WITH NEW CITY COMMISSION, CALLS FOR REVENGE ABOUND

By Juan Montoya
The votes haven't even been canvassed for the City of Brownsville commission elections which broke up the past majority on that body and cyber balloons are already being floated demanding that the "new" majority (Ben Neece, Rose Gowen, John Cowen and Nurith Galonsky) turn back the clock and  dismantle the gains made in city management and economic development.

The new mayor Juan "Trey" Mendez has not stated any position either way on the issue, at least not publicly.

Jerry McHale, whose McHale Report blog became the official megaphone for the so-called "Holy Trinity," is openly questioning the continued employment of new city manger Noel Bernal and Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation CEO Mario Lozoya.

The bombastic McHale says that since these two - despite going through a prolonged open vetting process - were selected by a majority of the past commission, they are suspect and should be terminated. In one fell swoop, the selection process which cost upwards of a combined $500,000 should be set aside and replaced with a toady who is more palatable (and pliable, we would imagine) to the new city commission majority and to Jerry's paymasters.

Funny, no one except for McHale - a retired ESL teacher - is openly calling for these drastic public beheadings. And no one is questioning these men's qualifications in their respective professions. Who else is on the chopping block? If McHale's blog is the sounding board for the unseen paying hand then Permitting Director Constansa Miner, City Attorney Rene de Coss's sister, is next. Could Rene himself be far behind?

So this is where the whole campaign based on transparency, openness, and accountability was really heading?

The lame-duck city commission at their last meeting June 18 tabled 21 appointments or reappointments to seven city boards, including two to the Brownsville Public Utility Board and the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation.

At that time, the city commission decided to table the items until the new commission could consider them. The appointments include:

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. Don't hold your breath. Arambula has already been singled out in Jerry's blog.

PUB is also asking the commission to replace Tino Villarreal, who resigned March 8, 2019. Remember why he resigned? Because of a cyber onslaught by McHale who preempted any PUB board action and put him on the spot as Judas Incarnate if he even considered appointing former city commissioner Cesar de Leon as PUB legal counsel. Rather than take the unwarranted public attacks, Villarreal said the hell with public service and went back to his business.

2. One member to the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation which manages about $5 million in sales-tax revenues annually for economic development. Both Cowen and Galonsky were removed from that board after the past majority passed an ordinance limiting a person's participation to one city board.

Galonsky was already on the PUB board and Cowen on the Brownsville Housing Authority and had to leave. Both were in the minority on the hiring of Lozoya to the GBIC and Galonsky even sued GBIC to stop his hiring. Time to get even?

When the vote is canvassed (the meeting has not yet been announced) and the new members are seated, the subject of board appointments will be taken up. That's when the public will know what interests will guide the new city commission and whether it was really pay-back, not city progress, that was driving their campaigns.