One of the reasons that I am running for District 2 commissioner for the City of Brownsville has been my experience as a certified Realtor.
When you are trying to match a client with a piece of real estate, you're not only selling the property, you are also selling your city. You are selling the place where you chose to work and live, marry, raise and educate your children and hopefully, grow old and retire surrounded by family.
I have done business with prospective clients who wanted to invest and do business here and provide employment for our city's residents. They're interested in the schools, the security and public safety issues, the quality of life, its appearance and the "friendliness" of our city government to their investment.
They are often enchanted with the people's friendliness, the culture, the food, and the weather. But that's where it stops.
You don't know how frustrating it has been to see multi-million dollar investments get discouraged when they have to deal with out city departments. More often than not, our planning and inspections rules (as well as our historical district) seem to be more interested in placing obstacles before potential investors in our city than in helping them set up shop.
Rigid and obdurate, these obstacles cause investors time and money that are often unnecessary and self-defeating to our city's development. In more cases that I want to remember, investors who came to Brownsville ready to do business because of our ports of entry, our airport, deep-water port, South Padre Island and manufacturing opportunities in northern Tamaulipas.
Bu after dealing with our city and the delays unnecessarily imposed by our departments, invariably they look north and west for a more friendly reception.
I have seen the expression in their faces when they see the appearance of our city and its infrastructure up close at ground level. When you have to dodge potholes in the streets to get from one place to another and see the refuse-littered thoroughfares and alleys, I don't blame them for making faces at having their families and staff working here.
We have to establish a different culture in our city, one that says we have pride in our city and seek to put its best foot forward. There's a Mexican saying that if you keep the front of your house clean, you need to keep the inside clean as well. It may come down to something as simple as picking up a piece of trash from the sidewalk if we come up to one and disposing of it in a trash can.
We don't need a tune up of our city's bureaucracy and its treatment of people and corporations who want to come here and do business. We need a complete overhaul.
And we need to reassess the way we do business and the way we practice our form of self government. Unless we do this post haste, we will be relegated to a second-class community which will be bypassed by sustainable economic development because of a rancho mentality that does not fare well for us or for our children who will invariably - like potential businesses - have to seek greener pastures somewhere else.
24 comments:
For these reasons the win must go to Pat or Cata
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how not to win the city employee vote...not to mention the good spelling and grammar trophy.
What about the pot holes, the flooding, the unsync traffic lights, high electric bills, motorcycle cops focusing ONLY on traffic tickets (that's illegal), change orders totaling twice the original cost of airport improvements, what is your plan for the ambulance and fire dept fiascos what is your plan??? Oh just try to bring business here? So they can see how inept the elected offical are??? Thanks but NO thanks.
Juan use this post in place of the other one. I did not realize my roommmate signed into his account while I was at PT.
My issue is we must have Cata and Pat in the run-offs. They are both experts in development and real estate and the City Commission would do well with either serving my district. Jessica simply has no expertise in anything and in fact is blocking an essential new housing development.
The argument that Pat and Cata will make money if they push housing development is beyond stupid. That is what they do. It is a job. Same for the bogus argument a downtown developer should not be mayor. As taxes go up for downtown properties the city will have more revenue to help districts like mine. The development of downtown helps everyone. This argument if a candidate can make money they should not serve is just down righ stupid.
Bobby WC
Just got back from Harlingen and a local business told me that the city's taxes are overwhelming the homeowners and businesses. The downtown is making a terrible mistake by increasing the value of the land and building taxes by 70 percent. Businesses will be closing and moving out, and quess where? McAllen not Brownsville. City of Brownsville is too big for itself. Our zoning and over requirements or regulations are hurting homeowners and businesses in Brownsville. Instead, build move bars downtown because saving downtown is more important that creating a better quality of life in Brownsville. The millions of dollars in bike and hike trails are bringing one or two tourists to Brownsville. Waste of millions of dollars for empty trails and especially the closing of streets for bikes only used. The city commissioners don't give a damn about the taxpayers but themselves. Especially commissioner at large B. Voting starts early in April and vote for Jessica Bradshaw, Rick Longoria and Caty P. Garcia. Mayor is a toss up but Charlie C. Is the best choice.
tawenombe
so how many houses have you sold?
are you a "good realtor"?
do you look out for your sellers
for your buyers?
for your bottom line?
all these speak volumes about
your character
and you cant always look out
for all 3
just like in politics.
either you cater to the constituents
cater to the future intrests of the city
or you cater to yourself. Right mayor.
(while I was at PT.)
Physical Training? That's what Drill Sargents called PT in the Army.
Jake.
Jessica Tetreau is the incumbent. She wins.
caty any thoughts on the tanaska deal the mayor martinez raton grande made? Everyone has been paying higher electrical rates for the last 5 years because of this deal and yet they have not even broken ground? Any chance of lowering the electrical rate cuz it looks like this plant aint coming to brownsville sister, maybe ask el putito de martin arambula how much money $$$$$$ he got? along with mayor martinez, sounds like the port of brownsville bridge to no where.
When you used the owners of Strawberry Square because you tripped and fell on your own, is this what you plan to do later on? Will you sue the city if you do not get your way?
