"The battle lines have been drawn. The time is now to replace the ineffective leadership of the Brownsville Historical Association. We have lost too much over the past five years. Why should Brownsville be shackled to inept, stifling museum executive management? We need to start the search for a leader with professionalism, a visionary, for what we deserve as Texas' most historic city. Please contact the board of directors immediately to demand change!" Gene Fernandez
"Allow me to start by saying that my statement to your illustrious body should not be taken as an aggressive, spiteful measure; rather, it is a long-held conversation that needed to come forth.
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"I don't ask forgiveness for what I am about to say. I have held silent for far too long. I have stood holding my tongue over the observance of far too many transgressions; there have been far too many moments where every rule in the book was broken out of lack of professional bearing on the part of an administrator who had been placed in a position of trust.
"We are going to center on standards, principle and content in this 'moment of revelation.' There is no room allowed for personal, self-serving opinions - only facts that stand to illustrate the better or worse of
"I don't ask forgiveness for what I am about to say. I have held silent for far too long. I have stood holding my tongue over the observance of far too many transgressions; there have been far too many moments where every rule in the book was broken out of lack of professional bearing on the part of an administrator who had been placed in a position of trust.
"We are going to center on standards, principle and content in this 'moment of revelation.' There is no room allowed for personal, self-serving opinions - only facts that stand to illustrate the better or worse of
a.) What we have, and
b.) Where we want to go in our institution - The Brownsville Historical Association.
"A third fact, or reality, that we are going to discuss here aligns itself with
"A third fact, or reality, that we are going to discuss here aligns itself with
c.) 'Where did we Come From?'
Some of us either knew or might have heard of the wonderfully civic-minded, giving souls who were part of this institution's past and of it's very making: Eddie Valent, Harbert Davenport, Clarence LaRoche, Ralph Schmeling, Ruby Wooldridge, Mika Bramble, Rita, and George Krausse.
"If you haven't known of their service, either ask or Google their names. They are gone, but their efforts lent strong measure in what we have today as a center for heritage stewardship.
"Contrast this cherished vanguard with what we have at present. Perhaps a person's age may not be a factor, but a reasonable combination of their active ages while serving BHA would easily top five hundred years; whereas, an equal comparison of seven of our current staff would have difficulty exceeding half of that span.
"They were there because there was a conscious effort to have them there and value their contribution. They (many of them) had either lived the fascinating early years of the twentieth century, were related and mingled with the shapers of our early society, or took a keen interest in the science of our local heritage.
"None of them were recent transplants from distant cultures, nor did they rely on cyber-journalism to push their pens or wag their tongues.
"It is obvious that the earlier banner-carriers and cross-bearers of the BHA not only brought character and substance to that institution, but they also created and passed a mission's torch onward to project a sustainable path for the future of this guardianship.
"They were visionaries - far contrasted with what we have as our leadership fiber at present. By comparison, and to state it bluntly, our present staff and its executive director would have difficulty in motivating the building of a doghouse, much less the erection of a Historic Brownsville Museum, a Simon Celaya train housing, or even a Heritage Resources Center.
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"What is lacking from this leadership is the ability to think outside of the box - an inspired element that all C.E.O.'s and executive directors are sought to possess as standard operating equipment upon their hiring. Anybody could likely manage a Dollar Store or a Church's Fried Chicken (practically anyone), and surrender a reasonable acumen towards the maintenance of a set of books and pay the water bill on time.
"That's not what an ethereal institution such as a museum needs to give it respect and even glory. For anyone who has ever held a position of executive management, they are fully cognizant that it is not a bean-counting post, and much less, a social platform.
"If you haven't known of their service, either ask or Google their names. They are gone, but their efforts lent strong measure in what we have today as a center for heritage stewardship.
"Contrast this cherished vanguard with what we have at present. Perhaps a person's age may not be a factor, but a reasonable combination of their active ages while serving BHA would easily top five hundred years; whereas, an equal comparison of seven of our current staff would have difficulty exceeding half of that span.
"They were there because there was a conscious effort to have them there and value their contribution. They (many of them) had either lived the fascinating early years of the twentieth century, were related and mingled with the shapers of our early society, or took a keen interest in the science of our local heritage.
"None of them were recent transplants from distant cultures, nor did they rely on cyber-journalism to push their pens or wag their tongues.
"It is obvious that the earlier banner-carriers and cross-bearers of the BHA not only brought character and substance to that institution, but they also created and passed a mission's torch onward to project a sustainable path for the future of this guardianship.
