Tuesday, June 18, 2019

PERSONAL FINANCE REPORTS, EXPIRED TERMS, FORCE APPOINTMENTS; PUB, P & Z, GBIC ON CITY AGENDA

By Juan Montoya

Four of seven members of the City of Brownsville Planning and Zoning Committee - citing onerous personal financial statements now required by the new city ethics code, resigned June 5, one day before their scheduled meeting.

That left only three members, one short of a quorum, unable to do business and left hanging requests by subdivision developers and homeowners to get approval (or denial) for their construction plans.

The move to name the replacement allows lame-duck mayor Tony Martinez to vote for their replacement and on the replacement of 17 other members before he is replaced by the winner of the mayoral election runoff, either Trey Mendez of Charlie Cabler.

And it also allows District 1 incumbent Ricardo Longoria to vote. He is involved in a runoff for his position which will be decided at Saturday's June 22 election between himself and Nurith Galonsky. Galonsky. And should Galonsky win, she will then have to leave the PUB, requiring the new city commission to appoint her replacement.

Today, the city commission (itself one short before the June runoff elections results decide who will replace commissioner Cesar De Leon, who himself resigned) will undertake the appointment of their replacements. It will also consider the approval of 16 members of different boards including:

1. Two appointments or reappointments and one appointment of a resigned member to the Brownsville Public Utility Board. Martin Arambula and Rafael Chacon are at the end of their first four-year term and are willing to serve another. Under the city guidelines, they can serve one more four-year term if the commission approves.

PUB is also asking the commission to replace Tino Villarreal, who resigned March 8, 2019.

2. One member to the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation which manages about $5 million in sales-tax revenues annually for economic development.

3. One member to the City Board of Adjustments

4. Five members to the Brownsville Beatification Committee

5. One member of the Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau

6. Two members to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Committee

7. One member to the Historic Preservation & Design Review Board

Some of those who resigned pointed to the requirement under the new Code of Ethics (Section 38 Municipal Ordinances) that members of appointed boards to file a disclosure report laying out their personal financial interests in detail.

That led to the resignation of four of the seven-member P and Z board - Derek Benavides, Frank Orozco, Michael Reyes, and Myles Garza and left the PZ without a quorum. Their resignations were handed in  Wednesday June 5, one day before today's scheduled meeting where the members were to consider at least 10 items related to subdivisions and rezoning requests. Those items were put on hold for two weeks until potential members willing to adhere to the new code of ethics can be appointed today.

The lengthy personal finance statement is required of all city commission members, candidates for the commission, members of appointed and advisory boards, the city manager, city attorney, finance director, city secretary and their assistants.


Whoever the commission chooses tonight will have to turn in the personal finance report before taking their new positions.




7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just watch (If they win)the gringos remove all those requirements just like trump and the racist republicans

Anonymous said...

juanito
counting on you for the brownsville pd officer involved shooting details
cause the city wont be publishing anythin as usual

Anonymous said...

The PFS requirements are not that bad. They do reveal blatant conflicts of interest that nobody would ever see, unless asked.

Anonymous said...

Trump is guilty of fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, insurance fraud, obstruction of justice, conspiracy against the United States, and sexual assault. He has attacked our allies and praised our enemies. Seven of his aides have been convicted of felonies. He has praised Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Roy Moore. Trump is a criminal president.

Anonymous said...

Election turnout low is a boost for the three candidates with police/fire dept backing.....it's appropriate.....no one really cares.....it's too hot to care.

Anonymous said...

One group is riding around in their air-conditioned automobiles and the other grouop is cooking tacos in their kitchen and washing their vehicles for the 20th time in the same day.

Anonymous said...

Hey anti-Trumper! Enjoying your losing? You're going to keep losing and losing. The reason is that you are a loser, plain and simple. The only criminals that can be seen if you didn't keep your eyes screwed shut while your mouth is running are the Democrats in Washington. Put a sock in it, you are just so screwed.

rita