By Juan Montoya
Where was 2018 Mr. Amigo Arturo Elias Ayub during the 82nd Annual Charro Days International Parade Saturday?
Would you believe that he boarded his private jet and flew off back to Mexico and stood up the parade-goers? In fact Quien entertainment magazine depicted him Saturday - the day of the parade - with his family and father in law at the 2019 Mexican Tennis Open in Acapulco.
Sources say Ayub flew off before the parade aboard his jet after he donated 400 bicycles to the city. But while that may be accepted in some quarters (Rose Gowen, for example), the fact that he took off before the min event led some to say that the gesture was a backhand compliment to the pueblo bicicletero.
But there was a catch. It won't be Brownsville kids using the bikes. Mr. Amigo directors were asking school principals and administrators to help then identify students from Matamoros to give them a bike so they could use them to go to and from the bridge.
"What a snub for the city," said a local Mr. Amigo Association critic. "That shows how much Ayub thinks of us here in Brownsville. Even after the group used our city facilities and security, they give the bikes to students from Matamoros."
The Mr. Amigo Association faced widespread criticism and disapproval in social media for choosing a rich guy's son-in-law.
Commenter after commenter voiced disapproval of Mr. Amigo Association's selection of Ayub, the son-in-law of Carlos Slim, Mexico's richest man – and seventh richest in the world – to make an appearance during the upcoming Charro Day's events.
The mission of the MAA is "To celebrate the shared culture, friendship and family of Brownsville and Matamoros. To enjoy the traditions and history that unite us bringing “The Valley” and “La Frontera” closer together, serving as an example for our two countries."
In the past, the list of Mr. Amigos ranges from the president of Mexico to various actors, comedians, and performers. The past board have had members associated with Televisa, which resulted in soap opera stars and performers under contract with that broadcaster being chosen for the honor.
However, member Arturo Treviño, of "Los Trevis" convenience stores on both sides of the river, is said to have used his influence to convince the membership to extend the invitation to Ayub as a way to foster "economic development" and attract investment to the area, a purpose which differs slightly from their stated mission.
The Mr. Amigo Association's membership is rather clubby, with members inviting each other to join the association. One of the directors, Eliceo Davila, was said t have traveled to Mexico with wife and family at the association's expense. and others have said that the organization has turned into a very selective group which spends the funds it raises ($37,000 in the Taste of La Frontera) in private parties for selected members.
The clearest comment from one of those that disapproved of Treviño's (and the MAA's) selection put it this way:
49 comments:
You're shitting me , right? He really left before the Saturday Grand Parade?
Good morning I agree with you in the ill advised selection of the 2018 Mr. Amigo by Mr. Treviño. I had the opportunity to attend the Friday night parade and it was sad to see that Mr. Ayub didn't receive the same welcome as other Mr. Amigo. Even though I think that us parade-goers were wrong in snubbing him (speaks bad about us; a la visita se le atiende aunque no la hagas invitado)nobody even looked at him. However, I don't entirely blame us. I blame the Mr. Amigo Association, the public had let their feelings known. Perhaps we should be voting for the Mr. Amigo. This elite group thing they have going on is bs just saying. As for Saturday's parade, well all I heard was that it was "CHAFAS."
Brownsville is always going to be shady. I seriously doubt this would be a learning experience for the city. We need to have new people at least every 2 years running the event. That way it doesn’t become a “I’m your friend I’ll invite you but only you” party. Yes they’re some honest commissioners in the past. Pero the ones we have now no valen madre. And I know all of them
Self interest, self enrichment has become Mr. Amigos' goal. They have lost sight of the purpose of the Charro Days festivities. Leave it to Trevino and company to screw it all up. I would like to see how the money is spent, but it would be impossible since they do their own auditing. Sad that Brownsville people continue to adopt the Mexican ideology of corruption.
Mr. Amigo Inc. is now an elitist Association, with the only porpoise of making money of every little detail they can, their arrogance and stock upness, shows in the way they behave, their Social Circle is methodically picked based in social status of the member to be, Los piojosos pobres, can not afford to belong, their arrogance makes them choose individuals from a superior social and wealth status, than theirs, just to feel they are rubbing elbows with Multimillionaires for a few days.
THIS IS TOTAL BULLSH--T...HE WALKS OUT!!!! HE DONATES 100 BICYCLES TO GO MEXICO...GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!! WHAT THE F--- WAS THE MR. CHARROS ASSOCIATES DOING AND THINKING.....?????
THAT'S BROWNSVILLE FOR YOU...CORUPTED TO THE BONE!!!!
What a dick.
Si buscan en la revista Quien (www.quien.com) ahi encontraran el que sr. mr amigo, fue a la final del abierto mexicano de tenis 2019, celebrada en acapulco este sabado pasado, y pues no se pudo quedar a el desfile....
You really have to be a very uneducated dumb ass not to know what this sombrero fest or Mr. Amigo associations are all about. Both organizations have changed drastically since their origins and the original founders. The mere fact that certain members travel to mexico with the entire families at the expense of the associations funds should tell you a lot. All the parties before and after for just the elite members as well. These organizations need to be audit by the IRS. Its sad so sad. oh well its Brownsville where corruptions is norm.
