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OPEN SPLIT ON COMMISSION IS EMBARRASSING TO OUR CITY

October 10, 2018, 12:10 pm
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By Juan Montoya

No one ever said democracy wasn't messy.

It is, but the type of democracy being demonstrated by the City of Brownsville Commission may just happen to be a bit messier than most other places.

We have had city fired attorneys, suddenly-retired city managers, a string of interim department heads including a city manager, city police and fire department honchos.

Image result for mayor tony martinez as the popeWe've also head a decidely uncivil engagement between several members of the city commission starting with acrid-tongued Mayor Tony Martinez who tries to run meetings like he is the city manager, city attorney, Pope-in-residence and dog catcher rolled up into one.

That happened when commissioner Cesar De Leon submitted three finalists' names for consideration of city attorney. Martinez complained that – unlike commissioner Joel Mungia and others – he had not found the time to interview the candidates. This was followed by a member of the selection committee who complained about the way De Leon had managed the selection process.

Then, when Neece took the mike, he read from a prepared statement blasting De Leon for his role (and alleged manipulation) of the selection process. That drew a response from De Leon and delayed the vote for another week. Just last week, the commission unanimously voted to hire municipal judge Rene De Coss – the majority's original choice – to the position.

It's a shame to those of us who knew them when they were friends, helping each other get elected and even sharing a law office. That, too, alas, is over.

Reminds one of the Faulkner take on the obscure soliloquy given by Macbeth in William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth that says it was "told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing..."

When Martinez isn't getting his way, he has a way of manipulating the discussion or openly shutting down discussions and moving on. On more than one occasion he has stopped commissioners Rick Longoria, Jessica Tetreau, and others from having their say, or in Tetreau's case, even asserting her vote.

Everyone knew that the candidate Tetreau wanted to vote for a place on the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (Esteban Guerra) wasn't Da Mayor's choice (it was the eventual appointee Nurith Galonsky), so he shut down the discussion pretending he didn't hear her vote. When she took an affidavit to the city secretary saying she wanted the minutes changed, Martinez refused and his new ally – commissioner Ben Neece – went as far as filing a complaint with the police to have her charged with tampering with a government document.

Galonsky was appointed with a unanimous vote and she promptly sued the board of the GBIC over their choice of a CEO. Her arguments were thrown out by the court and she filed a non-suit to top the bleeding. Two of the persons she sued were commissioners Cesar de Leon and Tetreau.

Not to be outdone, the commission passed a change to the membership rules of the various city boards limiting the number of boards on which an individual could serve. Instead of two, at their last meeting they limited participation to one.It states that: "board and commission members shall not serve concurrently on more than one (1) board or commission to become effective immediately."

The ordinance further states that "if members at the time of this section’s enactment are serving on more than one board or commission, they shall complete their current terms as provided by their appointments unless otherwise removed."

So now Nurith Galonsky must decide if she wants to stay on the GBIC or if she wants to serve on the Brownsville Public Utility Board. Same goes for every other member of a board in the city, including John Cowen, also on the GBIC.

There have been other occasions when Martinez's heavy-handedness has been all too evident. While he has always been fond of the phrase "our better angels," he is not loath to hurl well-chosen invective at others, sometimes only within earshot of the select victim.

One of the latest divisions occurred when a letter sent to Neece was also sent by someone who identified herself as a local educator was also sent to local bloggers. In it the writer questioned the adherence of Tetreau to the city's conflict of interest policy in matters pertaining to her family's car-wash business.

After it was published, the feisty Tetreau accused Neece of leaking the letter and explained that she had signed the conflict-of-interest form as an abundance of caution because she felt her family's business was defamed.

(We can tell you in all honesty that we really don't have a way of telling who sent us the letter, but it did not come from Neece, at least not from his email.)

As the saying goes in Spanish, todos tienen cola que les pisen. So Tetreau detectors can bring out her arrests for domestic violence charges, or Neece on his past domestic altercations.

https://www.valleymorningstar.com/content/tncms/live/https://www.valleymorningstar.com/content/tncms/live/
https://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/local_news/tetreau-kalifa-involved-in-disturbances/article_77fd2531-c263-5f18-b2fd-1915dbc0ab9b.html

But where does this diversion get us?

The friction between the two is characteristic of the dynamic on the city commission, and it hasn't been pretty. However, we can take heart that this will change by the commission members wanting to show a untied front on the unanimous votes for Galonsky to the GBIC and De Coss to the city attorney's office.

Will it last long? We can only hope.

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"ARE THOSE 2,400 CHICKEN PLATES FOR HERE OR TO GO?"

October 10, 2018, 2:35 pm
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Image result for man at a grill


Special to El Rrun-Rrun

If ever there was a fairy tale told the Brownsville Independent School District it – next to the one that says that the district will recoup the $1.4 million for the new Sams Stadium scoreboard in four years through advertising – it was that Position 4 incumbent Joe Rodriguez made $11,900 in one single barbecue.


