By Juan Montoya
There is no city manager running the City of Brownsville.
No, we take that back. There are two asst. city managers running the city.
One is Pete Gonzalez, the former Director of Finance. The other is former City Secretary Michael Lopez, now asst. city manager under Gonzalez.
The city recently approved spending $150,000 to pay a headhunter to run this burg. Hopefully, it will be someone with a track record in urban planning and management and not some cop looking to retire like Charlie Cabler was. Before that it was Andy Vega, etc...
Disgraced City Attorney Mark Sossi was replaced by Deputy Assistant City Attorney Allison Bastian, who conceded frankly (to her credit) that her municipal law skills may not be up to snuff quite yet. In fact, she was listed as a staff member of the city municipal court before she was elevated to her new position.
We also understand that City Police Chief Orlando Rodriguez has been delaying his retirement for more than a year and is itching to leave.
Add that to the recent termination of disgraced Fire Chief Carlos Elizondo after he was indicted for theft, and you've got the making of rudderless ship. His replacement, Jarret Sheldon, was one of Elizondo's asst. chiefs and was present when the sausage was being made.
Yet another post that has disappeared is that of chief building inspector with the "transfer" of Evaristo Gamez to the directorship of the city's Animal Shelter. But before you think this is a demotion, we understand that Gamez is being paid the same salary as he was over at inspections. Being paid the same salary to oversee building inspections and taking care of stray dogs without all the headaches may actually be better for the harried Gamez.
Under a strong city manager-weak mayor system, this situation is untenable. But we have seen how Mayor Tony Martinez and some of the commissioners have rushed in to fill the leadership void for better or worse.
Even before this turn of events came to be, Martinez and city commissioner Rose Gowen were the proverbial tails wagging the dog with a pliant Cabler going along with their excesses and whims. Martinez spent millions on real estate speculation justifying the extravagant expenditures in the name of Progress, with a capital "P." Giowen folowed up with her anti-iobesity crusade.
Nanny Gowen, tsk tsking that "Houston, we have an obesity problem," was able to hook up with Da Mayor and divert millions ($2.3 million in COs money alone) to get the fatties on bikes. If you build them, she said, they will get on a bike and lose all those pounds.That's the function of city government? Why don't we also address sin and intemperate drinking while we're at it?
Meanwhile, they have allowed the PUB to increase rates by 35 percent since 2013, and continue to prevent a city budget deficit by siphoning off an annual $13 million from the utility in annual cash "transfers" and free utilities.
When will Tenaska be built, if at all? Who knows? Meanwhile the pile of cash that resulted with the higher rates to build the phantom plant is growing toward $100 million and more than one commissioner is eyeing the loot with covetous eyes.
25 comments:
This is too too funny all the city commissioner are full of shit..
Must keep draining the SWAMP RATAS.
The only void that Tony Martinez and his commission can fill is the space that they occupy. There is no leadership even with Tony Martinez and his commission (which includes Cesar de Leon, the City Racist/Bigot). And Tony's management style is to "kick the can down the road" in hopes all will forget. After 8 years of Tony Martinez...."where are the jobs"? And people are just a fat as before the biking surge by Rose Gowen began. The city for many years has sought a "in house" City Manager that can be "manipulated" by the Mayor and city commission. We must ask ourselves (after the experience with the airport) will Tony Martinez hire a "headhunter" that he knows to provide just another flunky city manager for Tony????
Me and some of my union members are plotting to bringing back ELIZONDO who we believe was leading us in a new direction with new epuipment and getting us qualified to be the best at our jobs.unfer this leadership of union members we seem to get together to just find ways to bullshit about how to keep some of our old folks employed.they don’t want to up theirs standards with new training they want to suck the over time out of the city.elizondo brought in new trucks equipment,drones and much needed training.
Hello there... just to clarify, I never conceded anything about my legal skills; I am reasonably confident in their relative snuff for a ten-year lawyer. I just don’t want the City Attorney job. Ciao!
Allison
Who cares? Get over yourself.
Never fear Mr.Elizondo when you get cleared just go apply for Fire Chief position in San Benito.You will have an instant buddy.The Police Chief there gets his JOLLIES from recording unsuspecting individuals also.
