MAYOR PACKS THE VOTE, RIGS ANTI-MPO-MERGER ITEM

By Juan Montoya
As far back as 2006, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the members of the Brownsville area Metropolitan Planning Organization have been studying the merger of the three valley MPOs to garner a bigger share of the state and federal transportation pie.
And for the past year, the MPO appointed a MPO Merger Study Committee committee has been studying the issue's pros and cons. In fact, its next meeting was to be held this June 28 to find the specifics or potential dollar amounts a merged MPO could obtain from TxDOT.
This committee was formed because Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez, who chairs the Brownsville MPO, said he had to know these specific facts before he could vote on whether to merge with the Hidalgo and Harlingen MPOs to form a mega MPO which would have more than 1 million inhabitants, and which could sit at the table with the MPOs from Houston, San Antonio and Austin when they cut the state and federal transportation pie.
Well, with the next Merger Study Committee scheduled to meet less than two weeks from today to provide the MPO members with the facts the mayor requested, Martinez placed an item on today's MPO meeting agenda which in effect nullified the committee's work.
 And, knowing that he would get some negative feed back from the MPO members – including

Port commissioner John Wood and Cameron County Pct. 2 commissioner Alex Dominguez, both on the Merger Study Committee – Martinez made sure he packed the MPO meeting with sure votes to pass the item.
Without going into specifics, Martinez stated that he was tired of all the people (didn't say who) calling his office telling him that the MPO merger is a good thing. The mayor stated that there is too much that he does not know such as the specifics or potential dollar amounts from TxDOT and that he needs more information.
He disregarded the fact that Homer Bazan, representing TxDOT, said that there was another MPO Merger Study Committee meeting on June 28 to discuss those things and for all interested parties to discuss the details of a potential merger.
Wood, who is one of the three on the Merger Study Committee representing Brownsville said that Brownsville should not close the door on the discussions.
Dominguez, also one of the three on the Merger Study Committee told Martinez that nixing the merger idea before the study is over was premature. City Commissioner Deborah Portillo, who is also on the Merger Study Committee was conveniently not present at the MPO meeting. Only Martinez, Wood, Dominguez, and Bazan spoke on the issue.
Martinez asked for support saying that the MPO merger is not in the city’s best interest. Motion passed with Wood, Bazan, Dominguez, and Cameron County Pct. 1 commissioner Sofia Benavidez voting nay and in favor of continuing the study.
The mayor then presented the MPO members with a sever-page letter he sent to Sen. Eddie Lucio and State Reps. Eddie Lucio III and Rene Oliveira basically saying that he wants more info on how it will affect the Brownsville MPOs funds, but at the same time saying he didn't want wait it out to get more input. He was under the pressure of too many phone calls to merge, he explained.
Among the things he listed on his letter to the state reps, he mentioned that the hike-and-bike trail planned for Los Fresnos, Olmito and Brownsville might not be funded by a merged MPO and that Brownsville would have to share Category a, 5 and 9 dollars if the merge went through.
Does Brownsville exist behind an imaginary castle wall? Is Martinez such a control freak that he wants to have a say-so on who gets the contracts to projects and who shares on transportation funds?
Or does he have specific companies and engineers that he wants to dole out plum construction funds to and doesn't want anyone meddling in his plans?
There is and olde English saying that states that a person can be "penny wide and pound foolish."
In Martinez's case he is showing that he is niggardly with pennies and not seeing the forest of green (dollars) which could come to the region in the three MPOs were merged.