We did the math and it comes to 2,400 plates at $5 a pop, give or take a leg quarter.

I have a bridge to sell, too, Coach, you fibber.

What is interesting is that that many plates would require monster amounts of chicken, condiments, Styrofoam plates, plastic cutlery, etc. You also need an army of cooks slaving away most of the preparing the plates.

And there's the rub. No one saw when this mass cook-off happened nor will they know because "Coach," in an oversight, forgot to write down the date and location of the event. If there had been that many people picking up plates, the cops would have to control the traffic, handle the crowds, etc. Curiously, no one saw this.

His expenditure report also shows his creative side. Not only does he not list the fixins" for the Great Feast, but he states that aside from the $2,308 he paid the Herald for ads, another $350 went to Lowe's, $408 to Antonio Cantu for contract labor, and the remaining $8,950 went to one Fred Villarreal for signs, push cards, and yard signs.

Facing Rodriguez, the incumbent are Randy Gonzales, Dr. Prisci Roca Tipton and Jorge Valdez.

We would have believed that he might have made money for the campaign other ways. He could have asked Paragon Constructors, the artificial turf guys, for in-kind contributions small squares of the material to sell as souvenirs. After all, they have raked in more than $7 million from the district with his full blessing and endorsement.

With all the parents and athletes, he could have made a mint.

Or, he could have posed for pictures – at $5 a pop – in front of the $1.4 million scoreboard during game days. Oops! We have to give him any more brilliant ideas.

In the next report he might say he made $20,000 from those ideas. Then he'd really gain momentum.
Image result for coach joe rodriguez, momentum, rrunrrun



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AFTER TODAY'S RAINSTORM, A HINT AT THE CALM TO COME

October 10, 2018, 5:59 pm
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THE AMERICAN FLAG IN MATAMOROS: THORNTON ACQUITTED

October 11, 2018, 9:35 am
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By Juan Montoya


On the 24th of April, 1846, U.S. Army General Zachary Taylor sent Capt. Seth Thornton and 63 dragoons ostensibly on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain the crossing above river of a sizeable (1,600)  Mexican force under the command of Gen. Anastacio Torrejon.

Taylor and the army had crossed the Arroyo Colorado weeks earlier and established a disembarking site for supplies at Brazos-Santiago. He had also ordered the construction of an earthen fort on a bend in the river facing Matamoros across the Rio Grande.

But, still, no confrontation that would allow the U.S. government to claim that Mexico had attacked its soldiers had materialized despite the obvious provocations of the occupation and the taking of Mexicans' land north of the river, until then a mere geographical feature and not a border. 
Black and white drawing of the battle at Rancho de Carricitos

According to Capt. William Hardee, an officer with Thornton detachment, Taylor's orders "as I understood them, were to ascertain if the enemy had crossed the river above our camp, and to reconnoiter his position and force."


Hardee said no mention was made in the official orders of confronting the enemy or engaging them in battle. However, Thorton seems to have been under other orders from Taylor.

Hardee notes in a letter he wrote to Taylor on April 26 as a prisoner of the Mexican forces in Matamoros two days after Thornton was ambushed, that on the 25th "all his inquiries along the way tended to the conviction that the enemy had crossed in strength."

"About 23 miles from our camp (Rancho Carrizitos) our guide became so satisfied of this fact that he refused to go further and no entreaties on the part of Capt. Thornton could shake his resolution."

That guide was a spy named Chepita, a servant of Col. Henry L. Kinney, a contraband runner and founder of Corpus Christi, who tagged along with his employer who had signed on with the army to procure supplies for Taylor and provide the general with intelligence from behind enemy lines.

Thornton AffairThe result of Thornton disregarding Chepita's information – and Hardee's reason to be perplexed with his commander's decision to confront the enemy in apparent contradiction to his orders – was the capture of 46 U.S. soldiers, the death of 11 dragoons, and the wounding of six others. The survivors, like Hardee, were taken to be incarcerated in Matamoros by Mexican troops.

Thornton’s men had tried to break off, attempting to outflank the Mexican lines and ride to safety – a  move nullified by the Mexican cavalry that closely shadowed them. As he looked to and fro, trying to find his way, Thornton’s horse was suddenly shot from beneath him, and the American officer found himself pinned under the beast and he was one of the captured after Hardee surrendered the survivors.

What many local history buffs were not aware of was that the army (that included Taylor), ordered Thornton court martialed, blaming him for the death of the U.S. soldiers and the capture by the enemy of the rest, including himself.

News of his acquittal reached Matamoros – then under U.S. occupation – after August 26, and the editors were joyous at the outcome.

