Monday, April 29, 2013

Taking Brownsville Back from Autocratic Mayor Tony Martinez

Tony Martinez, the Man
Who Would Be King
One man rule almost never works out well for the little guy, the average citizen.  Benevolent dictators are as rare as five leaf clovers.  Just ask those Haitians who eked out a life under Jean-Claude Duvalier or the suffering Libyans during Muammar Gaddafi's reign of terror.  Maybe the North Koreans would give Kim Jong-un high marks, but they haven't received this week's edition of the Weekly Reader.

With several doormat city commissioners, Mayor Tony Martinez has had his way with Brownsville.  For some in the city, the single most important qualification in this current election for commissioners is the willingness to stand up to Martinez.  Rose Gowen will never do that.  Her election as commissioner was managed and financed by Tony.  John Villarreal becomes a cartoon character rolled over by an asphalt drum roller whenever Tony wants to make a move.  Estela Chavez-Vasquez checks to see which way the Martinez wind is blowing before voting on agenda items.


All of the above gives Tony one-man-rule of the city, nothing resembling a democracy.  Tony even orchestrated the continued broadcast ban of public comment, utilizing his henchman, City Attorney Mark Sossi, the most dishonest man in Brownsville, to give a high school caliber pie-chart presentation in support
Kim Jon-un
of the extension of the undemocratic ban.

In a normal, educated, grownup world a mayor doesn't unilaterally go on a $3,500,000 speculative real estate binge, obligating the taxpayers for the next umpteen years plus interest, especially when this near third world city has needs, many needs crying out.

Muammar Gaddafi
The only way a dufus mayor like Martinez pushes that agenda through is with the unwitting cooperation of deer-in-the-headlights commissioners.  Grownups would ask questions.  Why are you spending $2,300,000 for  La Casa del Nylon building that's been for sale for a decade without a bidder?  Why are you buying a tiny bar and the building next door on E. 11th St., a warehouse, an armory?  Why are you buying all these rundown buildings in the downtown?  The simple fact that no commissioner raised those question publicly or at a commission meeting illustrates the stranglehold Martinez has on the commission.

Many expected attorney Martinez to be an idea man, using the mayorship as a vehicle to advance Brownsville.  Note this comment by Mean Mister Brownsville in 2011:

"Whoever thought back on May 14 at the time of Tony's landslide election from among 5 candidates without a runoff that the most significant accomplishment of his administration would be a continuance of an anti-democratic policy initiated by Pat Ahumada, induced by a Mark Sossi hissy fit? What a waste of blue campaign signs and chicken plates! Brownsville needed, no REQUIRED a dynamic point man who would hit the ground running with a plan, with ideas, carefully strategized and thought out. What we got was a do-nothing, status quo plodder, a ceremonial figure like England's Queen Elizabeth. Officiating a tomato contest at the farmer's market, witnessing the sprinkling of holy water on the Juarez Mercadito is acceptable mayoral behavior, but it's not enough for a city hurting, watching its most precious resource, the historic downtown disintegrate into nothingness. The sad thing is Tony knew he was going to be mayor, WANTED the job, but so far hasn't gotten off his ass."
Enter three candidates in 2013 that have all sought office before, share a certain advocacy for the city without an official position and have no connection with the elite puppeteers Tony Martinez feels obligated to placate, serve and service.


Roberto Uresti
Roberto Uresti: a retired school teacher, Vietnam vet, has worked tirelessly for his segment of the city for over twenty years.  When the homes of residents in his neighborhood flooded due to city negligence, not opening the dams in a timely manner, Uresti canvassed the neighborhood, taking pictures of the damage and went before the City Commission with the evidence gathered.  When flooding necessitated residents negotiating a narrow pipe across 15 foot deep waters, he shamed the city into building a bridge.  Again and again Uresti has appeared before the City Commission with addresses of dilapidated houses needing demoliton, suggestions and questions.  Uresti has been a commissioner without the title for two decades.  He has done more for the ity than any current commissioner without the actual job.  He faces Rose Gowen for City Commissioner, At-Large B.

Letty Perez-Garzoria:  a retired nurse, single mother.  Garzoria has spoken out frequently on the city raising taxes, not "living within their means."  She campaigned in 2011 for an At-Large position singlehandedly without an organization.  Garzoria does owe taxes to the county but is making regular payments.  She is fearless and not afraid of Tony Martinez or anyone else for that matter.  Garzoria, deeply religious, wants Brownsville churches more involved in cleaning up our city.  She advocates volunteerism.

Martin Sarkis
Martin Sarkis:  educated as an architect in Matamoros where he owns a number of buildings.  Sarkis ran for City Commissioner, At-Large A in 2011, losing to Estela Chavez-Vasquez.  Sarkis brought a group of vendors from Matamoros to downtown Brownsville in a mercadito on the main floor of the Majestic Theatre building.  He is full of ideas about improving the downtown, making it a tourist attraction for visitors.  Sarkis favors defunding United Brownsville.







15 comments:

  1. Your points about the mayor are all credible, but your candidates, you surely agree, are less-than-stellar. God God, man, open your eyes. If it's a better city you want, then seek out better candidates. Posturing weakness only makes YOU look weak.

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    1. Proven weakness exists on the current commission. How could anyone be weaker than John Villarreal? How could anyone say less or do less? Who could possibly be more susceptible to being manipulated by Martinez than Rose Gowen who was financed and managed by him in her campaign?

      We're not cloning candidates, but simply identifying those who will be better for the city.

      Jim

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  2. TO 5:52 AM,AND YOU ARE SAYING THAT TONY MARTINEZ'S PUPPETS WHICH ARE ROSE GOWAN AND ESTELA CHAVEZ VASCA,VÁSQUEZ ARE BETTER OR ERNIE HERNANDEZ PUPPET,JOHN EL TITERE VILLARREAL IS ANY BETTER. THESE COMMISSIONERS HAVE BEEN SELLING BROWNSVILLE TO THE PLEASURE OF THEIR PUPPETEERS. JOHN VILLARREAL AND GOWAN NEED TO GO.

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    1. yes, they do need to go. But the replacements are woeful. Change is needed, I agree. These weak-assed candidates supported by this blog are nowhere near ready. That's a fact, Jack.

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    2. It can not be a bad thing to give new people a chance at public service. The current crop of city commissioners are terrible.

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    3. If it is uresti snd garzoria yes it can be a bad thing.

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  3. Yes they all need to go

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  4. GarZORRA would be BUCs uglyass puppet bitch, no?

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  5. GarZORRA would be bucs uglyass puppet bitch, no?

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    1. Sounds like a bitter jealous EX, no? Si.

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    2. Sounds like a valid and true point. Buc is mad at little johnny boy for cutting their ridiculous o.t. and are so interested on these puppets to win. certain buc members are so corrupt and give our good firemen a bad name. Lerma longoria and of course bocanegra. Scum scum scum buc leticia uresti

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  6. yes she does,sounds like jessica tetas tetreau cop friend,angela DICKenson. si,no?

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  7. SOME of these CRITICS need to go back to school. It would be a much better debate if one could understand the grammar and grade school writing. Is this what BISD has produced in deep South Texas? A bunch of idiots blindly throwing out nonsense and ignorance?

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    1. If the moronic statements here were written by BISD graduates, they surely graduated many years ago. I doubt they graduated. The stupid remarks are old school most likely written by undereducated sexagenarians.
      I support new blood on the city commission. You never know until you know and then it is too late, but we have to give them a chance before blasting them.

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