SAN BENE CITY ADMINISTRATION BUSHWACKED FESTIVAL

For Immediate Release:

August 10, 2017
Contact: Rogelio T. Núñez
(956) 367-0335

Press Statement: City of San Benito Kills 26th Annual Conjunto Festival

The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center has not made any statement to the press. The information
generated by the Valley Morning Star comes from statements made by the city of San Benito. The following is the Center’s statement.

On Thursday, August 3, 2017, I, Rogelio T. Nunez, at 11:00 a.m. met at SB City Hall with Martha McClain, Public Relations Director and Luis Contreras, Museum Coordinator to discuss the $17,365.00 imposed city fees to hold the 26th Annual Conjunto Festival. There was a discussion with Luis Contreras, (Martha McClain was present) that said the city was willing to enter into a partnership and stated the conditions: 

• The City would reduce the fee by $3,900 and the NMCAC would make two payments of the
balance of $13,445.00, 4,915 before the Festival and $8,530 3 days after the Festival

• The Center would use the city logo and mention the City of San Benito on all of the Center’s
publicity

• provide the city with a 2016 Festival Post-Event Report, 2016 Annual Profit and Loss Statement,
Reconciliation Report of income and expenditures and

• a proposal of what the partnership would entail.

The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center made a counter offer of $5,000 to cover the fees and comply with the stated prerequisites. City staff said they would take our counter offer to city manager Manuel De La Rosa and would get back to me. They also said they wanted to finalize this discussion by the end of the day. I left City Hall with the impression that the City would come back with a yes or no to our $5,000 counter offer.

At about 4:00 p.m. I was informed by the Valley Morning Star that they had received a press release from the city via Ms. McClain and that if I wanted to make a comment. I declined to comment.

The City did not call me to respond to our $5,000.00 offer as I was anticipating, and instead the City decided to go to the press without informing me. Most importantly, not only were their false statements in the press release, the spin of the press statement demonized The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center inferring a lack of accountability and transparency.

On Friday, August 4, 2017 @7:45 I e-mailed Luis Contreras informing him the festival was cancelled. At about 9:00 a.m. Martha McClain called me and I informed her I had sent an e-mail to Luis Contreras cancelling the event. During the noon hour Commissioner Rene Villafranca called me that he had met with city manager Manuel De La Rosa and he had reduced the cost to $7,000.00.

I informed him the city had violated the negotiations by not responding to our offer of $5,000 the day before and by going to the press in an attack of our character.

The NMCAC has a long and noble history. As the people and culture it strives to represent, the struggle has at times been burdensome but always moving forward, full of pride and determination to persevere. The tradition of exalting our music, our art, and our writers will not end. They are bigger than the City of San Benito. 

The “Chicho”, as the Center is affectionately called, has placed San Benito front and center in all its endeavors: at the Smithsonian Institute, UT Austin Library Archives, UTB, UTRGV, South Texas College, Tx Commission for the Arts, Texas Institute for Texan Cultures, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in San Antonio, Radio Bilingue in Sacramento, California and others.

I don’t know where this relationship with the City of San Benito will end.

What I do know is that it has grossly underestimated our commitment to our mission. The overwhelming outreach by our supporters from throughout the nation via phone calls, texts, e-mails, Facebook posts, and people in the street is a tribute to our hard work.

Our supporters are disappointed. Brownsville, Los Fresnos, Weslaco, McAllen, South Padre Island, and The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have reached out to us to discuss the future of the Conjunto Festival. 

The city government of San Benito killed the Conjunto Festival, like it kills many others’ hopes and
dreams of making San Benito a better place to live.