BERNAL LEGACY REMAINS; ANTI-UNION CITY MANAGER/KING

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Remember the brouhaha that erupted last June after City Attorney Victor Flores asserted that anti-union language in the city's employee handbook was blamed on some shadow "consultant" who was responsible for the offensive wording, but later blandly stated that the handbook had not been "properly vetted?"

The handbook, approved by the city commission Jan. 18 and in effect as of March 4, contained the language in its Employer Relations section. 

During the public comment period of the commission’s June 7 regular meeting, two members of the public, Brownsville ISD special education teacher Patrick Hammes and local attorney John Shergold, representing the Cameron County Democratic Party addressed the city commission on the content of the anti-union wording.

"Our success is based on constant interchange of ideas, operating flexibility, and individual initiative, all of which could be hampered by a union, and thus detrimental to the City and our employees. Unions have made no contribution to our progress in the past, and they are not needed for the progress that we will make in the future."

Echoing the concerns of Hammes and Shergold, Cameron County Democratic Chairman Jared Hockema also wrote a letter June 7 to the commission that the CCDP "strongly supports the right of all workers to organize, and to work in an environment that is free of coercion."

"In fact, the American labor movement has played a pivotal role in the founding and development of our country, and in making our society stronger and more just," he wrote.

In addition, Hockema wrote that the language in question "may be a violation of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935."

Flores conceded the language in question may not have even be legal. Texas is a right-to-work state, meaning that in the public sector as well as in the private sector, "an individual may not be denied employment because of the individual's membership or non-membership in a labor organization," according to the state Government Code.

Flores said nothing of this during the city commission meeting, but merely presented the sanitized handbook with the offending paragraphs removed which were approved without comment by the mayor and city commissioners. 

That came to mind after we read the job description for the city manager search to replace Noel Bernal, who by the way, engineered the appointment of Flores and acting city manager Helen Ramirez. Both earn top dollar and were brought to Brownsville by Bernal. 

The job description – apparently – was also "not vetted" since, besides outlining the duties and responsibilities of the new city manager (he/she) will not only "fully oversee and assist the city commission on policy matters, but also; 

*Establish procedures for policy/program implementation; 

*Maintain the delivery of established services within the community; 

*Hire and assign employees and administer the City’s personnel system; 

*Regulate and allocate the use of resources; 

And Implement federal and state mandates as appropriate Additionally, the city manager directs and coordinates the services and activities of the city through department heads.

The city manager helps the city anticipate and adapt to change and represents the city within the community and with other government agencies." 

Here's the clincher: The CM will: Fully oversee...the city commission on policy matters."

What? 

As one of our seven readers questioned the job description: "But the point is whether the Commission 'oversees' the CM or, as stated, the CM 'oversees' the Commission. I wonder how much these 'consultants' charged? Bunch of clowns!"

Since December 2018, the commission has given Bernal all he has asked for, including a well-paid cadre of assistant city managers carrying a nearly $1 million price tag in salaries. 

Would that be enough to guarantee the city the brain power and experience that Bernal said he needed to run the city?

Well, no he wanted something else, highly-paid consultants to do the work he and his overpaid underachievers could not do. In other words, another million to pay outsiders to perform the tasks they are being paid to do.

It's neat trick, if the plans generated by the ghost city management team of consultants succeed, Bernal and his crew can take credit for it. If they don't they can always blame the consultants and still continue milking the city.

The top-heavy salaries at the city manager's office – ranging from 82,000 for the lowest assistant city manager to $225,000 for Bernal and another $195,000 for Helen Ramirez – are glaring examples of the salary disparities. Other department heads say that the "total alignment" concept pays lip service to one of its strategic goals, the improvement of working conditions and improvement in the remuneration of the average municipal employee.

So as long as Rose Gowen gets her millions for her hike and bike trails, John Cowen remains on the Greater Brownsville Incentive Corporation privy to confidential real estate and commercial development information, Mayor Trey Mendez can dabble in downtown real-estate speculation and tries to tap into Elon Musk Brownsville Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation funds and Nurith Galonsky tries to keep city commissioners on the GBIC, and Jessica Tetreau milks photo ops for her run for mayor, etc.., everybody is happy and Ramirez has a free hand to keep the $1 million consultants Bernal hired to help him.

The Bernal legacy – in the person of Ramirez and Flores and the gaggle of highly-paid assistant city managers – will be with us for quite a while.