The graphic above succinctly characterizes the actions of City of Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez.
Since he endeared himself to city voters in 2011 as a sanctimonious God-fearing Catholic who inspired them to "Believe in Brownsville, has managed to convince the voters that he is a kindly man who cares about them as he does for his grandchildren and managed to get himself reelected.
His term now expires in May 2019.
His term now expires in May 2019.
In those years under his administration we have found that not only has Tony carried the slogan to new heights, but he also convinced many people to believe in him and not in his actions. How much does he love us? Let us count the ways:
1. When he was just a few months in office, Martinez attended a mayors' conference where he hooked up with a banner salesman and granted him exclusive franchise to sell the banners to local businesses, use the PUB utility poles to attach them, and had pliant city manager Charlie Cabler write him a letter of recommendation on city stationary to solicit their business. Did he run this through the city commission or administration? No. When we reported it, he ceased and desisted and the snake oil guy disappeared.
2. When Hizzoner Da Mayor discovered that Cabler had the authority to issue checks under $35,000 without any oversight from anybody, he made it his personal ATM machine, authorizing payments to all kinds of people who he envisioned would redesing the city and bring us up to par with the likes of Austin, or Houston or even Dallas. Toward that end, he started plunking down invoices he incurred on his own on Cabler's desk for payment.
3. Martinez moved fast after taking office in 2011.
In 2012, City of Brownsville's proposed $13.06 million Certificates of Obligation came up for the commission's approval. Foremost among the real estate purchases was $2.3 million tabbed for the purchase of the Casa del Nylon on 1304 E. Madison and the adjoining building and property next door at 655 E. 14th Street.
The $3.2 million price tag for the 52,586 square feet listed on the CO issue amounted to about $44 a foot, an extravagant amount given real estate prices in the surrounding neighborhood. The property belonged to Abraham Galonsky, a close friend who was represented in the negotiations with the city by his law partner Horacio Barrera, Galonsky's neighbor.
4. Martinez single-handedly acquired the services of R. Steven Lewis, a licensed architect and self-described "UTB Relocation Consultant" to advise the city leaders on how to deal with the TSC-UTB separation.
Lewis wrote Ivonne Soto, the receptionist at the Martinez, Barrera and Martinez Law Office. that he could come to Brownsville as per Mayor Martinez and that he had told "the Mayor that if the city would be responsible for my travel expenses – flight, lodging, meals, etc. – I will not charge for my time for my initial visit. Please let me know what works best for the Mayor." Soto and the city staff made the hotel (Marriott Courtyard) arrangements for Lewis to stay at $85 a night.
On July 4, in anticipation of his coming to the planning "charrette" held at the Cueto Building, Lewis sent the city an invoice for "professional services" for his research into Urban Campuses ($400, 4 hours at $100 per), travel to Austin Tx., and meeting attendance (12 hours at $100, $1,200),
develop research and meeting notices ($400, 4 hours at $100 per), for $2,000.
However, Lewis "gave" the city a $500 "opportunity investment discount" and submitted his bill 22 days before the charrette for $1,500. It was approved by Martinez and paid on July 25.
As far as the city staff was concerned, that would be it for Lewis since there was no formal agreement signed except for the mayor's approval.
Then, just five days later, on July 31, the City Manager Cabler's secretary Rachel Figeroa received another email invoice from Lewis, this time for $4,500 for his "UT Brownsville Relocation Consultation" and participation in the design charrette to be held at the Cueto Building July-26 to 28.
Among the itemized costs were a gobbledygook of costs such as "consultation with Mayor Martinez, "charette participation," strategic planning sessions with consultant team, "ongoing review/comment on team deliverable," and "development of comparative matrix."
Still thinking that Lewis would not be charging for his visit, Figeroa inquired from purchasing what she should do with the bill since "she had not received anything to process...(and had run across the email)..."stating he was not going to charge for his presentation just flight and hotel."
The matter was subsequently cleared when Cabler wrote City Finance Director Pete Gonzalez on September 17 and asked him to "As per Mayor Tony Martinez please process this apron there was no letter or agreement signed.
5. The Complete Streets Workshop" held May 16, 2012 featured Kevin St. Jaques, a member of the Complete Streets Speakers Bureau which was held at the mayor's initiative and which required the Brownsville Community Incentives Corporation (BCIC) to fork over $5,000, of which $2,300 was paid to Freese and Nichols, of Ft. Worth, to have Jaques tell us that our streets in Brownsville left much to be desired.
6. Martinez also moved on his own to have the city bring Gil Peñalosa, the executive director of the 8-80 Cities, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, come and tell us on August 28-30 at a conference at (you guessed it) the Cueto Building, that we should be ashamed of ourselves for having such bad streets and sidewalks.
Almost a month (August 1) before Peñalosa browbeat the citizens, city administrators and local bigwigs over the sidewalks and streets, the city meekly approved payment to him for $7,974 that included $6,500 for professional services, $988 for air transportation, and $485 for accommodations and meals in good old "American dollars," not in Canuck currency.
End Part 1 of MANY TO COME...
3. Martinez moved fast after taking office in 2011.
In 2012, City of Brownsville's proposed $13.06 million Certificates of Obligation came up for the commission's approval. Foremost among the real estate purchases was $2.3 million tabbed for the purchase of the Casa del Nylon on 1304 E. Madison and the adjoining building and property next door at 655 E. 14th Street.The $3.2 million price tag for the 52,586 square feet listed on the CO issue amounted to about $44 a foot, an extravagant amount given real estate prices in the surrounding neighborhood. The property belonged to Abraham Galonsky, a close friend who was represented in the negotiations with the city by his law partner Horacio Barrera, Galonsky's neighbor.
