(Ed.'s Note: It was bound to come down to this. The writer of this post sent us his observations on the ongoing war for control of the City of Brownsville Commission and local economic development. In it he claims that the powers-that-be in Brownsville are engaging in a subtle campaign to discredit Hispanic candidates and movers and shakers not under their control to perpetuate their grip of the city's purse strings and to funnel them off to their buddies. Is he right?)
By Eduardo Cuellar
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
Day after day we see how certain individuals in social media have continued a campaign to discredit some people who have followed the letter of the law and are involved in the electoral process, the height of civic engagement.
Whether they are themselves candidates, contributors, or merely voters who want their candidates to represent them, they have become targets of an insidious smear campaign questioning their motives and their right to participate in local government.
And I see where even local bloggers like you, at El Rrun-Rrun, have been accused of bigotry and discrimination against some local politicians and groups for questioning the continued presence of the Jefferson Davis monument in the same park where Padre Miguel Hidalgo and George Washington have memorials. Before the vandalism, even Cuban patriot Jose Marti had a monument.
Washington fought the British to establish our democracy. Hidalgo gave his grito de Dolores to start the Mexican revolution and establish a sovereign nation. Marti fought and died trying to liberate his countrymen from the Spanish crown.
And Davis? Davis was the president of a country who seceded from the United States that Washington fought to establish to save his regional "heritage" that included the enslavement of black people who were seen as property and whose forced labor was a cornerstone of the southern economy. Obviously, a philosophy like Davis' and that of the confederacy of southern states and their supporters does not belong among those dedicated to men with noble sentiments seeking to free, not enslave, their fellow human beings.
Be that as it may, there are people here - notably the anglo minority and their willing Hispanic candidates - who fear that their control will vanish if anyone else get involved in the local economy, the educational infrastructure, and in local politics.
I am not fan of Mike Hernandez's OP 10.33, nor do I know him, but given the performance of the ruling over class in Brownsville in economic development for the past 30 years, maybe it is time we try something new. It's his money and in our capitalist system, he is free to spend it as he sees fit. If he wants to invest in education and in workforce development, why not? Why is everyone so afraid of this guy?
But now he and others - including Ambiotec's Dr. Carlos Marin and Greater Brownsville Investment Corporation Executive Director Mario Lozoya - are being cast in the role of "outside agitators" by local critics as if they had no ties to the city or the area.
Whether you like Marin or not, it is indisputable that he comes from modest means in Matamoros, went on to Harvard, received his Ph.D. and established a hugely successful engineering company.
Lozoya, a decorated U.S. combat Marine, was tasked by Toyota USA Motor Company to develop the supply chain and workforce development strategy for San Antonio and along the way created thousands of high-paying jobs for poor Hispanic families while establishing Toyota's footprint in Texas.
Compare that to the decades that the economic development of our city under the control of the Brownsville Economic Development Corporation under Jason Hilts. Hilts - with the aiding and abetting by local officials and the socioeconomic elite of Brownsville - turned in a dismal performance that resulted in millions wasted and hodge-podge development.
And even when Lozoya prefaced his remarks before giving the city commission a status update saying some of the seeds were already planted before he got here and that he had simply boosted the efforts, criticism came fast and heavy that he was claiming credit for work done previously. Are we behind economic development only when we get our way and the city and people be damned if otherwise?
Hernandez, on the other hand, came from a Brownsville family of modest means and went on to build the most successful auto leasing group in the nation with annual revenues of $360 million and employs more than 400 families in Texas.Newspaper stories say he brought OP 10.33 here after he was embarrassed that his hometown was ranked the poorest community in the nation. Admittedly, OP 10.33's entry into local politics under Jose Angel Gutierrez, was an admitted debacle, but these guys don't usually make mistakes twice and learned from them.
It wasn't so much a lack of resources, because the city has more than any other in the Rio Grande Valley, and Hernandez put his money where his mouth was.
That's not bad for a hair lip, is it?
So why do we get the distinct impression that local anglo and their Hispanic servile politicians think that they are the only ones smart enough to lead economic development? The only two contributors - at $5,000 a pop - to Martinez's campaign reported were Nick Serafy and Amy and Jim Tipton. What stake do they have here that they want Martinez to keep carrying water for them?
These questions need to be addressed publicly.
Look at the names of those who oppose the GBIC, OP 10.33, and candidates who don't come from their favored socioeconomic level? Look at the names all over the BEDC audit. Look at the names that have controlled the Port of Brownsville. Look at the clowns who are dressed in sombreros for Charro Days.
Lozoya offered to create an advisory committee for the GBIC so that some of these people could sit on it only to be ridiculed for doing so. It seems that they don't want to have input. They want what they've always had, complete control of the cookie jar.
Former Brownsville Hispanics like Federico Pena have gone on to become mayors of large cities (Denver), state representatives like J.T. Canales, former Cameron County Judge and Texas Secretary of State, former county judge and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza, are but a few of the long list of capable Hispanic individuals. Why are people like this being left out of our social, educational political and economical development efforts?
Do we to return to the days of Jason Hilts and his anglo-heavy executive BEDC board when the few ran the palace for the good of the few at the expense of he many who are paying the bill?