The candidate forums held by the Brownsville Board of Realtors have always been a must-attend event for candidates for the City of Brownsville, the Brownsville Independent School District and even for those running in Cameron County and state office races.As the early-voting period approaches (April 24), candidates schedule their campaigns around the event. However, there will be a candidate who will be a no-show at the Thursday, April 20 event.
That candidate is Rose Gowen, the incumbent for the At-Large "B" position she has held for the last eight years. Her response to the invite from the Board of Realtors indicates that she will be spring breaking with her hubby who she says is a teacher whose vacation is scheduled yearly for the week after Easter. She returns to Brownsville, she said, one day after the event on April 21 (Friday).
While that may be the case (and we have no reason to doubt it), the results of this race will in all likelihood strip Mayor Tony Martinez of his majority. As mayor, Martinez had been able to control the votes of Deborah Portillo, Gowen, and John Villarreal to control the direction of the city's finances, real-estate purchases and position vis-a-vis the county, state and
He, for example, has been the main obstacle to Brownsville merging its Metropolitan Planning Organization with that of Harlingen and Hidalgo County. Studies have shown that merging would result in more than $100 million in additional road construction funds for the city.
Also, with Gowen's help, Martinez was able to draft a response to the UT System for its Request For Proposals on what Brownsville could offer to keep its new UTRGV campus in the city. The list of tempting real-estate offers at basement bargain prices and incentives for the UT System is extensive.
In fact, given her association with the the University of Texas School of Public Health, her votes on the giveaways to the UT System might well constitute a conflict of interest. The Board of Realtors would love to hear her version these dealings, we're sure.
Blogger Jim Barton has documented her disdain for ethics in his populare BrownsvilleObsever blog. Braton writes:
"Gowen has shown no hesitancy to violate the city code and general ethics to further her agenda. In 2014, as a city commissioner, she voted to 'convey' Lincoln Park to the University of Texas, not disclosing that she was employed by UT. After the conflict of interest went public, City Manager Mark Sossi hastily reworked a resolution to look for 'alternative' sites to give to UT instead of Lincoln Park and Gowen, this time, abstained from voting.
Her clear conflict of interest had been exposed, but certainly not by her. The new resolution left the city still able to convey Lincoln Park, if they couldn't 'ind' an adequate alternative, without the problem of a conflict of interest on the initial vote."
Other examples of her largess of public assets to her former employer are: In the mayor's RFP to the UT System, they not only offered to sell huge tracts of publicly-owned land to the UT System at "fair market value," they also offered them other "incentives." Some of these were as follows:
* Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation - $2,500 to $5,000 for every University job associated with UTB's location downtown
* Brownsville Economic Development Corporation - BEDC will contribute tax revenue from increased sales, mixed beverage, and parking meter taxes to UTB for public realm improvements downtown.
*Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation - BCIC will provide funding and/or subsidies for "quality of life" projects, including cultural and athletic amenities in greater Downtown Brownsville
* Public Utility Board - PUB will provide reduced utility rates for new UTB buildings that are built to LEED accreditation standards
* Brownsville Metro - Brownsville Metro will increase their bus coverage area to better serve UTB's campus and to increase service frequency to UTB campus facilities
So now do we understand why Martinez, Gowen, Portillo, Villarreal and the rest of the old city commission didn't make a peep about all the money that Martinez spent on downtown real estate speculation, including the exorbitant $2.3 million for La Casa Del Nylon?
In fact, La Casa Del Nylon and the old Kress Building are depicted in the RFP as university facilities, the latter as a Gold's Gym.
This real estate speculation by Da Mayor with the assistance of Gowen and Villarreal – both of them up for reelection – would be of huge (excuse the Trumpism) interest to the Realtors. But Gowen won't be there to answer for her sins. In fact, we would also probably be pedaling away from answering these questions if we were her. Wouldn't you?
23 comments:
There are likely 550 high school students in Brownsville who would kick Erasmo Castro's ass in a debate and you know it, Juan!
Nobody likes Gowen, any other candidate would easily win this election but Erasmo Castro, it wouldn't be too hard for the Mayor to buy this clown if he for some reason wins.
The commissioner is not going because she has no answers to the embarassing questions that will expose the truth behind her lack of accomplishments during her two terms as commissioner.
Erasmo is a freaking looser
Rose Zavaleta Gowen is an arrogant, self-serving person (fits right in with Tony Martinez) who will not attend the event as a statement of her "superiority" over the common citizen, who is too engaged to participate in a public forum. Remember, Rose is a Zavaleta, a family known for its arrogance, and attitude of superiority. She apparently is making a statement that she sees no need to demean herself in a public forum.
Rose Gowen is a classy, dignified lady. Deal with it, Montoya, you NACO!
That picture of Gowen on the bike,,,, must have been a cold day!!! You can consider those weapons!
Anyone BUT Rose Gowen would be a better fit. When her bikes were stolen, she called the police chief and he had detectives working around the clock to find the bikes, I bet no one knows that even surveillance cameras were set up outside her home by the police. If it was just any other citizen, you think Orlando Rodriguez would have kissed your ass too?
Classy...she is a bitch,a typical Zavaleta,universally arrogant
The definition of a "looser" is a loser that does not know how to spell loser. It is spelled "LOSER".
Erasimo is a fraud.
Lives in Austin
Has no job
Has no education
Convicted criminal
Constantly begs for goods and services from his facebook followers who can't find their way to the polls......
Need I go on?
Classy ? Give me a break. She is an arrogant lady
I'm voting for Easmo Castro, we new leaders that will address and take action on our needs. I'm tired of so much corruption by the current city commission. Too much wasteful spending of our tax dollars to benefit themselves and their close friends.
Yes, go jump off the causeway.
Remember "La Casa Del Fraude" was known as la Casa Del nylon.
Doesn't the guy have criminal convictions? Give me a break. She would bury him in the debate. Bring copies of his mugshot and pass them around the audience.
Leader? Estar sentado detras de una computadora no te convierte en lider.
Another sign that this city government does NOT like transparency and will do anything possible to avoid contact and conversation with the general public. Rose Gowen does not want to answer questions about the failures of this commission and this mayor, so she will not attend. We need jobs, not bicycle racks. She can't defend her actions, so she won't attend.
Yes, why doesn't the commissioner show up to the debate? That would be great. Regardless of what the commissioner passes around, she will still have no easy answers to the hard questions.
Castro is desperate
The guy has no job no future
He will be a pawn
He will bit be for the citizens
He will sell his soul if given a chance
Hope she loses the election, the city can put a halt to Cyclovias that do nothing but incur overtime for city employees. In addition, the city can stop reducing streets to make bike lines that are hardly used and causes a lot of traffic congestions. We need Castro, Garza and Neece as next city commissioners.
Blah blah blah blah. Your old song and dance is getting old. Talk issues.
Lincoln Park?
Casa de Nylon?
Accessibility?
What's wrong with being NACO? This is Brownsville you know. There is nothing wrong with being NACO. There is something wrong with believing one group of people is better and more deserving than another group. It is called elitism. We have had enough of that for ten lifetimes. We need local politicians that will work towards the betterment of the city as a whole, not the enrichment of a few special interests. My vote is for Erasmo Castro. Haha! Hoho!
Happy 4/20!
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