TREY MENDEZ SAYS "NO MAS" TO 2023 MAYORAL REELECTION

(Ed.'s Note: After months of vacillating on his possible reelection bid, Mayor "Juan" Trey Mendez has announced he will return to private life and his legal practice. 

Mendez, who also served as a Texas Southmost College board member and formed a majority to fend off efforts by former UTB-TSC president Juliet Garcia and her supporters to dissolve the community college and transfer the assets and real estate to the UT System, will end his one-term tenure in 2023.

The announcement will trigger a spate of jockeying for the city's top city commission position. He defeated former Mayor Tony Martinez four years ago. Some names have been thrown about as possible candidates including former city commissioner Ben Neece, and current District 2 commissioner Jessica Tetreau.

District 1 commissioner Nurith Galonsky's, At-Large-A commissioner John Cowen's, and Tetreau's terms expire May 2023. Tetreau is prevented from running for commissioner because of the term limit charter amendment passed through a referendum. However, she can still  run for mayor and indications are that she will.

So far, neither Galonsky nor Cowen have made their plans public on whether to run for mayor.

(Currently, it is reported that some local movers and shakers are already seeking potential candidates and trying to put together slates for the positions.)

The full text of his statement is printed below:

After months of consideration and self reflection, I have decided that I will not be seeking re-election as Mayor for the upcoming election in May 2023. As much as I would love to continue, I realize that the past three and a half years have taken a heavy toll on my physical, mental and financial health that few can relate to.

I believe that we have successfully managed a multitude of catastrophic and unforeseen events over the past 36 months that required our absolute attention, but it wasn't easy. We have been fortunate to have received national attention for several great initiatives that we have been able to move toward completion. 

The biggest will be citywide broadband, but I am proud of many other accomplishments along the way, such as the first Zoo master plan in 50 years, Sunday bus service, a new development code and the digitization of our permitting process, electrical rate reductions at PUB, substantial increases in our revenues while decreasing the tax rate, record investments in residential and commercial developments and, of course, the massive economic impact of SpaceX. 

An increase in the number of police and fire personnel, as well as the addition of a third hospital (DHR Brownsville) are major milestones that will bring even more quality care and safety to our citizens.

Despite these achievements, my work is not yet done. It will be my honor to serve out my term with the same energy and leadership you have seen the past 3+ years and I wish the next Mayor much success. 

My passion has always been to help create a better Brownsville for families to raise their children, provide young adults with more professional opportunities, and create a vibrant, progressive and connected community. 

During my 13 year journey as a public servant, I’ve never once taken your support or the responsibility of an elected position for granted. I am sincerely honored by the trust and faith that you have placed in me to represent you. The role of Mayor is extremely difficult, and doing it right takes an enormous time commitment. Besides serving without a salary, the position of Mayor for the city of Brownsville has no dedicated staff or support personnel, which makes things harder.

I strongly urge our community to support whoever is in the role and refrain from the personal attacks and behavior that public servants, including myself, have seen over the past few years. I ask that you consider the candidates, their agendas, platforms, background, public service history and character. 

I truly hope we have a candidate that will innovate, and put in the necessary work to continue to harness our full potential and eliminate special interests at City Hall, something I feel I was able to do during my term. I am thankful for the honor of serving in this seat during such an important time in our history. My goal is to transition back into my full time law practice over the next few months. 

It's never a good time to say goodbye, but this feels like the right time. Those who know me know that I love my city too much to go away, so expect me to continue to be involved in improving our great City in some capacity going forward.

– On the Border, By the Sea and Beyond