4. Martinez single-handedly acquired the services of R. Steven Lewis, a licensed architect and self-described "UTB Relocation Consultant" to advise the city leaders on how to deal with the TSC-UTB separation.
Lewis wrote Ivonne Soto, the receptionist at the Martinez, Barrera and Martinez Law Office. that he could come to Brownsville as per Mayor Martinez and that he had told "the Mayor that if the city would be responsible for my travel expenses – flight, lodging, meals, etc. – I will not charge for my time for my initial visit. Please let me know what works best for the Mayor." Soto and the city staff made the hotel (Marriott Courtyard) arrangements for Lewis to stay at $85 a night.
On July 4, in anticipation of his coming to the planning "charrette" held at the Cueto Building, Lewis sent the city an invoice for "professional services" for his research into Urban Campuses ($400, 4 hours at $100 per), travel to Austin Tx., and meeting attendance (12 hours at $100, $1,200),
develop research and meeting notices ($400, 4 hours at $100 per), for $2,000.However, Lewis "gave" the city a $500 "opportunity investment discount" and submitted his bill 22 days before the charrette for $1,500. It was approved by Martinez and paid on July 25.
As far as the city staff was concerned, that would be it for Lewis since there was no formal agreement signed except for the mayor's approval.
Then, just five days later, on July 31, the City Manager Cabler's secretary Rachel Figeroa received another email invoice from Lewis, this time for $4,500 for his "UT Brownsville Relocation Consultation" and participation in the design charrette to be held at the Cueto Building July-26 to 28.
Among the itemized costs were a gobbledygook of costs such as "consultation with Mayor Martinez, "charette participation," strategic planning sessions with consultant team, "ongoing review/comment on team deliverable," and "development of comparative matrix."
Still thinking that Lewis would not be charging for his visit, Figeroa inquired from purchasing what she should do with the bill since "she had not received anything to process...(and had run across the email)..."stating he was not going to charge for his presentation just flight and hotel."
The matter was subsequently cleared when Cabler wrote City Finance Director Pete Gonzalez on September 17 and asked him to "As per Mayor Tony Martinez please process this apron there was no letter or agreement signed.
5. The Complete Streets Workshop" held May 16, 2012 featured Kevin St. Jaques, a member of the Complete Streets Speakers Bureau which was held at the mayor's initiative and which required the Brownsville Community Incentives Corporation (BCIC) to fork over $5,000, of which $2,300 was paid to Freese and Nichols, of Ft. Worth, to have Jaques tell us that our streets in Brownsville left much to be desired.
6. Martinez also moved on his own to have the city bring Gil Peñalosa, the executive director of the 8-80 Cities, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, come and tell us on August 28-30 at a conference at (you guessed it) the Cueto Building, that we should be ashamed of ourselves for having such bad streets and sidewalks.
Almost a month (August 1) before Peñalosa browbeat the citizens, city administrators and local bigwigs over the sidewalks and streets, the city meekly approved payment to him for $7,974 that included $6,500 for professional services, $988 for air transportation, and $485 for accommodations and meals in good old "American dollars," not in Canuck currency.
End Part 1 of MANY TO COME...
15 comments:
Tony has a penchant for "expert witnesses" and the tax payers have to pay the bills for some "talking head" to come to town and tell us our streets and other infrastructure needs lots of work. If we took all that money that Tony spent for "expert witnesses" we could pave a lot of streets, put in bus stops, upgrade city services, etc. Tony Martinez has appears to favor moving the Jefferson Davis rock because it "offends" a few assholes with spray paint and three that write letters to the "Herald". But, he seems to favor a living and breathing racist and bigot who sits on the city commission. This is Tony Martinez at his hypocritical best. No leadership, not even good management...just a spend thrift hypocrite.
How many potholes could we have patched with all the asphalt it took to make those bike bumps on 6th and 7th Streets. I'll bet those guys who said we have bad streets think our bike trails are primo. During the tenure of Mayor Tony Martinez he has made us yearn for Pat Ahumada.
Origo Works. Terminal contract. Origo works hired at the direct behest of Mayor Martinez. What is the connection? $38,000,000 is a lot of money. A certain commissioner is cleaning house. This is next.
The Mayor has used his seat of power to be involved in the most blatant conflict of interests this city has ever seen.Then he tries to cover his actions by saying on the recommendation of this person i did it, what a bogus copout.GOT NO SHAME IN YOUR GAME!
Right on couldn't have said it better.
You forgot to mention the rebranding of the new City logo...just to go back later to the original logo. This was an obvious scam for kickback money because there were never any intension to keep the new ugly logo.
Anonymous 5:51 PM, LOL! YOU MADE MY DAY.....
You forgot the one about the "snake oil" seal coat that was applied to roads as a "demo" project, for the sum of about $34,900. Where I come from, a "demo" is a free test of someone's product to see if I want to pay for it later. In COB, a "demo" is a $34,900 purchase.
It's true Pat.
Run against him Pat or maybe you can help find someone with a little less baggage with all due respect than you but with the same principles at the forefront! It's about the people. The masses. Not those that can afford $300 to $9000 bikes. The Mayor wants to run again. He needs a good opponent.
I wonder if Blue Jean Mayor confessed to his son before he passed on to the streets that are paved with goal and not chapapote - all except where El Mechudo lives in Los Ebanos. What
will you tell San Pedro or do you have a free pass from you son?
Tenaska. Tenaska. Tenasks.
Anonymous 6:56 PM, Thanks, but no thanks.
EL PAT!
No shit a GOOD opponent somebody that can stand for something Martinez is ready to be pulled apart his record as Mayor really sucks.Somebody please tell the congregation at our lady of Guadalupe church that he is not who they think he is.Dont vote on him just because he gave you a donation.Remember the wolf in sheep's clothing story.
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