Picture the fast-talking salesman in a navy, double-breasted blazer, selling time-shares in the Arizona desert. He shows you the glossy pictorials of the soon-to-be built clubhouse, the championship golf courses, 7 swimming pools, all with underwater seating at the well-stocked bar. Tropical plants accent all of the beautifully landscaped spaces. You are asked to visualize all of this while standing on bare dirt under a hot sun. That is what Brownsville bought and continues to pay for handsomely; an illusion!
The shiny book cost Brownsville taxpayers a cool million! The shadowy, elusive entity has an annual budget of $381,000 with $85,000 paid to Mike Gonzalez as Executive Director. The City of Brownsville sends in $25,000 annually. . . . ..our money. PUB contributes $25,000. . . . . .our money. The Port of Brownsville adds $25,000. . . our money. BISD kicks in $25,000. . . . . our money. UTB/TSC tosses in $25,000. . . . . our money.
Annually, Executive Director Mike Gonzalez, earns his salary by going before each of the local entities that kick in the bucks for United Brownsville. He speaks in platitudes, generalities about what United Brownsville is doing for the community. That's the only approach available since not a single sidewalk has been built by Imagine/United Brownsville since former Mayor Eddie Trevino launched the grandiose, but poorly-thought-out plan. The City Commission received Gonzalez graciously, kicking in the bucks. Commissioner Zamora wondered if in the near future Gonzalez could return with a more itemized presentation to show exactly what the entity was accomplishing. When Gonzalez stepped before BISD, Trustee Luci Longoria asked for the same thing. Board president Enrique Escobedo started to table the plan until Gonzalez could give more detail, but a call for a vote overruled that.
United Brownsville now has 27 members of there Board of Directors including:
Fred Rusteberg, President of International Bank of Commerce. IBC, the parent company, not the local branches has been mentioned in connection with money laundering.
The Honorable John Villarreal, City Commissioner for District 4.
The Honorable Tony Martinez, Mayor of Brownsville. Bobby Wightman-Cervantes predicted that Martinez would bring the "wrath of God" down on United Brownsville, but Bobby overestimated Tony as many of us did.
Charlie Cabler, the inept City Manager. Cabler fights tooth and nail against health care for firefighters, but allowed a Matamoros dentist to bilk the City of Brownsville for $400,000 in overcharges.
Jason Hilts. . . . this is the guy who when he was with BEDC was caught buying clothing and jewelry on his city issued credit card. Now, the dishonest piker is on GBEC.
The Honorable Enrique Escobedo. . . the fake doctor, now board president of BISD
Dr. Carl Montoya, the puppet superintendent Cata Presas-Garcia described as a "fit" while BISD did no national or even statewide search.
Dr. Juliet Garcia of UTB. . . need I say more?
Dr. Carlos Marin
Former Mayor Eddie Trevino and Angela Burton of the Chamber of Commerce.
CONCLUSION
Recently, the city has given this do-nothing albatross office space in the recently acquired house on the grounds of the Cueto Building. We've heard rumors that the city is peering next door to provide suitable parking for the honorable directors, wanting to continue throwing good money after bad.
Wow...and the hits just keep on coming! 27 board members...that is ludicrous!
ReplyDeleteFire all but two. Start with Hilts, Dr. Escobedo, Dr. Montoya, Juliet Garcia, Dr. Carlos Marin, Eddie Trevino & Angel Burton, then relinquish useless Mayor Martinez, and Ex. Dir. Mike Gonzalez. By now there should be actual growth and rennovations, etc. happening. Instead we still only get a reporting employee at the tune of $85,000.00. Unacceptable.
Leave Fred Rustberg,John Villareal and add five new citizens with no ties to the removed board members. Mr. Cabler can sit in, but not vote.
That still leaves 25 people who need to be removed from the board, thus no need for more parking spaces or larger office spaces at our expense.
It would be interesting to know what a typical workday involves for the Executive Director. I suspect less activity than a library security guard.
DeleteJim
What happen to the watch dog group (Brownsville Cheezmeh) oh I forgot they take money now to. To bad all this got to Elmos from Austin head.
ReplyDeleteWow wow wow! How miserable can they be, with a brand new $103,000.00 BMW....is all good!!! "Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres"
ReplyDelete"Tell me who you hang around with, and I'll tell you who you are"
No one should be surprise when dumbocRATS are incharge!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe revisited the idea of a Master Plan after a lobbying trip to Washington D.C. in 2006 when then Congressman Jim Oberstar of Minnesota told us that he had money for our Downtown Revitalization, but we needed a plan in print that identified our projected plans and a sort of needs assessment for our community. That was when we came back and went out for proposals and through a fair process Ambiotec Engineering was awarded a contract to begin this plan so we could return to Washington and Congressman Oberstar and secure funding. The plan was created, Congressman Oberstar as well as Congressman Ortiz was unsuccessful in being re-elected, so we had to come back and begin anew. In my personal opinion: the plan has been created, the projected targets and needs have been identified. Thank you for your service ladies and gentlemen of our community. By now, members of the different boards and commissions should have convened and identified the projects that we as a community want to take on and persue at a state and federal level for funding and create interlocal agreements that would identify specifically 1. What each entity would contribute to achieve the goal and 2. a time frame of completion to the specific project. Boards, directors, and elected officials have met, talks about and discussions have occurred, but nothing identified and presented to the different boards for approval or review. Let’s get one thing straight the City Commission, BISD Board, Navigation District, Cameron County Commission and UTB/TSC Board will be the ones to vote and move ahead with these projects. The members of these boards that sit on the United Brownsville Board are there to listen and report back to their respective boards and commissions any plans or strategies that are being discussed. Until now ideas are being pushed around, but no concrete plans have been put into action. I say this because there are projects that are going on right now that want to be tagged on to United Brownsville to make it look like it is being accomplished through it, but they are not. As I stated in the beginning United Brownsville was created so that a plan could be in print to secure funding, what is going on right now is not what this plan was created for. I sincerely appreciate the countless hours that all volunteers, directors, employees and elected officials have put into this very much needed plan and know for a fact that no one is monetarily benefitting from this concept, but we must stop with the smoke screens already and go as was intended in a unified front to Austin and Washington D.C. to seek major funding for our community and make the visions that are on paper into a reality. Do we need to continue with the United Brownsville concept as is; in my opinion “no,” but then again I am only one vote. Thanks for your time. Ricardo Longoria, Jr.
ReplyDelete