Presidents Costume Ball on Friday was a total fail. Police had to quiet all the tables during the presentation to quiet everyone down. Ayub was also making light of the fact that only Brownsville do people mix English and Spanish at the same time. Food was disgusting and entertainer was less than average. What a waste of time and money.
This shit is funny as hell. Poor dude could not wait to get the hell out of browntown and as far away
As possible from the horrible people. What a total embarrassment for the Mr. Amigo Association, charro days and
The city of brownsville. Everybody had their hand out for something and he had enough of it. Maybe next year they can invite El Chapo. He will probably turn them down because solitary confinement in prison is better than 4 days in Brownsville!
Just wait, mr. Amigo association is going to spin the reason he left and say they knew before that he was going to leave early. Where can I pick up one of them bicycles?
What does Arturo Trevino even know about economic development? Es un pinche junior chiflado. All the "Matamoros elite" are the same(I'm looking at you Pedro Cardenas, and Esteban "El Taquero" Guerra) , como dice la raza "no traen nada en el morral" if they were so good Matamoros would be a national powerhouse, on the same level of Monterrey, but is not.
Juan I Sure hope mr amigo ASSociation can do better next year, and get that BIG thumb out of their ASSES.
Oh man, how embarrassing for the elite Raza! They should change it to Mr.Adios.
Who gets the money made? The committee?
Shame on you Arturo Trevino and gang
I watched the parade live on channel 7 and the presenters said the guy in the jeep was Mr. Amigo so what is the truth?
I did see a lot of empty chairs. Parade route needs to start on palm blvd and end on old bridge, but Mexico BLVD needs repairs (mayor, comish, listen)Pakistani and Oriental community needs more involvement, current leaders in Charro Days, Mr. Amigo, City, you are taking Brownsville down.
McAllen must come to rescue Charro days, move charro days to McAllen and it will draw hundreds of thousands of people compared to the Brownsville beggars of city hall.
Waste of time and money!
And they say Republicans and Trump are bad?
Well, another Mr. Amigo fail. Where is Cantiflas when you need him?
His excuse was there were to many Angelo's dressed up as Mexicans and he was frightened he would have been mugged.
From one corrupt organization to another and another and another WHEN IS THIS GOING TO STOP???
We have the poorest community in the nation along with the worst mayor in the country. We have a habit of ranking first on all negative rankings.
All elected officials should be ashame of themselves. The Feds should take over this totally corrupt city for about a century...
I said it many times and Ill say it again..
He should have been invited to lecture college students - not to a charro days parade.
He probably felt he was out of place, he wasn't fit for the Mr. Amigo because its not a position for a multimillionaire.. its for an actor or someone from farandula..
I don't know what MAA was thinking it could accomplish, but the only thing accomplished was humiliation on a Valley wide stage.. and probably among the Mexico DF elite as well. If there was an opportunity when we had his attention, that is loooooong gone.
This was a slap in the face to every Brownsvillian who patronizes any of the Charro Days festivities. These thinge aren't cheap. From the seat rental fees, to the food and drink, to the Sombrero Fest, and the carnival, and the price gouging downtown residents put the citizenry through to park on a public street (as if putting a plastic lawn chair or a trash can in front of their house is even legal), Charro Days can put a serious dent in a family's budget.
That said, Charro Days brings to light an even bigger problem than that of Richie Rich's snub. There are a lot, and I do mean a lot, of nouveau richa in Brownsville. There are scores of Brownsville (and Matamoros, for that matter) wealthy and elite who are turning our fair city into their playground. There are lots of lawyers and property owners who are transforming Brownsville. You have people like Juan Mendez III and his trendy pizza and wine restaurant. According to the new "Bobby Loco" of Brownsville, Bobby Wightman, there is also going to be a new upscale whisky bar adjoined to the pizza and wine place. These type of people are making their way into Brownsville politics, as well. Juan Mendez and Nurith Galonsky are among the bourgeoisie who are trying to wrest power from the hands of the proletariat. Our mayor, another member of the Brownsville elite, is doing the same. I'm actually surprised his upscale bistro and his fancy brisket place don't occupy one of Brownsville's other historic downtown buildings. Apparently he's happy with his little sliver of Palm Boulevard. Then you have the elite like Rose Gowen who is worried more about hike and bike trails than she is about infrastructure and promoting economic growth.
This has absolutely nothing to do with ethnicity or race. This is a clear struggle between the haves and the have-nots. The Mister Amigo Association has been infiltrated by Brownsville's "new money." The St. Joe Connection is busy trying to run the city. These people think if you can go downtown and buy a 30 dollar personal pan pizza, you'll feel like one of the elite, and you'll forget the the rest of the city is crumbling. If you can go downtown and snap your fingers to a trendy bohemian poet while sipping on a rare-earth blend of South American coffee, you'll forget that we need better equipped, better trained police officers. The pezzonovante of our fair city are too busy pulling the wool over your eyes. If you can come to our trendy nightclub and rub shoulders with us, you'll think you're one of us, and you'll be so grateful you're in our presence that you won't hold any of your politicians accountable for anything of importance. You won't care that the shady goings on of the Mister Amigo Association are dealing away your history and your traditions.
