City Commission Workshop, 3/4/14~Mayor Lectures City Finance Director Pete Gonzalez About "Inclusiveness"

Mayor Tony Martinez with "Hints from Heloise" 

City Finance Director Pete Gonzalez presented a 5-year Capital Improvement Plan before the City Commission Tuesday evening during a workshop-style, but nonetheless public meeting. The plan is designed to help the city gauge and plan financing for capital improvements over the next half decade, 2015-2019.

During his presentation, Gonzalez detailed various financing means available, including Certificates of Obligation, tax notes, airport passenger facility fees, federal and state grants and sales tax monies via GBIC and BCIC.

Pete seemed proudest of the city's much improved bond rating during his tenure, now an A- with two rating entities.  "The City of Brownsville has the same bond rating as the country of Mexico," Gonzalez gushed.

While Gonzalez' report to the commission listed a half dozen city staffers who had worked on the report, Mayor Martinez did not seem pleased, interrupting the Finance Director's presentation to suggest the group could have benefited from an "outside facilitator;" a city planner, someone in economic development or even "Dutch, from the real estate community."  

In the mayor's rambling tirade, he stressed he wasn't being critical of the city's finance director or even trying to be a "Hints from Heloise"(a ladies newspaper column from the 60's with sewing and house cleaning tips).  The mayor suggested that the long-time finance director should have enough self-confidence to take constructive criticism, but that he simply felt the city department should be more "inclusive."  "Jason and Gil from GBIC could have been consulted, the MPO and especially John Bruciak from P.U.B. They are very organized over there and I've copied several of their programs."

Commissioner Rose Gowen joined the chorus, saying" she did not want to be just handed a document, but wanted to be in on the planning."

When Finance Director Gonzalez stated the report was subject to change, just a plan, but based on a study of Brownsville streets costing the city $200,000, Mayor Martinez countered:  "Streets are important.  Most of us know which streets need attention, but we're riding lots of bicycles now."  Interestingly, a presentation about bicycle use by City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez, was tabled(b) Presentation regarding the Bike Brownsville Initiative. (Ramiro Gonzalez – Planning – 10 mins.)

The irony of Mayor Martinez lecturing City Finance Director Pete Gonzalez about "inclusiveness," is that Tony Martinez has not even approached inclusiveness in his three year tenure as mayor.  It's not just the disrespectful, undemocratic blockage of the broadcast of public comment at City Commission meetings.  That simply underscores the City Commission's lack of understanding of representative democracy and its principles.  

Homeless living under the decaying awning of
Casa del Nylon, purchased for $2.3 million

The mayor has operated unilaterally at every turn, buying properties downtown, refurbishing first one office, then starting on another, NEVER including the taxpayers in the decision making, even dipping into the city's $3,060,000 refund from AEP Texas without commission approval.  To this day, he has arrogantly resisted explaining to taxpayers the purchase in 2012 of the now decaying Casa del Nylon building for $2,300,000.

The mayor may not be an evil man, just clueless, but he certainly has no business lecturing Pete Gonzalez or anyone about "inclusiveness." 

After the workshop, the City Commission went into Executive Session, followed by the actual City Commission meeting.  

During the City Commission meeting, Mayor Martinez again demonstrated his lack of understanding for the Public Meetings Act, representative democracy and the so-called "inclusiveness" he lectured Pete Gonzalez about.  The case in point is an action item listed as follows:  

11. Consideration and ACTION to adopt budget amendment Resolution Number 2014-029, to amend the General Fund Budget by providing $22,200.00 funding for the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce. (Pete Gonzalez – Deputy City Manager)

As Pete Gonzalez stepped up to present this item, he brought with him Chamber of Commerce President Maria Hall Joiner to present a program to encourage shopping at Brownsville businesses.  Nena and I had heard the presentation at a BCIC board meeting, but the public had not.  It involves issuing I.D. cards to residents entitling them to discounts at Brownsville businesses.  The cards are free to the customers, but the businesses must belong to the Chamber of Commerce to participate.  The program is based on a similar program in Mission, named GoMission and is tentatively titled GoBrownsville.  Its purpose is to increase sales tax revenue and bolster membership in the Chamber of Commerce, which, according to Joiner, has dipped from 1,600 to just 650 in the last ten years.

Chamber of Commerce President
Maria Hall Joiner

Martinez stopped Pete Gonzalez from introducing Joiner to present the program simply because he had already heard it.  He said if any commissioner had questions they could ask Joiner. But, that's not the point.  The citizens, the taxpayers who will fund this program heard nothing.  The whole point of a PUBLIC City Commission meeting is to conduct city business in PUBLIC.  This concept is totally lost on Tony Martinez who desperately needs a course in Democracy 101.  The timid commissioners approved the $22,500 funding without discussion, without a public outlining of the program, without a whimper.  

Brownsville deserves better.