"It will be gratifying to the Army, and especially to the large circle of this gallant officer's friends, to learn that intelligence has been received in this city, of his acquittal by the court martial of all charges upon which he was tried.

"Indeed we believe that the joy at his acquittal will be no grater than was at the surprise his trial...

"In a spirit of chivalrous obedience to his orders, he was ambuscaded by a superior force; with a soldier's promptness, he made an effort that would deserve success, for its intrepid coolness – its failure was the fate of war, and in the estimation of his comrades, detracts nothing from the brilliance of that attempt. Throughout the army, as far as we have heard, there are none that speak lightly of Capt. Thornton, or deny him the meed, which the soldier prizes highest."   

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TWO OF 58 BISD SCHOOLS AWARDED GOLD AND SILVER AWARDS; SAN BENE ISD CASH ELEMENTARY NABS BRONZE!

October 11, 2018, 1:20 pm
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AMERICAN BEST URBAN SCHOOLS
Congratulations to all of our 2018 America’s Best Urban Schools Award recipients and thank you for the wonderful work you are doing on behalf of excellence and equity in urban education! (Handed out in San Diego, Calif this week.)
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WE'RE WITH TAD HASSE FOR SBOE, AND THIS IS WHY

October 12, 2018, 9:25 am
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By Juan Montoya

In the past year, Brownsville resident Ruben Cortez, the son of JP 2-1 Linda Salazar, has emerged as the defender of Hispanic history, culture, and the paladin of the dominant culture's abuse of Mexican-Americans.

Image result for linda salazar and ruben cortezAs a member of the State Board of Education (SBOE, District2 ), he has been the willing point man on the board to lead the fight for Mexican-American ethnic studies in text books and in the cultural narrative of the state.

(He is facing City of Brownsville IT specialist Tad Hasse for the District 2 spot in the November general election.) 

But when he was a member of the Brownsville Independent School District board of trustees, Mexican-American rights were the farthest concept from his mind. Today, as part of his SuperMex image he advocates educating Hispanics instead, he says, of incarcerating them. That's really commendable, and not a bad idea. But acts, the saying goes, speak stronger then words.

You see, when Cortez was on the BISD board, he was also partners with Brownsville attorney Rick Zayas in servicing the Cameron County Jails commissary contract. The contract at that time was awarded by the Sheriff (Omar Lucio, the current office holder), to a vendor of his choice. Most of the time Lucio, as other sheriffs before him,used it as a plum to reward their political supporters. Since Cortez was the son of JP 2-1 Salazar, and the sheriff's chief deputy was Cortez's cousin, the contract award was seen as a way to keep the profits in the family.

With the burgeoning inmate population (about 93 percent Hispanics) at about 1,500, the take from selling them consumer goods like clothing, snacks, toiletries, etc., approached $1 million annually.

Of that, the sheriff kept close to 30 percent, giving the partners nearly $800,000 or more as the commissary contract holders. Lucio was questioned by inmate-rights advocates whether it made any fiscal or political sense that a full three-quarters or more of the cash generated should end up in the pockets of the private vendor Snakery (Cortez and Zayas).

Following years of media reports indicating that prices for basic items used by inmates were being jacked up to boost vendor profits and gouging the inmates with the general fund county coffers receiving nothing in return, these groups were urging the commissioners court and Sheriff Lucio to reconsider the arrangement.

The original term of the contract with Snakery was from January 2005 through January 2007. It was amended December 2006 to expire January 2009. The auditor's office found no contract in effect after January 2009 to January 2010. On November 2009, new requests for proposals were opened and awarded to Snakery which will run through December 2012.


"Annual commissary sales for the fiscal year 2009 were $925,512, including sales taxes collected," the audit report prepared by the Cameron County Auditor states. "Payments to the commissary vendor was $765,732, consisting of reimbursed sales tax collections of $43,665; reimbursed costs of goods sold of $348,767; and $373,300 or 70 percent of net sales. The available balance, plus interest earned, was available to expend on behalf of inmates."

In short, Snakery kept $781,542 as its share of the $925,512. The sheriff's department's share was $159,780, with this money going to fund operations and inmate services. Only a small amount, perhaps $52,000, went directly to inmate services.

Inmate relatives charged that the operation under Cortez and Zayas amounted to a "sweetheart" contract that gave the bulk of the profits to the vendor while putting nothing into the general fund. The said that if the contract was more evenhanded, commissioners would not have to make at least a $500,000 outlay to the department.
"Prisoners aren't the only ones getting gouged," they said. "Taxpayers are, too."
When Cortez and Zayas were running the commissary:

1. A pair of plain white (the only color sold or allowed) boxer shorts will cost $4.50. A set of three shorts at Wal-Mart will cost about the same, or less. And at wholesale, those same shorts probably cost less than $1.

