The Fantasy of "Believe in Brownsville" to the Reality of "Wholly At the Mayor's Discretion"

Mayor Tony Martinez, Charro Days 2013

When Harlingen native Tony Martinez decided to run for Mayor of the City of Brownsville he reached outside Cameron County to an Austin firm known as M.A.P.(Message, Audience, Presentation, Inc.), headed by James Aldrete to run his campaign.

The advertising firm's website describes its specialty as "communicating with the Hispanic and African-American electorates," and shares with us its approach to Hispanic voters:  

"The biggest challenge in communicating with Hispanics is not one of language only, but one of tone and approach. We have to recognize that those we most need to turnout are more apolitical and at an economic level that can often make politics and voting seem like a luxury. . . . . Spanish in Texas is for the most part an oral tradition, among a community that has low-educational(sic) achievement levels. While Spanish print has made a comeback, it is important to keep it at a grade level that ensures the widest comprehension. . . . .empowerment and educational component: No one likes to be embarrassed, and considering the low level of information most Hispanics have on political processes, basic information on how to participate is critical in overcoming issues of insecurity, fear and doubt."

If you're Hispanic, I apologize for having you read the condescending bull shit above, but the comments provide insight into the mayor's thinking as he again selected the James Aldrete firm to run his "State of the City" event this past spring, while using Brownsville firms to cater and make table centerpieces, perhaps indicating that his "belief in Brownsville" has an intellectual limitation.

Banning the Broadcast of Public Comment

Brownsville TV on Channel 12 broadcasts staged political events, ribbon cuttings, interviews happy cyclists during Cyclopedia, satisfied customers at the Farmer's Market.  It also televises the broadcast of City Commission meetings including comments and questions by the mayor or city commissioners.

The only citizens who are banned, blocked, stymied, stifled and censored are those who choose to offer an opinion during the so-called Public Comment section of the City Commission meeting.  Before those taxpayers utter a single word, the audio on Brownsville TV is cut off, reverting to acoustic guitar and the camera is fixed on a sign announcing:  "Public Comment Period in Progress."  It is the ultimate "Fuck you!" to inclusive democracy, free speech and open, transparent government.

City Attorney Mark Sossi

In fairness, the ban of the broadcast of public comment originated during the Pat Ahumada administration.  Some have alleged that a comment making reference to a judgement against City Attorney Mark Sossi by his previous employer, the Willette & Guerra Law Firm, for $167,363 of stolen funds, adding the fact that the city was now throwing legal work to Willette & Guerra to help Sossi pay off the debt, triggered Sossi to push Ahumada to block the broadcast of Public Comment.(For more info on Sossi's I.R.S. lien, Texas Workforce judgement and malpractice suits simply type "Sossi" in this blog's search feature in the upper left corner.)

No one expected Martinez, who had been elected because he was not Ahumada, to continue this anti-democratic practice.  After all, wasn't the Democratic Party the affiliation of Kennedy and Clinton, officials who thrived on the give-and-take of citizen or media comments and interaction? Yet, shortly after Martinez took office, despite citizen speakers, one after the other, encouraging a lifting of the ban, the Mayor finally spoke on the ban:  'I'd like to continue doing things the way the previous administration did them. It's been working pretty good so far. I don't want to change that.'  Damn!  And we thought we had elected a mayor who "Believed in Brownsville.!"

Former City Commissioner
Melissa Zamora

Later, but still during the mayor's first year on the job, City Commissioner Melissa Zamora placed an item on the agenda to restore the broadcast during Public Comment.  Here is an excerpt from our August 12, 2011 report on that meeting:  "Melissa Hernandez-Zamora seemed dumbstruck when City Attorney Sossi stood up to give opposition testimony concerning the broadcast of public comment item she had placed on the agenda. It was obvious that Commissioner Zamora had not been advised of the behind-the-scenes manipulation by Mayor Martinez and his eager cohort Sossi. Sossi, after all, had the most to lose from public comment broadcast since it was comments about his questionable ethics that triggered the ban in the first place. As Zamora got her bearings, Martinez waved Sossi the "go ahead". Sossi made no attempt in his feeble, highschoolish power point to express a legal opinion. There was no mention of free speech, the first amendment, the constitution or even the phony liability issues he has pretended previously. Those might have been worthy legal issues. Instead he expressed only viewpoints, unscientific at best, but most likely simply wrong. With a straight face he used a pie chart to illustrate the greater "diversity" of commenters since the ban, not even having the honesty to acknowledge that many of those new participants were speaking out against the anti-democratic ban. He also railed against grandstanding as he grandstanded."

