Special to El Rrun-Rrun
Those of us who looked on in the televised City of Brownsville Commission special meeting and waited some two and one-half hours to see who the commissioners would choose to be the city's next city manager were disappointed after they emerged from executive session and...chose no one.
The decision had been delayed for two meetings due to indecision and then the absence of the mayor and two commissioners and postponed until this Tuesday. But after the marathon executive session, no cigar.
The five candidates narrowed down from an original pool were Interim City Manager Alan Gard, Brownsville Police Chief/Asst. City Manager Felix Sauceda, Assistant City Manager Doroteo Garcia, Steve Williams, City Manager of Schertz, Texas, Majed Al Ghafy, City Manager, DeSoto, Texas, and Edwina "Edy" Benites-LM, Interim Director of Economic Development, Jefferson County, West Virginia.
The eventual choice (if ever) will permanently replace former city manager Helen Ramirez, who left at the end of 2025.
14 comments:
Hire from the outside
Ya andan listos los empresarios y contratistas como zopilotes pa los permisos y lo listo. A poco no camaradas?
We need new people, outside perspective!
100% agree
No, because he will be mistreated, abused and fired from the job. He is an outsider.
Doest't matter if they hire from the outside or from our own backyard, the city commision and mayor run the show and they can fire him in a minute if he gets stupid.
The Hernandez camp is politicizing the situation. Classic Ernie and Norma move. They are on their own version of a political campaign to get their under qualified son in law the title of city manager. If they could put signs they would. Giving Doro the job is putting power back in the hands of Ernie Hernandez. The rumors are if he does not get the position they are planning their political slap back!
With billions of dollars in private investment flowing into the Brownsville region—and with Elon Musk continuing to expand his footprint across the Valley—it is becoming increasingly clear why he chose to establish his own city rather than be annexed into the City of Brownsville.
Most CEOs seek decisive leadership from governing bodies and executive teams. Yet today, the City Commission’s inability to make a critical decision—selecting a City Manager—is on full display. This lack of direction sends a troubling signal, not only to residents but also to investors and partners watching closely.
Over the past several years, Brownsville has endured leadership marked more by personality than performance—where public relations campaigns, polished slogans, and TED Talk-style presentations took center stage, while the fundamental responsibility of delivering reliable public services to neighborhoods was too often sidelined.
What message does this send to graduates of institutions like UTRGV, UTB, or TSC? The implication appears to be that local talent—individuals with deep roots, experience, and commitment to the community—are somehow not qualified to lead at the highest levels.
The irony is striking. The City Commission approved the expenditure of millions of dollars on leadership initiatives such as Total Alignment and One City, promoting the idea that every employee can be a leader. Yet when the opportunity arises to elevate a seasoned local professional to the City Manager role, that philosophy seems to fall short.
Meanwhile, within the organization are individuals with decades of municipal experience—professionals who understand the community, its infrastructure, and its needs. Still, a group of relatively inexperienced elected officials appears confident in overriding that institutional knowledge.
At some point, the question must be asked: if decisive leadership cannot be found within City Hall, where will it come from?
Or perhaps, in a moment of irony, Brownsville should consider asking whether Starbase might be willing to annex a city still searching for direction.
Outside candidates will lose patience and move on.
Great! Ernie 2.0 - Lawyers prepare!
The decision doesn’t fall too short. It’s simple, they’re not good candidates and they are under qualified. Remove your feelings from this situation and be objective. We already had a police chief as a city manager, how did that go? Roughly 20 years of little to no economic development. The other guy is an engineer, has zero administrative credentials and quit on the city 2x already for not getting his way (a promotion). Along with that, a history of contracting his OWN engineering firm while being the city engineer who was aware of the available contracts. Ask yourself now, is this the guy you want as City Manager?
Hometown guy gave himself engineering contracts! New blood or a local rat? I’ll take the new blood, it’s common sense.
Require masters degree!
Make a list of all City Commissioners and identify their financial conflict of interests. No secrets in this small town. Real-estate, grants, land leases, job promotions, quid pro quo, etc. Let she who is without sin, cast the first stone. Taught at St. Joe, or skipped that chapter?
Post a Comment