2. A thermal top, a critical item inside where temperatures are kept very cold, was listed at $8.30, more than twice or three times the cost at a store on the outside. 

3. A woman's plain sport bra (no metal parts) will cost a female inmate $9.00. Panties were $2.70 each and a travel pack of Femtex Tampons cost $3.00
4. And a serving of Ramen or Maruchan noodles you can buy at HEB or Wal-Mart for 15 cents go for 65 cents apiece. 

5. A small bar of Baby Ruth or Snickers candy cost $1. 

6. A bag of off-brand tortilla chips that would cost less than $2 sold for $3.25.

Under pressure from advocacy groups and inmate families, Lucio eventually bid the commissary contract. Cortez and Zayas were out and a national company was awarded the contract. Since then, others have bid for the contract.

But today, as we see Cortez vie for the role of SuperMex defending the rights of Mexican Americans in the state, we can't help but remember when there couldn't be enough Mexican-American prisoners in the Cameron County jails (a captive audience) for him to gouge them in the commissary. 

At that time, the rights of locked up Hispanics, or any other kind, was the farthest thing from his mind.  
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READY FOR THE RED SOX? ASTROS FRO BACK-TO-BACK!

October 12, 2018, 9:33 am
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By Juan Montoya
It seems like a lifetime ago, and maybe it was, when I used to listen to the Spanish radio broadcasts of the Colt 45s from Houston.

In those days there were players like Bob Aspromonte at third, Bob Lillis at short, Ernie Fazzio at second, the Cuban slugger Roman Mejia at center field and Al Spangler at left. Rusty Staub wasn't with them then, but he, too, was one of the original Colts.

I used to listen to them as  my mom ironed the family's clothes and we became ardent fans of the Colts, the team which would later become the lowly Houston Astros in the National League. It got to the point where I thought that if I didn't listen to the game and they lost I'd blame myself for it.

It gets better. I used to have my mom buy votive candles that we would light as we listed to the game.

These thoughts were running to my mind as I see that the Astros, now the big dogs in the American League are about to face Boston on their way to face the (Los Angeles Dodgers, maybe?) for a possible back-to-back World Series. My dad, who is also a baseball fan, said that it didn't matter to him who won the series in the end last year because all the games turned out to be thrillers, some of the best baseball he'd ever seen.


Now names like Jose Altuve, George Springer and Carlos Correa have replaced the old Colts 454s in the fans' minds.

Houston needed a lift. And who would have thunk that it would be the Astros who would give the a post-Harvey battered community the uplift is so badly needed? Go for two 'Stros!


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SALSA MADNESS CONTINUES TONIGHT AT MARKET SQUARE

October 13, 2018, 10:23 am
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DANCING IN THE STREET AS COLD FRONT APPROACHES

October 14, 2018, 6:34 am
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AS ASTROS BATTLE RED SOX FOR REPEAT, A LOOK BACK

October 15, 2018, 10:13 am
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(Ed.'s Note: We ran into sports historian Rene Torres who never fails to bring up unique aspects of baseball lore. This time, as we talked about the ongoing baseball series between the Astros and the Red Sox, he brought up Hector Torres, the first Mexican baseball players signed up by Houston. Below are a few photos and tidbits from out conversation.)


Photo of the final game of 1958 LLWS. Monterrey defeated Kankakee, Illinois before a jammed ball park.

 Hector "La Malita" Torres.. was the first Mexican player signed by the Astros in 1968. He played nine years in the majors with a variety of teams. 

The Astros traded him to the Chicago Cubs in 1970. 

Torres was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. At the age of 12 (in 1958), Hector pitched a one-hitter to lead the Monterrey little leaguers to win their second world title. 

 Angel Macias, pitched a perfect game the previous year to give the Monterrey boys their first world title.

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CITY RED-TAGS CORTEZ'S BROS HUGE TRAILER CAMPAIGN SIGN

October 15, 2018, 1:07 pm
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(Ed.'s Note: Less than a month after City of Brownsville code enforcement inspectors made Cameron County Judge candidate Carlos Cascos take down a banner sign for violating the city's size regulations, they have red tagged a sign belonging to State Board Of Education District 2 incumbent Ruben Cortez and his brother Mark Antony, a candidate for the board of the Brownsville Independent School District.

Both Ruben and Mark Anthony Cortez are sons of JP 2-1 Linda Salazar, who at one time was a member of the BISD board.

The large trailer-perched sign was parked off Paredes Line Road. Just this morning the inspectors placed the red tag. We have learned that the trailer did no belong to the Cortez brothers, but that it was loaned to them by Brownsville Navigation District commissioner Tito Lopez, who owns a transport company.

Candidates are well aware that the city has sign-size restrictions, and offenders are regularly cited for not following the rules.

In fact, the city's sign ordinance is quite specific.

