Commissioner Zamora Can Leave A Lasting Legacy to the City of Brownsville

Melissa Zamora

With Commissioner Melissa Zamora(according to the El Rrun Rrun blog) purportedly offered gainful employment in the Luis Saenz District Attorney office as Public Information Officer replacing Jason E. Moody, she has an opportunity in the remaining months of her term as commissioner to act in the best interest of Brownsville taxpayers and shut down one of  the worst scams perpetrated on the city in recent years.

Charlie Cabler with David McCarthy

No, we're not talking about "Bannergate", the ill-conceived, phony plan inked by Mayor Martinez in the euphoria of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, when David McCarthy, the CEO of Community Showcase Banners hoodwinked the naive mayor into thinking that Brownsville had been "selected" as one of only 15 cities in the country to be awarded a "Community Showcase," which would allow McCarthy to sell banner plans ranging from $600 to $4,000 to Brownsville businessmen willing to "support Brownsville" with their purchase.

What Ms. Zamora can stop is the much more insidious, grossly expensive in taxpayer dollars and lost democratic representation, boondoggle called United Brownsville, now beginning its annual trek to the local entities who have annually committed a stipend of $25,000 each to this scam.  Just this past April, when Mike Gonzalez approached the City Commission for the annual funding for this shadowy, behind-the-scenes, yet wholly unaccountable, clandestine club,  Commissioner Zamora requested more information from Gonzalez detailing the exact bang received for the substantial taxpayer buck the city was routinely releasing to United Brownsville.  

John Villarreal

Why single out Zamora, when she holds but one vote on the commission?  Well, here is my thinking.  Commissioner Ricardo Longoria, in a comment to this blog April 10, 2012, stated his opposition to continued funding for United Brownsville.  That's one vote.  Commissioner Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa, has indicated privately she does not favor continued funding for the entity.  Two votes.  Commissioner John Villarreal, despite being flattered by being added to the United Brownsville board of 27 as the "Honorable Commissioner John Villarreal," has to realize the dramatic shifting of representation from the commission to this non-elected board, not to mention the tremendous waste of tax dollars in funding this board and now, providing office space for it on the Andres Cueto grounds.(Even as we type, the vacant lot next door to new office space is being prepared as a secure parking lot for the honchos of United Brownsville.)  Do we have three votes, John?  Rose Gowen will unabashedly back the mayor in everything he does.  Estela Chavez-Vasquez may unnecessarily feel indebted to Martinez for financial help in her campaign.  That leaves Zamora as a possible swing vote in stopping the bleeding.

Of course, with the City of Brownsville unilaterally deciding not to fund the clandestine, anti-democratic entity, that will not be binding on BISD, TSC, the Port of Brownsville, BEDC, GIBC or P.U.B., but it may give the members of those boards the moral fortitude or guts to do the right thing.  The momentum for ending this annual fleecing of the taxpayers has to start somewhere.  If it starts on the City Commission with Commissioner Zamora and others playing  pivotal roles, what a legacy that would be.