Juan - not to mention there is no one actively promoting Brownsville to bring in new industry. I take that back
Brownsville has the same people who were at the BEDC now at GBIC, but a different board. But that board has one self-declared racist, one vacant seat, a bimbo who think she is obligated to drink Champagne because its expensive (probably $20 dlls is expensive for her).
So the following ARE FACTS and have been tested and proven.
1. We know one City Commission and GBIC board member says he fights corruption however he is recorded trying to get a BISD board member to use his influence to change a grade. So he fights corruption, just not his own corruption. If that weren't enough, he goes on a inexcusable racist rant.
2. We know a second City Commission and GBIC board member beat the shit out of her husband, who by the way she married once her husbands his first wife left him for banging her (the commissioners) cottage cheese. Among the hundreds and hundreds of idiotic Facebook posts, her recent one will give you an idea of what her intellectual capacity level is.. She posts on Facebook that she feels a little under the weather because on New Years, she drank a lot of Champagne because it was expensive and didn't want it to go to waste. So she fails to go to a City Commissioners meeting and City business is
3. We know the third Commissioner seat is vacant.
Thats your 3 out of 5 GBIC board. Doesn't it make you feel proud???!!! I think we should adopt ALLSTATE's slogan --- Your in good hands with GBIC. LOL!!
Tax payer I am and maybe we should have all conversations and meeting open and recorded for free public knowledge and maybe this will help with corruption like with the city commissioners and judge neece pulling tickets for free meals and racist Cesar Deleon and judges who want their kids to be change the way BISD does their job. So much corruption it should be public to detour it because just like Ben Neece smoking pot ir will never stop.
This is too funny to be true, but it must be a Reality governance show.
A great reality show was when you were Mayor, menso. But you banned public comments... remember?
Ya valio cien comentarios
He banged his shoe on the table, at a commissioner's meeting, just like Nikita Khrushchev. Remember?
Pat, when you were mayor things were different but just as embarrassing.
Atkinson and you were head clowns and he had no respect for you.
Do you know how one goes about applying for the city manager job? The COB SITE is useless.
What about the city manager job? How does one apply for that?
I will hire anyone you say for $150000.
This the same in all cities school districts n counties same circus just different clowns
SO WHAT IS UP WITH THE CITY MANAGER POSITION?
Ano your 12:14 PM, you may be surprise that I agree with you, but there was no way of controlling an idiot who did not know how to handle the power he had. It was his personal agenda, pettiness, jealousy and hate that drive the bickering and efforts to undermine. This guy wanted to be mayor but has no clue what it was all about, he thought it was all about him. Inspire of all that, we were still better off.
ANONYMOUS,12:14 PM, so what is the solution. You hated me and wanted me out. You worked to elect Tony and the city is at its lowest it has ever been with special interest and the elite raping the city with the Bishops blessings, which makes their sins forgivable, while my sins were pale in comparison, but u forgivable. So, what is the next step for you and all those who wanted me out. I made and saved the city millions, there was an open door policy, a measure of ethics and integrity, which we do not have with Tony and Gowen. But this is preferable to you and those who could not stand that I was mayor. So now what? Do we re-elect Tony and applaud all the shenanigans, or do we look for someone new like Erasmo Castro, William Garza or Robert Sanchez? Now enlighten me and the readers with your solution. Better yet, why don't you come out of the shadows and run for mayor. After all, I doubt any credible candidate will want to run for the position knowing this city is headed towards a fiscal and administrative melt down and you running could be no worse than what we now have on the commission. Myself, I deeply regret giving my full time and my financial resources to make Brownsville better when people like you like Brownsville being a shit hole to live in and believe you could have done better than what I was doing to make the city better. So please run for mayor and get Used to to run for Commissioner.
So please run for mayor and get Uresti to run for commissioner.
Pinche Pat marijuano.
You respond to the same comment twice, in the same day.
First comments at 10:28AM you agree.. then in the afternoon - after a couple rounds of something! you go on a tirade.
That only goes to prove they anonymous comment to be correct. You and Atkinsons were the head payasos.
You don't have to use pot, inheritance does the same thing.
Hire that person that doesn't know how to apply for the city manager's position. Finally somebody that doesn't know is exactly what this city needs as a city manager.
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