The ordinance chapter states that the signs must not be illuminated. They must be “no larger than 36 square feet” and “shorter than eight feet in length.”

Signs must also “be placed at the consent of the owner on private property. Private property also means that if you have an easement up front for utilities, etc., you can’t place signs on that easement.

Signs also cannot be displayed in the public’s-right-of-way. Placement of signs in these areas along with signs containing moving elements will result in the sign being removed.The Cortez sign, as was Cascos' before him, were obviously a little larger than the 36-square foot limit.
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SHOWDOWN AT B-TOWN CORRAL; BOARDS MUSICAL CHAIRS

October 16, 2018, 9:19 am
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By Juan Montoya
Tonight's meeting of the city of Brownsville Commission will signal the new majority taking over the direction of the city.

The new force of four commissioners have effectively wrested the control of the city's direction from iron-fisted Mayor Tony Martinez, Rose Gowen, and new ally Ben Neece.

Now the majority consisting of Jessica Tetreau, Rick Longoria, Cesar De Leon and Joel Mungia have shown that they can hold the line. And it all seems to go back to the appointment of Nurith Galonsky to the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC) after Tetreau's vote was ignored by Martinez and Galonsky was voted in to the GBIC which handles about $5 million in sales-tax revenues to bring new industry to the city.

At the time, it appeared that Esteban Guerra – since elected to the Brownsville Navigation District commission – was going to go on the GBIC.

But tonight, there are two visible signs of the new majority flexing its muscle. The first if the appointment of new city manager Noel Bernal. The other is the confirmation of new city attorney Rene De Coss.

In both these instances, it was made clear that these were not the choices of the Martinez minority on the commission. In fact, some commission members charged that these appointments were purposely being delayed until the next round of elections in May when a new commission might have been elected and Martinez could employ his guile on the new members.

But there's another wrinkle to the power struggle on the city commission.

The new ordinance that restricts individuals to serve on only one board will also be implemented in three agenda items. One calls for the removal of Galonsky from the GBIC since she is already on the Brownsville Public Utility Board.

Another calls for the removal of Trey Mendez from the Main Street Advisory Board since he already on the Historic Preservation and Design Review Board.

The other is the removal of Dillon Vanderford, from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee since he already serves on the Board of Adjustment.

There is little that the Martinez minority can do if the majority already has the votes since the ordinance was passed in prior meetings. And just as the former minority members used to do when Martinez ham-fistedly ran the roost, all he can do is grin and bear it.

Stories abound about Martinez verbally browbeating individual commissioners to the point of calling Tetreau a "dumb bitch" and not allowing Longoria to speak or De Leon to make a point of order from his bully pulpit. All they could do when Martinez ham-fistedly ran the roost, was to grin and bear it and bide their time. That time appears to be now.

Will he?
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"COACH JOE": BISD HAS BEEN VERY, VERY, GOOD TO ME; BUT HAS RODRIGUEZ BEEN GOOD TO THE DISTRICT, OR HIMSELF?

October 16, 2018, 10:24 am
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Image result for joe rodriguez, coach, rrunrrun
By Juan Montoya
Brownsville Independent School District trustee has been a very busy man tending to his business.

For years he has been registered as a vendor for BSN Sports with the BISD  and raking in the Big Bucks.

But what many people didn't know was that at the same time that Rodriguez was reportedly browbeating BISD coaches and administrators to choose his brand over the other sport-equipment vendors, he and a cadre of vendors were also soliciting business from other Valley school districts telling them that they had "exclusive" contracts with the BISD and others and inviting them to do business.

In emails dated June 2016 obtained by El Rrun-Rrun, various staffers from different school district purchasing departments inquired of the BISD department whether it was true that BSN Sports – a company under the Varsity Brands umbrella that included Herff Jones ring maker and Varsity Spirit – had been granted a lock on their sports and graduation business.


During their appeal to the districts, they told them that the other districts were already signed up and had "exclusive" contracts to provide these services under on brand, Varsity Brands.

The targeted districts, in turn, asked the BISD whether bid proposals were done, what type of contract was involved, and whether board approval was obtained.

In subsequent E-mails, BISD purchasing staffers referred the inquiries to the districts's procurement process that requires bids proposals or membership in the TASBE BuyBoard. However, there is no "exclusivity" granted any vendor, they were told.

And they mentioned a previous problem when the BISD granted Coca Cola "exclusive" rights to the district's staff and student body that would prevent such an arrangement. In one of the E-mails, a purchasing staffer at PSJA said the cadre of Varsity Brands vendors said they would "provide various incentives to the districts."

