ALL PRETENSE IS CAST ASIDE: TIME TO TAKE SIDES

"Iacta alea est, (the die is cast)"...Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

As the time approaches for early voting to begin in the 2019 City of Brownsville Commission runoff elections on June 10 (13 days), the pretense of no slate or ticket has been dropped by both sides.

At stake is the mayor's race between top-vote getter and Texas Southmost College trustee Juan "Trey" Mendez and former  city manager Charlie Cabler, the At-Large "A" commissioner race for the seat left vacant by Cesar de Leon contested by top vote-getter John Cowen and Jessica Puente-Bradshaw, and the District 1 seat contested by top vote-getter Nurith Galonsky and incumbent Ricardo Longoria.

Before these public appearances together, the existence of the tickets were neither admitted nor denied. But now, the gloves are off and  voters must decide which way they want the city to go.

On one side, the Cabler-Longoria ticket (minus Puente-Bradshaw) are running flanked (literally) by District 1 third-vote getter Michael Rodriguez, and dead-last vote getter and former city commissioner William Garza.

There has been massive speculation on who third-place finisher Rodriguez would endorse for the position that he wanted to remove Longoria from, and there were meetings reported between Rodriguez accompanied by Brownsville Independent School District trustee Erasmo Castro with Galonsky and her intimate associates trying to cut a deal for their support in future city contests, and a possible appointment to the Public Utility Board for Castro.

None of that apparently panned out and now Rodriguez has cast his political fortunes with Longoria and Cabler.

On the other hand, it had long been rumored that Mendez, Cowen and Galonsky were running as a ticket, but the candidacy of Tony Martinez - favored by her father Abraham - precluded her open acknowledgement of the association.

But now all that is in the past and 13 days from the start of early voting, residents have a clear-cut choice.

Not so clear is the new majority that will emerge depending on the results of the runoffs. Sitting commissioner Joel Mungia is clearly on the Longoria, Cabler ticket. Longoria was part of the majority made up of Munguia, Longoria, De Leon, and Jessica Tetreau, the District 2 commissioner who was reelected May 4 without a runoff. A Cabler and Longoria win would result in a majority with Munguia andTetreau.

On the other hand, if Cowen and Galonsky should eke out wins, this would automatically result in a majority with sitting commissioners Rose Gowen and Ben Neece. In thst case, the mayor's race result would be immaterial. Clearly, then, which majority rules rests in the District 1 race outcome.

The consequences of which majority wins will be felt immediately as soon as appointments or reappointments to such critically important boards such as the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC), the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC), and the various boards that deal with zoning, real-estate, and contract with the city and real-estate acquisition.

What direction will the city voters choose? The choices, suddenly, have become more clear.

Mayor (Citywide)

Charlie Cabler

Trey Mendez

City Commissioner At-Large A (Citywide)

John Cowen, Jr.

Jessica Puente Bradshaw

City Commissioner District 1 (Candidate and voters must live within the District)

Nurith Galonsky Pizana

Ricardo Longoria, Jr.