"They were visionaries - far contrasted with what we have as our leadership fiber at present. By comparison, and to state it bluntly, our present staff and its executive director would have difficulty in motivating the building of a doghouse, much less the erection of a Historic Brownsville Museum, a Simon Celaya train housing, or even a Heritage Resources Center.
"What is lacking from this leadership is the ability to think outside of the box - an inspired element that all C.E.O.'s and executive directors are sought to possess as standard operating equipment upon their hiring. Anybody could likely manage a Dollar Store or a Church's Fried Chicken (practically anyone), and surrender a reasonable acumen towards the maintenance of a set of books and pay the water bill on time.
"That's not what an ethereal institution such as a museum needs to give it respect and even glory. For anyone who has ever held a position of executive management, they are fully cognizant that it is not a bean-counting post, and much less, a social platform.
One must have a depth of professional training in employees,. management procedures, financial management, business law, civil rights issues, logistical planning, and in the case of a museum entity, a basic foundation in the arts and (specifically) in history. The first four of these essential abilities constitute what will keep an institution out of the courthouse if that matters.
"I can fully see and I have seen how given boards might retain a detached involvement with the affairs of management and governance of their assigned corporation. It is hard enough to find board members who will show up, maintain vigilance over the objective management of an enterprise and make the hard decisions while at the same time remaining impartial in their judgment of their executor. However, past BHA and HBM boards have divorced their social alliances to arrive at what is best for the institution.
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"I ask you, members of the BHA Board, examine what has become status quo in your museum system. Observe what has become missing from the total package that Brownsville deserves to claim as its pride of heritage stewardship.
"What legacy features have been charted up on Miss Tara Putegnat's watch? I can personally state that I (and those who know me do not find this difficult to believe) approached her numerous times with prospective projects that surely bordered on the grandiose, only to hear EVERY time, 'People are tired of being asked for money...', or, 'That's too much of a bother...', or 'Where are we going to put it...', or 'DO NOT GET ANYMORE ACQUISITIONS!'
"I ask you to detach yourselves from the friendships. I ask you to focus on what the greatest city in Texas, from a historical standpoint, deserves upon your guidance and administration. We need nothing less than a visionary, a professional, a compassionate and dedicated executive administrator, not one who leaves at 3:59 pm and arrives at 10:01 am and can't be reached by phone (other than by voicemail) after hours.
"This is a 24/7 position and we have someone who has yet to wake up to the responsibilities other than finely tuning beer bashes, rather than organizing historical lecture series, or workshops on historical subjects, or the organizing of adoptive programs to generate fieldwork on historical sites.
"You see, it's all about history, or it should be, and we have the most further focus from that element. We have a sergeant where a general should be.
"PLEASE, for the sake of our accumulated, glorious heritage and that of what we will preserve for our future, do the internal inspection. Make the hard decisions that reflect a dedication to your trusted position of overseer of our heritage legacy."
"I can fully see and I have seen how given boards might retain a detached involvement with the affairs of management and governance of their assigned corporation. It is hard enough to find board members who will show up, maintain vigilance over the objective management of an enterprise and make the hard decisions while at the same time remaining impartial in their judgment of their executor. However, past BHA and HBM boards have divorced their social alliances to arrive at what is best for the institution.
"What legacy features have been charted up on Miss Tara Putegnat's watch? I can personally state that I (and those who know me do not find this difficult to believe) approached her numerous times with prospective projects that surely bordered on the grandiose, only to hear EVERY time, 'People are tired of being asked for money...', or, 'That's too much of a bother...', or 'Where are we going to put it...', or 'DO NOT GET ANYMORE ACQUISITIONS!'
"I ask you to detach yourselves from the friendships. I ask you to focus on what the greatest city in Texas, from a historical standpoint, deserves upon your guidance and administration. We need nothing less than a visionary, a professional, a compassionate and dedicated executive administrator, not one who leaves at 3:59 pm and arrives at 10:01 am and can't be reached by phone (other than by voicemail) after hours.
"This is a 24/7 position and we have someone who has yet to wake up to the responsibilities other than finely tuning beer bashes, rather than organizing historical lecture series, or workshops on historical subjects, or the organizing of adoptive programs to generate fieldwork on historical sites.
"You see, it's all about history, or it should be, and we have the most further focus from that element. We have a sergeant where a general should be.
"PLEASE, for the sake of our accumulated, glorious heritage and that of what we will preserve for our future, do the internal inspection. Make the hard decisions that reflect a dedication to your trusted position of overseer of our heritage legacy."