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?