What's coming is LNG the chemical plant just like the one that exploted in Houston.
No, he was probably at physical therapy.
Cata,
Well said. That attitude is what we need in our elected officials. We have new upper management who can initiate change for us with properly focused leadership. Anony 1:25, what does LNG have to do with a gasoline refinery?
OH, in Houston? You mean that City where 100% of Brownsville citizens go to enjoy the mall, the ice skating ring, the Houston Astros, the Houston Texans, the fine dining, the museum, NASA, visit relatives that went to work there because theres hundreds of jobs with high paying wages in the gas and oil industry?
The energy capital of the world? Where Galveston is, where they have this beautiful beach, that looks just like South Padre Island?
That Houston?
Does PT stand for pura transa?
Puros tacuaches
@ March 19, 2019 at 11:42 AM
How is focusing on traffic violations by the motorcycle division illegal? That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
Where are you getting your legal information from? I'd very much like to know.
Another one of Brownsville's "Tinfoil Hat Brigade."
The development of downtown into upscale wine, pizza, and whisky joints does NOT benefit everybody. It benefits those who own those businesses and those who can afford to blow a couple of hundred dollars on a cheese tray and a bottle of wine.
Developing downtown into a legitimate area with affordable apartment, condo, and loft housing, along with businesses that can cater to those people would benefit everybody. A watering hole like the Palm Lounge where you can have a few beers and pay an affordable price for a decent hamburger benefits everybody.
I really wish people would stop trying to dress Brownsville up like Austin or San Antonio. That is NEVER going to happen. We should embrace our city's uniqueness and stop trying to be something we aren't.
I don't know any of the candidates personally, so this is based solely on what I've seen or read in the blogs and in the local news. Presas-Garcia is tenacious. She seems like a hell-raiser who will try and do her best for the city. The incumbent probably needs to be voted out of office. She has had a lot of time in office with not a whole lot to show for it. I don't care about her personal business, I just don't think she's done enough for her district or the city. The former mayor's time has passed him by. I was put off by his indecision to run in the first place. That, and the public beef with Atkinson makes me shy away from him as a viable candidate (continued).
The major industry in HOUSTON is CRIME but that's not the reason we all go there the tacos are not that good, the price of gas is sky high, the malls are packed just like the charro days parades, the people are rude and drive like they're in one of those racing tracks and the worst thing is that your in-laws make ugly faces at you and your 10 children, but the wort thing of all really the worst thing is the dam immigration agents keep asking if you're a citizen. We go there just to watch some king of professional sporting event. Something we dearly lack here, THAT'S WHY!
I would absolutely stay away from any Roman Perez/Robert Euresti backed candidates. I couldn't care less if she's a Republican, but Puente-Bradshaw's alliance with Perez leads me to believe Roman wants to be the kingmaker and wants to start a Mike Hernandez-esque OP 10.33 political machine of his own. I would see, of the three remaining candidates for at large "A" you identify with. I went to school with members of the Cowen family, I have interacted with Ralph Cowen, and the Cowen who sits on the school board. They have all been respectful and sincere. Ii appears as if the younger Cowen is cut from the same cloth.
I cannot, in good conscience, support Ricardo Longoria. He does not know who I am, but he was hitting very heavily on my girlfriend, gave him his personal phone number, and told him to call her when she graduated and he would be able to "help her get a job." He seems like a very slimy individual. Nurith Galonsky seems like a Brownsville elite carpetbagger coming down to help the downtrodden of Southmost. I don't need an Ivy League educated elite telling me how delicious tacos in Brownsville are.
The mayoral candidates are all pretty tarnished. Our current mayor hasn't done a whole lot of anything for our fair city. He should definitely be replaced, otherwise we'll have more imaginary successes here in town. The former city manager left his job at a time when city departments were being run into the ground. I just don't see him as a decent administrator. Then Juan Mendez and his grand vision for New Downtown makes it seem as if he wants to create a new high society hub for the Brownsville and Matamoros elite, all the while making his property values soar.
I don't think any of the incumbents should be returned to office, but I'm afraid most of the other choices aren't that much better than they are.
@ March 19, 2019 at 11:42 AM
Ticket quotas are illegal in some states, notably California, Illinois, Missouri, Florida, Texas, and New Jersey.
N.S.A.” actually stands for “No Such Agency” — it was so secret, government officials wouldn’t even admit it existed. Tinfoil Hat Brigade simply means that there are individuals that believe the government is spying and using radio waves to hear and record your conversations and tin foil reflected any electronic waves. So what does traffic and cops have to do with tinfoil hats?
Are you the one I saw at HEB wearing a tin foil over your head?
Still have your land line phone?
Freud speculated that paranoia was indicative of repressed homosexuality.
If you weren't so narrow minded you know it makes sense.
Tinfoil hats were, originally, worn to reflect not absorb. I believe you are quite mistaken or confused and in reality making a fool of yourself.
Cata, you've improved on your vocabulary! Or did an anglo paid off writer assist you?
Just like the mayoral race who ever wins we still lose.
She should a joined the army problem solved.
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