Misdirection is the order of the day.
Har..dee..har, har har! What a joke this town and it's leadership has become.
I understand why the people of Brownsville are disappointed. Not here to debate that, I just want to fact correct an error in the article:
The Davila family paid for their own trip. They didn't use Mr. Amigo funds. That is laughable, and I am not sure who the anonymous source was, but things should be fact checked before spreading lies.
That being said, I am not on the board. I can sympathize with everyone's opinions of Mr. Amigo. I just hate to see lies spread.
The Democrat Party has ruined our city.
Mr. Amigo event without a Mr. Amigo. And you wonder why McAllen kicks Brownsville’s ass in terms of Planning, Managing, and Leading.
I say... Build That Wall!
Mr. Amigo Association Members:
President: Arturo Trevino
President Elect: Juan Rogelio Chapa
Vice President: Artemio Alvarez
Treasurer: Graciela Salazar
Past President: Sergio Martinez
plus 12 other members........
Who was in the list of possible choices for Mr. Amigo?
Who were the top 5 candidates?
Who voted for the billionaire/millionaire?
What do the officers of Mr. Amigo Association have in common?
I say we boycott this denigrated event next year and take our families to the new, fun and organized event a few miles north. Have you been to Borderfest recently. It is THE BEST in comparison.
BUILD THE WALL!!!
"The Davila family paid for their own trip."
Yeah right. And Hillary won the 2016 election and Ahumada never deposited a check that wasn't his.
Half these comments sound like fake people. Do people even really care who Mr Amigo is? All they care about is having a cerveza and a good time. This town is just a bunch of crabs in a bucket. They can not see when someone is doing something nice for the city to save them. All they care is pulling a brother down
Yes, just go to La BorderFest. It is a better family value and more fun than the mr amigo events and sucky Sombrerro festival. They have 10x better performers and real celebrities. Better food.
11: 39 People in Brownsville care, that is why they are protesting and expressing their opinions. The Charro Days is an event for the people, not for personal gains. Did you see the the plastic coverings around Sombrero Fest? Beers ....and many children walking into the Washington Park ..... to have fun ....but the organizers did not think about presenting BEER to the future adults of Brownsville. That is bad. (Yes, it helped pay for the event, but......
I say: Yuri (from Veracruz) a possible Mr. Amigo
El Buki (known in the USA and Mexico)
Los Tigres del Norte (known all over the world)
I do not know who else can be Mr. Amigo ....one year to select the Mr. Amigo of the people and to get the artists to fix their agendas to fit the dates of the celebration.
Borderfest celebrated India..... good but Mr. Amigo has a better tradition.
You can go to both celebrations.
Mr. Amigo association doesn't love the people of Brownsville. That is why they did not bring a loved personality this year. They wanted MONEY.
Don’t think that this vato was the first person they begged to be mr amigo. He was the only one who would say yes. All of the Mexican “celebrities” are smart enough to say no. Who the fuck wants to travel to a dirty border town for 4 days to promote local “vip” sponsors and not get paid? Stand here while we take your picture holding my restaurants plate of tacos! I can’t wait to see who the Mr. Amigo organization scams next year.
The selection committee obviously did not do it's due diligence! Correct that and start thinking and researching individuals who really do contribute to good relationship between the countries. Get to work and forget about this fiasco. Surprise us with a great 2020 Mr. Amigo or drop the whole thing.
Mike Pence Mr. Amigo 2020
Like to see him in a sarape accompanied by his Yegua trump.
The dude is a typical arrogant rich Mexican.
Leave it to the charro day assosi to do this. They all need to be replaced
LMaybe you don't know but there's 3 different VOLUNTEER organizations involved with the festivities, Mr Amigo, Charrodays and Sombrero fest...all of them have different events and duties, in Mr Amigo's case we are only responsible for the following events "Walk of Fame, Hands Across the Border and the Award Ceremony and our honoree fullfilled those events 100 percent all other events are organized by the other organizations and we try and take them to their events but we are just guests
I have too many issues with this comment by Mr. Treviño. But most important is that I didn't realize these organizations catered to different groups....because that's what it sounds like. Goes back to working in silos. I would assume there was common ground somewhere and communication among all 3 VOLUNTEER organizations. (As if being volunteers would excuse you, if you can't do the job, move out of the way)
I really thought these events were for all Brownsvillians!!!
Too bad with all those pesos they have they can't be white and michael jackson's remedy is just TOO expensive. Ese doctor no acepta pesos
Channel 4 ran a story on the 400 bikes donated to Matamoros last night 3-12 19. Do you think those 400 bikes are going to reach the students that need them? Of course NOT they'll be divided among the adanuales y las grangandas grandes que estupidad, de los Charros Asso.
The citizens of this community should get really pissed off there are a log of families here in real need, y estos idiotas donate bikes to students in matamoros.
I just saw a customs officer from mexico riding a bike. Let's give them some more bikes they sure need them. Start a collection at soutmost y las prietas.
I think "estupidad" is not a word and shows who's the real estupidiota.
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