TREVINO'S REAPPOINTMENT TO BCIC ENDS WITHOUT A SECOND

 By Juan Montoya

His reign as the producer of "new traditions" for the city of Brownsville included the ludicrous "Gringo de Mayo" bacchanal and as a member of the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC), was able to convince his fellow members to fund the fandango and provide city facilities and assets to do it.

The event came and went, once, and support for the event – seen as an orgy of drunkedness for the well-heeled – quickly lost support. The Gringo de Mayo resounded through the pedestrian walks of Market Square once before being silenced.

These "building traditions" efforts were spearheaded by local businessman Arturo Treviño, owner of Los Trevis drive-thus around the city.

Treviño served as president to the Mr. Amigo Association and brought Carlos Slim's son-in-law Elias Ayub, a virtual unknown to local residents. That turned out to be disaster and Ayub flew off in his private jet without participating in the international parade.

Treviño's family  has extensive commercial interests in Matamoros and now in Brownsville. He is a St. Joe Academy grad who saw his opportunities and took them. He has had some experience politicking. His brother Armando was a candidate for political office in Matamoros. If anyone knows all the tricks, they would.

His example of "giving back to the community" was MAA's purchase of 400 bicycles for students from Matamoros attending Brownsville schools with funds raised from Brownsville businesses and individuals. Then bike lane he promised U.S. Customs would build at the international bridges never materialized. And the bikes are long gone into Matamoros.

Just as Trevino saw the MAA formula as the blueprint for a quick, easy buck, so have a a number of local "boosters" and "organizers" of various events who grabbed on quickly to the city's brass ring. 

Promote and get approval for an event that would "promote" the city, use public facilities, security, and assets for nothing, and pocket the proceeds. "Beerfest," Una Noche en Garibaldi, "Tacos y Tragos," etc.,

are the brainchildren of this bunch. And, of course, "Gringo de Mayo," an all out drunk.

That "Gringo" event was held at enormous cost by the public and celebrated the "memory" of the late Alan Jeffrey "Jeff" Lewis whose claim to fame seems to have been that he attended St. Joseph's Academy with his pals from Brownsville and Matamoros.

When he died in 2017, his honorary pallbearers included Rick Cardenas, Rene Cardenas, Les Gloor, Dr. Karen Brooks, along with his "Brothers" from the Charro Days Beard Posse- Wesley Reed, Joe Kenney, Leo Trevino, Raul de la Llata, Mike Pashos, Rusty Harwood, Doroteo Garcia, Pancho Parker, Narciso Cortez, Johnny Champion, Joe Lee Rubio, Tiny Barrientes, Bean Ayala, Craig Grove, Lloyd Young, Will Putegnat, Danny Loff, Bobby Walker, Javier Garcia, and Mike Garcia.

After the party, the brickwork on Market Square bore the stains of grease spilled on it by some of the food stands that had to be hydroblasted by city crews. Treviño blamed the stains on shoddy brick work by city contractors and complained about the PUB electric system there.

But on Tuesday, commissioner Ben Neece's nomination of Treviño to continue to serve on the BCIC again died for a lack of a second. 

The commission instead opted to appoint Mark Horowitz, Zoraima A. Diaz, and Jill Dominguez to the BCIC.

Some traditions qqdie hard. Others don't appear to last that long.