Nonetheless, even if Rodriguez and the Varsity Brands group may not have succeeded in getting their foot in the "exclusivity" door at other districts during his tenure on the board, he has been very successful in selling BSN and Herrf Jones products under the Varsity Brands to the BISD. The graphic below indicates just how successful he has been.Image result for joe rodriguez, coach, rrunrrun


In fact, during a recent controversy involving the ordering of 30 $895 championship rings for the Porter soccer team, Rodriguez was outspoken in defending the purchase, even though as a vendor of BSN, a sister company under Varsity Brands, it constituted a clear conflict of interest and he should have abstained from both the discussion and the vote.

He ignored that and he did.

Image result for joe rodriguez, coach, rrunrrunRodriguez is now seeking reelection to the Position 4 spot on the board against challengers Randy Gonzlaez, Dr. Prisci Roca Tipton and Jorge Valdez.

Will the voters of the district allow him to continue going to the well and to "keep the momentum going" as a vendor posing as a defender of children's education and the well-being of the district?
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FALLEN ANGELS SELLING BY IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

October 17, 2018, 9:21 am
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By Juan Montoya

Each day they're seen
The Fallen Angels
Looking furtively
Over their folded wing

Trying to tempt,
seduce, or get a rise
From passersby
Or some lonely guy
In a passing car

Or woman for that matter
Not that it does, of course,
A buck's a buck
A rock's a rock

You've lost  some feathers
Along the way
Some here, some there
Some left on back seats
Or alleyways

You huddle in doorways
And winter comes
Cruel and blustery
On frigid waves

Your naked wings
Warm you no more

Fallen Angel
Hiding
In the cold shadows

Of the cathedral

Looking up at the spires
And the sky
From which
In your too-brief youth
You fell
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NEW BROWNTOWN COMMISSION MAJORITY ON NEW DIRECTION

October 17, 2018, 10:04 am
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By Juan Montoya
Tuesday's meeting of the City of Brownsville Commission signaled a new majority taking over the direction of the city.

The new force of four commissioners consisting of Jessica Tetreau, Rick Longoria, Cesar De Leon and Joel Mungia has effectively wrested the control of the city's direction from iron-fisted Mayor Tony Martinez, Rose Gowen, and new ally Ben Neece.

Yesterday, the majority – along with Gowen – overrode the objections (and votes) of the minority to remove three members off three city boards.

Tetreau, Longoria, De Leon and Mungia have shown that they can hold the line.

And it all seems to hark back to the appointment of Nurith Galonsky to the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC) after Tetreau's vote was ignored by Martinez and Galonsky was voted in to the GBIC which handles about $5 million in sales-tax revenues to bring new industry to the city.

At the time, it appeared that Esteban Guerra – since elected to the Brownsville Navigation District commission – was going to go on the GBIC.

But Martinez ignored Tetreau and nullified her vote saying he had not heard her. When she tried to get the city secretary to change the minutes, Neece filed a complaint with the city police for tampering with a government document.

The first inkling that the momentum was shifting away from Martinez's control was the approval of the contract for the new city manager Noel Bernal. The other was the confirmation of new city attorney Rene De Coss.

In both these instances, it was made clear that these were not the choices of the Martinez minority on the commission. In fact, some commission members charged that these appointments were purposely being delayed until the next round of elections in May when a new commission might have been elected and Martinez could employ his guile on the new members.

This was cemented by the majority's approval of the new ordinance that restricts individuals to serve on only one board.

Last night, the majority voted to removal Galonsky from the GBIC since she is already on the Brownsville Public Utility Board. PUB removals are guided by the city charter and not by city ordinance so she stays on there.

Another called for the removal of Trey Mendez from the Main Street Advisory Board since he already on the Historic Preservation and Design Review Board. However, Mendez – a downtown businessman – said he would prefer to serve on the  Main Street Advisory Board and leave the Historic Preservation and Design Review Board and the commission went along with his choice.

The other was the removal of Dillon Vanderford, from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee since he already serves on the Board of Adjustment.

There is little that the Martinez minority could do since the new majority had the votes just as Martinez did when he ran the commission with an iron fist.

Watershed? Sea change?

Any way you look at it, a los del mayor se les hizo de aguas. 
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CAMILLE PLAYHOUSE FEATURES DRACULA THIS HALLOWEEN

October 20, 2018, 8:46 am
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"I want your fear. For your fear, like a current, rushes through your body. Your fear makes your heart pound, it renders your veins rich and full. Your fear hemorrhages deliciously within you."

This new adaptation restores the suspense and seduction of Bram Stoker's classic novel to the stage. As Count Dracula begins to exert his will upon the residents of London, they try to piece together the clues of his appearances—in a valiant attempt to save themselves from a hideous fate. Rich with both humor and horror, this play paints a wickedly theatrical picture of Stoker's famous vampire."

And so the promo goes for the Camille Playhouse's Halloween presentation of Bram Stroker's Dracula. The show runs from October 26 through November 4, appropriately covering both Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.

