(Ed.'s Note: The recent naming of the Brownsville Performing Arts Building by a unanimous City of Brownsville Commission sans Jessica Tetreau would never have happened if former mayor Tony Martinez and not Trey Mendez had been reelected.
So says a close associate of Ramirez, who said the late businessman and driving force behind the academy building resented the fact that Martinez pushed him out of the center's board and tried to instill his sympathizers on the board of directors.
"George was hurt at what Martinez did," he said. "He sat down with me one time and told me that Martinez wanted to take over and take credit for the center. Thank God he didn't win for mayor,"
Ramirez had pushed for the Performing Arts Building for years, starting with his participation in the Imagine Brownsville movement which drew up a list of projects to enhance the city's development. Almost single-handedly, Ramirez midwifed the inclusion of the academy until it was finally funded to a total cost of a little over $5 million.
When Martinez was running for reelection, he made the academy a highlight of his administration, going so far as to make a television ad inside before it was officially open to the public. Unbeknownst to many, Martinez was edging out Ramirez all this time and trying to take credit for its construction.
"That is something that hurt George tremendously, but he said nothing," said his friend. "It is almost poetic justice that the building has been named after him and will bear his name for all time while Martinez will be remembered for this role in the Casa del Nylon fiasco."