By Juan Montoya
Meetings of the City of Brownsville Planning Dept.'s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee are set for Wednesday, April 19, at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The meeting to help local business acquire a bicycle friendly business designation was originally to be held at the Parks and Recreation Dept. at 1371 E. 8th St. (the old Boys and Girls Club), but was moved without explanation to the 7 and Park Coffee/Bicycle Shop, a business closely associated with city commissioner Rose Gowen, locked in a reelection race with challenger Erasmo Castro.
The committee received a $5,000 award from the Brownsville Community Incentives Corporation (BCIC) January 19 to try to get at least 25 business owners or managers to fill out an application which would make them eligible to receive recognition under the Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) Program initiative from the League of American Bicyclists, the nation's oldest bicycle advocacy
organization. The BFB program is based off their belief that bikes are good for businesses, employees, and the community.
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The Program's goal is to recognize businesses for their efforts through an award system based on four essential elements to being bicycle friendly: engineering, education, encouragement, and evaluation and planning.
Ironically, the coffee/bike shop opened only last February, but was chosen by the committee (?) over more established businesses. A Gowen campaign sign was removed after a post on this blog pointed out the cozy relationship between the bicycle advocate commissioners and the owners. But a recent visitor to the shop reported that there are Gowen campaign push cards throughout the interior of the business. And the shop has been actively promoting her reelection in social media. (See graphic at right.)
A promotion video of the "How to be a Bicycle Friendly Business' workshop/event was filmed in late December 2016. The promo video fan in Cinemark theaters for 4 weeks ($3,730), on COB.TV, and on social media during January and February 2017, advertising a February 17, 2017 workshop/event. Applications awards should have been announced in May 2017. After the awards have been announced by the League of American Bicyclists, the Bike/Ped division would promote a "Bike to Bicycle Friendly Businesses" ride/event for late May or early June 2017.
Instead, the Cinemark advertisements say it will be today, April 19 , five days before early voting for the city commission elections.
There are two Gowen allies on the board of the BCIC. One, John Villarreal, is also up for reelection. The other, Deborah Portillo, will not. Both are sure votes on the majority held by Mayor Tony Martinez, who has had his way for the six years he had served.
The designation had several application cycles, with the last one opening in January 2017. Applications awards should be announced in May 2017.
According to the planning department grant application, the fee for businesses to apply is based off the size of the business and ranges from $50 to $500.
In addition to the Cinemark advertisements, there will also be $1,270 in advertisements for the program and accompanying rides/events that ran in print ads and newspapers.
Committee members said most of the amount received this year was committed as matching dollars for grants awarded for bike/ped infrastructure. The committee receives 10 percent of all Certificates of Obligation issued by the city commission on transportation-related COs. So far, the committee has received $500,000 to foster bicycle and pedestrian use such as hike and bike trails championed by Gowen and which she is hoping to use to ride to reelection.
The Bike-Ped Division plans to reach over 3,000 people through the promotional videos discussing the BFB program. Their aim is to submit between 5 to 10 applications from the 25 businesses and have at least 50 cyclists participate in the second event/ride.
The question her critics are asking is: Is Gowen and her allies on the city commission and the committee using publicly-funded bike/ped monies to help her in her reelection campaign?
Meetings of the City of Brownsville Planning Dept.'s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee are set for Wednesday, April 19, at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The meeting to help local business acquire a bicycle friendly business designation was originally to be held at the Parks and Recreation Dept. at 1371 E. 8th St. (the old Boys and Girls Club), but was moved without explanation to the 7 and Park Coffee/Bicycle Shop, a business closely associated with city commissioner Rose Gowen, locked in a reelection race with challenger Erasmo Castro.
The committee received a $5,000 award from the Brownsville Community Incentives Corporation (BCIC) January 19 to try to get at least 25 business owners or managers to fill out an application which would make them eligible to receive recognition under the Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) Program initiative from the League of American Bicyclists, the nation's oldest bicycle advocacy
organization. The BFB program is based off their belief that bikes are good for businesses, employees, and the community.
The Program's goal is to recognize businesses for their efforts through an award system based on four essential elements to being bicycle friendly: engineering, education, encouragement, and evaluation and planning.Ironically, the coffee/bike shop opened only last February, but was chosen by the committee (?) over more established businesses. A Gowen campaign sign was removed after a post on this blog pointed out the cozy relationship between the bicycle advocate commissioners and the owners. But a recent visitor to the shop reported that there are Gowen campaign push cards throughout the interior of the business. And the shop has been actively promoting her reelection in social media. (See graphic at right.)
A promotion video of the "How to be a Bicycle Friendly Business' workshop/event was filmed in late December 2016. The promo video fan in Cinemark theaters for 4 weeks ($3,730), on COB.TV, and on social media during January and February 2017, advertising a February 17, 2017 workshop/event. Applications awards should have been announced in May 2017. After the awards have been announced by the League of American Bicyclists, the Bike/Ped division would promote a "Bike to Bicycle Friendly Businesses" ride/event for late May or early June 2017.
Instead, the Cinemark advertisements say it will be today, April 19 , five days before early voting for the city commission elections.
There are two Gowen allies on the board of the BCIC. One, John Villarreal, is also up for reelection. The other, Deborah Portillo, will not. Both are sure votes on the majority held by Mayor Tony Martinez, who has had his way for the six years he had served.
The designation had several application cycles, with the last one opening in January 2017. Applications awards should be announced in May 2017.
According to the planning department grant application, the fee for businesses to apply is based off the size of the business and ranges from $50 to $500.
In addition to the Cinemark advertisements, there will also be $1,270 in advertisements for the program and accompanying rides/events that ran in print ads and newspapers.
Committee members said most of the amount received this year was committed as matching dollars for grants awarded for bike/ped infrastructure. The committee receives 10 percent of all Certificates of Obligation issued by the city commission on transportation-related COs. So far, the committee has received $500,000 to foster bicycle and pedestrian use such as hike and bike trails championed by Gowen and which she is hoping to use to ride to reelection.
The Bike-Ped Division plans to reach over 3,000 people through the promotional videos discussing the BFB program. Their aim is to submit between 5 to 10 applications from the 25 businesses and have at least 50 cyclists participate in the second event/ride.
The question her critics are asking is: Is Gowen and her allies on the city commission and the committee using publicly-funded bike/ped monies to help her in her reelection campaign?