NEW BROWNTOWN COMMISSION MAJORITY ON NEW DIRECTION

By Juan Montoya

Tuesday's meeting of the City of Brownsville Commission signaled a new majority taking over the direction of the city.

The new force of four commissioners consisting of Jessica Tetreau, Rick Longoria, Cesar De Leon and Joel Mungia has effectively wrested the control of the city's direction from iron-fisted Mayor Tony Martinez, Rose Gowen, and new ally Ben Neece.

Yesterday, the majority – along with Gowen – overrode the objections (and votes) of the minority to remove three members off three city boards.

Tetreau, Longoria, De Leon and Mungia have shown that they can hold the line.

And it all seems to hark back to the appointment of Nurith Galonsky to the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC) after Tetreau's vote was ignored by Martinez and Galonsky was voted in to the GBIC which handles about $5 million in sales-tax revenues to bring new industry to the city.

At the time, it appeared that Esteban Guerra – since elected to the Brownsville Navigation District commission – was going to go on the GBIC.

But Martinez ignored Tetreau and nullified her vote saying he had not heard her. When she tried to get the city secretary to change the minutes, Neece filed a complaint with the city police for tampering with a government document.

The first inkling that the momentum was shifting away from Martinez's control was the approval of the contract for the new city manager Noel Bernal. The other was the confirmation of new city attorney Rene De Coss.

In both these instances, it was made clear that these were not the choices of the Martinez minority on the commission. In fact, some commission members charged that these appointments were purposely being delayed until the next round of elections in May when a new commission might have been elected and Martinez could employ his guile on the new members.

This was cemented by the majority's approval of the new ordinance that restricts individuals to serve on only one board.

Last night, the majority voted to removal Galonsky from the GBIC since she is already on the Brownsville Public Utility Board. PUB removals are guided by the city charter and not by city ordinance so she stays on there.

Another called for the removal of Trey Mendez from the Main Street Advisory Board since he already on the Historic Preservation and Design Review Board. However, Mendez – a downtown businessman – said he would prefer to serve on the  Main Street Advisory Board and leave the Historic Preservation and Design Review Board and the commission went along with his choice.

The other was the removal of Dillon Vanderford, from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee since he already serves on the Board of Adjustment.

There is little that the Martinez minority could do since the new majority had the votes just as Martinez did when he ran the commission with an iron fist.

Watershed? Sea change?

Any way you look at it, a los del mayor se les hizo de aguas.