Trouble In "United Brownsville" Paradise? Tony Martinez and Rose Gowen Push for Privatization of the P.U.B. Against Wishes of Mentor Carlos Marin

Rose Gowen, Tony Martinez

The "Rose and Tony Show" bombed bigtime this past month.  Viewing audiences in Brownsville, Las Prietas, Portway Acres and Gordon's Truck Stop gave it a thumbs down.

Twice during the month of June or Junio, a 30 day segment of calendar dedicated to marriage and the well-being of women, Rose and Tony put on the agenda for city commission meetings the gifting, leasing or conveying of City Plaza, the near-perfect complex of parking garage and city offices to the ultra-rich University of Texas system.  Twice did the condescending duo find the City Commissioners not dumb enough or flaccid enough roll over for their poorly-thought-out proposition.  Twice the agenda item was taken off the table for lack of certain votes.

Of course, Rose and Tony take defeats in stride, secure in the knowledge that they simply know better than the ignorante of Brownsville.  The grins in the pic above are nothing if not smug.  The next brainstorm for Rose and Tony is to privatize Brownsville's public utilities.  Normally, privatization follows unprofitabilty, but P.U.B. has been very profitable for the city, the airport and golf course, not so much.  Don't waste such facts on Rose and Tony because they're not listening.

Carlos Marin

The proposed selling of P.U.B. to a private entity has also created a rift in the shadowy governance of Brownsville, the unelected super board, United Brownsville.  Rose Gowen and Tony Martinez, both directors on United Brownsville, favor the privatization of P.U.B., while mentor and fellow director Carlos Marin does not.  Perhaps, Gowen and Martinez, feeling somewhat heady with the intoxication of city control, feel secure enough to oppose Marin over the privatization issue.  Marin, with his own engineering company, Ambiotec, benefiting from lucrative contracts with the city, may realize that selling P.U.B. to a private entity may jeopardize that business relationship.  Other local companies as well as P.U.B. administrators and employees may also find themselves out in the cold if Rose and Tony's privatization goal is realized.

Perhaps, there is an old adage that Martinez and Gowen somehow missed in their extensive education:  "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."