Gowen vs. Uresti, City Commission At-Large B . . . . . Elitist vs. Common Man

Roberto Uresti has been to more city commission meetings than the city commissioners themselves,  almost always there to convey an idea no one else has considered.  He is always respectful, usually smiling, never overdressed.  He may have a list of the addresses of dilapidated homes needing to be  repaired or torn down before they become crack houses or fire hazards or he may simply tell the commission thanks for responding to something he brought to their attention.  When Chief Financial Officer Pete Gonzalez offered that the city's budget had been trimmed to the absolute barest of bones, Uresti stepped to the podium and rattled off several ways for the city to save money off the top of his head.

Uresti has been rightfully criticized for improper sentence structure on Facebook.  Perhaps, like Samuel Clemens who wrote under the pen name Mark Twain, Robert just needs a good proofreader.  Clemens, you recall, claimed to "have nothing but contempt for a man who could spell a word only one way," as he was a notoriously poor speller.  Uresti lists studies in economics and business at Texas A&M on his resume' and is a retired BISD teacher.

Dr. Rose Gowen, a gynecologist(some say currently non-practicing) and the incumbent City Commissioner for District At-Large B, speaks up far less frequently at commission meetings than Uresti, usually simply acquiescing to whatever Mayor Tony wants.  Only health issues seem to pique her interest.  Maybe a role at the city's health department would be more appropriate.  Gowen also has the reputation for being the town's nanny, almost making New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg look libertarian.  Gowen is said to have once proposed that hot dogs and other unhealthy food items no longer be sold at the city's sports park.  Perhaps, she would also favor changing the lyrics of Take Me Out to the Ball Game  to "buy me some tofu and carrot sticks."

For many this race seems to be clear-cut:  Elitist incumbent Gowen who evidently feels some obligation to rubberstamp Mayor Tony's agendas due to his financial and organizational support of her campaign versus the energetic Uresti, a gadfly, community activist who may be well-served to use a proofreader for written public statements.