And if The Count in the promo above looks familiar, he should. It is Daniel Pizaña. Yiou remember Danny. He was a candidate for the Texas Southmost College board. He is also a local attorney specializing in immigration law.

This is his debut performance as an actor, and we encourage you to support him in his maiden stage performance. Break a leg, Dan! 



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ONCE UPON A TIME IN A FEDERAL COMPLAINT DEPOSITION

October 20, 2018, 9:13 am
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By Juan Montoya

Curiously enough, the last time I was deposed in a civil complaint it also had to do with reporting on an issue having to do with the progeny of an elected official.

That time it was the son of Brownsville Independent School District trustee Joe Colunga who charged that I had violated his son's privacy by stating he suffered from a disability. The gist of the story was that many parents of other disabled kids complained that – because he was the son of an elected officials – he received favorable treatment their kids did not.

Then case lingered for months, maybe even a year or more, before Joe thought better of it and non-suited me. His attorney was none other than former City of Brownsville Attorney Mark Sossi. The case lost legs when my attorneys produced a DVD from Colunga's swearing in where he and his wife – with their obviously disabled son sitting in his wheel chair between them – are shown on BISD TV, effectively displaying him and his disability.

If he had voluntarily exhibited his son's disability to thousands of cable viewers. the argument went, how could he blame the writer for doing something similar to a far smaller audience?

This time, Billy, the process sever, called me to say I had been subpoenaed to be deposed in the case of Elia Cornejo-Lopez vs, BISD. This time it was over a post which dealt with the 13 or so grievances she had filed on behalf of her progeny, a son and daughter, both BISD students.

Apparently, a former trustee had asked for a summary status of the grievances and then had them sent to all the other trustees, the district's attorneys, and other appropriate administrative personnel. Copies of the summary went out to maybe a dozen individuals and some other people in the BISD bureaucracy.

The BISD is notorious for leaking info like a worm-eaten ship, and a manila envelope containing the summary without a return address appeared in my mailbox a week or so after the board members and BISD personnel had received copies. I asked some former BISD trustees and administrators to confirm that the summary was legit, and I paraphrased it without naming the student and posted it.

What Elia and her lawyers wanted was for me to tell them who it was that had made the info available to me. I could honestly – under oath – tell them that I really didn't know. People in the news business get these type of leaked info all the time. I did tell them that sources in the city, county and 
BISD do this all the time. Whether the motive is to advance an agenda, discredit some administrator, or advocate for some cause, it happens routinely.

Then there's always the reporter's privilege in not revealing his sources, which in this case really didn't apply because there was no way of me knowing who had dropped that off in the mail. Before me, former trustee Caty Presas-Garcia and her husband – a retired BISD coach who ran the golf program in the district – had been deposed before a court reporter and videotaped by Leo, Elia's hubby, that morning.

Even if the administrators at these entities implement policies to protect confidentiality, prevent retaliation, etc., information will find its way to the media from people within the bureaucracies. If it deals with an elected official, if the info shows how a system is working or not working, or if it requires some accountability to the constituents, it's fair game and something the public has a right to know.

These sort of cases, unfortunately, sometimes take years to wend their way through the courts. Elia moved this case to federal court, which will probably lengthen the process. We wish her and the district – and the students – luck.

Better them than us.
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A BLAST FROM THE PAST: CATY PRESAS-GARCIA IS BACK

October 20, 2018, 9:34 am
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(Ed.'s Note: Whether you like her nor not, former we think we all can agree that there is never a dull moment when former Brownsville Independent School District trustee Caty Presas-Garcia is in the mix. We first met Ms. Presas-Garcia back when she ran against City of Brownsville District 1 commissioner Rick Longoria. 

Former Cameron County Commissioner Lucino Rosenbaum – a fellow Southmost resident – introduced her to us and we wrote about her candidacy. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you like Rick) she lost. But she succeeded when she ran for the BISD. Now she's running again. But we warn you, if you ask her about the issues, be ready to hear a half-hour long earful. We happened to be eating lunch at the Palm Lounge when she showed up to have a cheeseburger and we snapped a shot of her campaign T-shirt with the "She's Back" (from Poltergeist) slogan on the back. Yes, she is back, indeed.)
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TO OUR NEW RRUN-RRUN FRIENDS, IN-LAWS AND OUTLAWS

October 20, 2018, 9:59 am
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(Verbo Intr.) RONRONEAR: producir una especie de ronquido, en demostración de contento. Murmurar. Real Academia Española

(Ed.'s Note: We have been asked by our Spanish-challenged monolingual friends where the name of our blog came from. Is El Rrun-Rrun a kind of slang or colloquial word made up in the innards of the local fire department station where the guys have nothing else to do but gab and gossip about everyone else?

Or is it a made-up word specific to South Texas, El Vallusco, or just Browntown?