Mayor Ventures into Speculative Real Estate Deals with Taxpayer Dollars

La Casa del Nylon, an aging retail building on the
market for two decades, but sold to the city in a deal
negotiated by Tony's law partner, Horacio Barrera, for a
mere $2,300,000.  Some estimate this is triple the value.

The Mayor's oath of office implies that he will be a faithful steward or caretaker of the city's assets, including monies, properties and, if you will, human capital or workforce.  For example, he would not be allowed to take $3 or $4 million dollars of city funds to Las Vegas to use on the gaming tables even if he fashioned himself a gambler and thought he could double the taxpayer's money.

Yet, Mayor Martinez did almost exactly that, purchasing numerous older buildings in or near downtown Brownsville with zero explanation to the taxpayers as to why he was committing their hard-earned tax dollars as well as their children's for the next two decades to these speculative real estate purchases.

Included in these never-explained purchases are a rest home on Madison Street for $195,101, a warehouse on Ringgold for $100,000, two tiny downtown restaurants for $83,000, leasing the home next the Cueto Building for 3 years, $90,000, the Old National Armory for $431,200, Casa del Nylon for $2,300,000 and the San Fernando Building for $315,000.

Nurith Galonsky

Most suspect in these deals is the one unethically negotiated by Tony's law partner Horacio Barrerra with Tony's friend, Abraham Galonsky, La Casa del Nylon.  That property had been on the market for nearly two decades.  The unsold merchandise, still new, but from the 80's, was considered "vintage."  The negotiated purchase price was a totally confounding $2,300,000 with similar buildings leasing for $1.00 per square foot or less. Shortly after the sale, Abraham Galonsky's daughter, Nurith was named to the P.U.B. Advisory Board, totally out of the blue.

Despite all these purchases, when the mayor coveted a personal office downtown, he leased, at the city's expense, yet another location, 1101-A E. Washington St. as his personal office.  The remodeling, leasing was done at city expense, although the invoice for an $8,000 interactive TV screen remains unpaid, likely because of our Public Information Request.  Please consider that the city has empty office space at City Plaza.(Remember when the Mayor tried to lease space at $1.00 per year to Congressman Filemon Vela until local bloggers caught wind of the scheme.)  The city also has an entirely unoccupied floor at Market Square.  But as the song goes:  "What Lola wants, Lola gets."(For you out-of-towners, Lola's Bakeshop is one of Tony's local enterprises.)

Tony's "State of the City" Event, Paid for by Taxpayers, Who Were Charged $50.00 to Attend

Mimicking the President's State of the Union address, many big city mayors give their own "State of the City" speech.  Mayor Martinez was intoxicated with the idea and called the Austin advertising group, M.A.P., founded by James Aldrete, to organize the event.  When a Brownsville Herald questioned the event being organized by a non-Brownsville firm, the Mayor was quoted:

"He said that since the money for the State of the City event was privately raised, he saw no issue with spending the money with the same consultant firm that helped him win his office, explaining that based on practices he has observed in other areas, the event is typically planned wholly at the mayor’s discretion."

What the mayor said about the event being privately funded is simply not true. The Brownsville Navigation District donated $1,500. Isn't the navigational district supported by tax dollars? Now, the $8,500.00 given by the Public Utilities Board are technically not taxpayer dollars, but aren't they ratepayer dollars? Where does the Brownsville Economic Development Council get its money? They gave $1,500.00. The Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville gave $500.00. Does Tony consider that private money? The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation donated $1,500.00, clearly from the 4B diversion of yes, you guessed it, sales tax collected in Brownsville. The University of Texas at Brownsville gave $1,500.00, then $500.00 more. There's no P.U.F. oil money in that baby. It's all funded by tuition and tax. The shadowy, nontransparent, fake governmental entity, United Brownsville, that is totally funded by 8 other taxpayer entities, gave $3,000. Oh, I just noticed, the BCDC gave yet another $150.00. Add the $500 from the Brownsville Tourist Bureau and that's $19,150 of PUBLIC, taxpayer, ratepayer, tuition-payer money, not private.

Carlos Marin, Ambiotec Engineering 

Yes, there were corporate sponsors.   N.O. Simmons Homes, LTD, $1,500.00, Gomez, Mendez, Saenz, Inc., $1,500.00, Falcon International Bank, $500.00, Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, $500.00, LNV, Inc., $500.00, Carlos Marin's Ambiotec, $1,500.00, Terracon, $500.00, Well's Fargo, $500.00, Capital One Bank, $100.00, Frost Bank, $500.00, Nexus Real Estate, $500.00, Portage Plastic, $500.00, La Carcel, LTD, $3,000.00, Lone Star National Bank, $1,500.00, Tenaska, Inc., $500.00, I.B.C. Bank, $3,000, Gonzalez Engineering, $500.00. H.E.B., $3,000.00, Republic Services, $500.00.  

