $29,307,827 to be used to build a new liquid cargo dock and reimburse itself for the purchase of a mobile harbor crane and for maintenance of existing facilities.

Additionally, the port is coming off another record-breaking year in cargo movements in 2015 when it moved more than 10.1 million tons of cargo, topping last year's 8.4 million tons. 

So why is United Brownsville and OP.10.33 targeting an apparent successful organization and targeting selected board members? Are are the district residents just supposed to follow the Pied Pipers Rusteberg, Hernandez and Rivera and ask no questions?