No. It's really a take off on the intransitive Spanish verb ronronear, to make a sound like the purring of a cat, a motor idling, or the murmur of people talking. It's something akin to the pulse of the social body. What are people talking about? Que dice el rrun-rrun?

We were talking to some folks over at the City of Brownsville Finance Dept. yesterday and the subject came up. Do you pronounce it rrun-rrun, as in the verb different from walking, skipping, or hip-hopping down the street? Or is it (as we take it) pronounced rrun-rrun as in sand "dune" or (like our logo), a "cartoon?"

We admit it. Instead of two "rrs" the word should have only one, but that is our compromise to the local readers, many of who probably don't know the formal rules of the incredibly complex Spanish language. But we'd rather be understood than act smug and lord it over others for being grammatically correct, anyway.

We first heard the term years ago when we ran into our friend, the retired firefighter Pete Avila, who was one of the major purveyors of gossip and hearsay emanating from the Central Fire Station. Pete would sidle up to us (Jerry McHale, Rey Guevara, me and other Herald ink rats) and ask: "A que no saben que dice el rrun-rrun?,"meaning, "Do you know the latest scuttlebutt?"

In other words, it is a widely used term in our community and is immediately understood if one has any connection to the local lingo. If not, well, there's always room for improvement...)
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BY POPULAR DEMAND: A RETELLING OF AN OLD STORY

October 20, 2018, 10:24 am
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"We didn't mind his drinking and checking out the ladies," said a Galeria 409 patron. "But we drew the line at him singing Hank Williams. We had to escort him out the door."

By Juan Montoya
(We were reminded of this post by an old friend and he asked we repost it just for fun. Here goes.)

First things first.
Last night, I attended the "Noche de Peña" shindig at Galeria 409.

While I was there, I ran into a lot of friends, including Laura and Adrian Foncerrada of La Mision (El Hueso Del Fraile now), and other literary personages. We joshed it up remembering old friends and times.

Did you know that La Mision was the name of a cafe/restaurant the Foncerradas opened in Southmost when they first got here? Adrian's Dad was also present and we spoke for a bit.

I was loud and jocular after three (or four?) glasses of vino tinto, a delightful concoction (two grapes, gently bruised) which the gracious (and vivacious) hostess filled to the brim. I had learned of the event through a friend (which shall remain unnamed for his safety), and after having watched the Cincinnati Bengals stage an unbelievable comeback against the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Palm Lounge (the old one with the Native American cartoon and the cockroach colony), ambled over to the Sportsman Lounge to take in the soccer game between America and Atlante.

Can you believe that beers at the above-mentioned establishments (now only at the Sportsman) still cost only $1.50? When you're short on coin, or haven't a farthing (as former city spokesman Bill Young liked to tell people who wanted to borrow cash), you can't beat the deal with a stick.

After the America 1-0 win over the hapless Atlanteans, I was headed for another part of town when I called my friend to inquire of his whereabouts. He was with family and suggested I check out the wine and the music at said Galeria. Being only two blocks removed from there, I walked over and entered the restored building.

The owners had done a marvelous job on the old building. The original brick remains and the wooden floors and high ceilings convey a look of antiquity that serve the gallery/performance salon well.
The performances hadn’t started, which gave me an opportunity to mix and rub elbows with other visitors and assorted dignitaries.

The owner (manager?) was friendly and Adrian introduced me to him. It's all a haze, but if I remember correctly, he had a pet dog with some type of issues, although it was hard to tell exactly what. Maybe it was just old age. Nonetheless, it was passive and non-aggressive. I, for one, am not overly friendly with strange dogs, or for that matter, horses. We keep a respectable distance from each other.

The salon was full as a group called “Long Time Coming” launched into what can only be described as sanitized country or folk, with Grateful Dead tunes and guitar duets.

I am partial to hillbilly and bluegrass and the tunes were infectious so that (after four glasses – OK maybe it was five – of vino tinto) I was chumming it up with the hostess and singing Hank Williams songs by the entrance (and the wine).

“Why don't you love me like you used to do? What makes you treat me like a worn out shoe? My hair's still curly and my eyes are still blue. Why don't you love me like you used to do? Ain’t had no loving like a kissin’ and a huggin’ in a long, long while. You don’t get near’r of fur’r than a country mile…”

Well, you get the drift.

We were having a great old time until I moved my glass over to the lady who was about to pour me another (would that have made six?) and the owner (manager?) sauntered over and put an end to my bacchanal.

The modern day Circe behind the table withdrew the cup, but alas, it was too late. The wine had had its effect and even Ulysses couldn’t prevent the conversion. I had become a pig.

Anyway, I do believe an apology is in order to the owner (manager), and to the Foncerradas. It really is a nice joint they have there. Next time they have an event, don’t miss it. But stay away from the vino tinto.

Oink.
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