A few high rollers bought tickets: Alejandro Coronado, a realtor, bought two tickets for $100.00 as did Bruny Saucedo, the owner of the Zocalo Bar and Grill. Outgoing District Clerk, Aurora De La Garza bought a ticket for herself for $50,00 as did County Treasurer Joe Rivera and County Sheriff Omar Lucio, Larry Putegnat and Peter Ellis. The individual singly purchasing the most tickets was Alexander Stillman, who bought 10 tickets for $500.00. Oh, also. Rose Timmer bought a $50.00 ticket and William PC Hudson bought 5 for $250.00.   B.I.S.D. bought one ticket for $50. Livingway Family Church, Inc. bought two tickets, possibly for the pastor and his wife. KRGV-TV News bought 4 tickets for $200.00. The Consulado de Mexico spent $100.00 for two tickets as did Capital One Bank.

The records do not reflect any ordinary citizens from West Brownsville or Southmost hiring a babysitter and purchasing two tickets for $100 to attend the event.  Tony did not have them in mind planning the event.

The Top Priority of My Administration:  "A New Ethics Code"

Back on April 19, 2011 at the UTB/TSC Mayor Candidates Forum, Tony Martinez clearly identified the drafting of a new ethics code as the "top priority" of a Martinez administration. Since Tony said so little of substance during the campaign, I jotted that down. Assuming a strong work ethic coupled with a desire to get our city functioning efficiently and ethically, some of us fully expected Tony to be a man of his word. Literally dozens of model city ethics codes exist on the internet and from other sources that could be tweaked to fit our city. Certainly other Texas cities have codes that could be tailored for Brownsville. In August of 2011, City Attorney Mark Sossi was handpicked by Mayor Martinez to initiate the process. Sossi reported to the commission 7/19/11 concerning the research, thought process and focus so far which amounted essentially to having read the San Antonio and Dallas codes, a 20 minute effort at best. Later in that meeting Mayor Martinez expressed his desire to be included in the committee to draft the code. My recollection is that City Manager Charlie Cabler would be included in that committee along with a commissioner or two."

Since Sossi's report on July 19, 2011, another additional 2-1/2 years have passed. Remember once a final draft of an ethics code is submitted and approved, language in the City Charter has to also be changed to allow for penalties for violations of the code. Brownsville's last ethics code expired in 2006.

City Manager Charlie Cabler,
"Bannergate" CEO David McCarthy

With Mayor Martinez recently ramming speculative real estate deals purchased with taxpayer dollars from cronies at above market rates through the City Commission, using his law partner as negotiator, it's little wonder Tony has lost interest in an ethics code. He and slacker City Attorney Sossi both had connections to "Bannergate", a scam to dun local businessmen into purchasing packages of city banners costing up to $4,000 to "support Brownsville." City government is in dire need of an ethics code and ethics.

Formulating an ethics code is not rocket science. Martinez and Sossi have not come forward with a new code because they are simply unethical.


Giving UTB the Moon, While Treating TSC Like A Stepchild

As mentioned at the outset, protecting the city's assets is the mayor's job.  Texas Southmost College, founded in 1926, is a considerable part of those assets with Brownsville taxpayers on the hook for $200,000,000 in bond over the next two decades.

The University of Texas at Brownsville is part of the extraordinarily wealthy University of Texas system, funded only partially by the oil and other revenues from 2,000,000 acres of West Texas land.

Logically, which educational entity should have the Mayor of Brownsville's allegiance and commitment?  Would you believe, that at every turn, Martinez has been willing to give the farm to UTB while slighting, stonewalling and hardballing TSC?

Don't believe because it's written here.  Juan Montoya of the El Rrun Rrun blog writes:

 Martinez has already overseen the donation of some 70 ares to the third-largest endowment university in the United States to lure it to stay downtown next to the TSC campus. And as negotiators for both sides barter and horse-trade properties and facilities, a 10.2-acre tract that the city had promised the college(TSC) turned out to be non-transferable because of a provision in a transfer deed under which the transferred property reverts to the grantor is the deed condition is violated. . . . . . . 'The bottom line is that the mayor gave 70 acres away to the UT System for nothing, and then he didn't tell the TSC board anything about transferring control of the three properties to the city in return for the 10.2- acre tract," said the source. "He pulled the rug from under the community. While he's giving away the farm to the UT System, he is taking about $1 million away from the local taxpayers."

Who knows what Tony Martinez believes in.  He does not believe in the best interests of Brownsville taxpayers, Texas Southmost College or ethical, transparent government.  He does not "Believe in Brownsville."