I learned that merchants were dispensing 250,000 plastic bags daily, with a lot of them polluting our city. This fact posed an overwhelming challenge and cost to counter the pollution within our community.
When I introduced the bag ordinance, like a great community partner H.E.B immediately called me and offered to help draft the ordinance. H.E.B was key to implementing the ordinance, along with Susan Putegnat and many others who got onboard to make it a reality.
The reduction of waste at our landfill, protecting our waterways and environment was instant. Brownsville accomplished what costly litter campaigns failed to do and set the standard for others to follow.
The debate continues, but the results can't be denied. We have a cleaner city and it has a positive economic impact on our city.
My response to those who are inconvenienced or upset by the bag ordinance is to think more about the positive legacy the leave for their grandchildren. I challenge them to be part of the effort to keep our city clean by paying the $1 fee, which goes to the city cleanup fund and helps keep property taxes down.
Our parents and grandparents carried morralitos, or bags, when shopping, so why not us?
Is it an inconvenience? It can be, if you choose to make it so.
Why do poor people have to pay the $1 fee for plastic bags? Because even poor people litter! It is our community and we must all share the commitment to keep our city clean.
Ultimately, this is not about any one person. This is about us as a community to do what we can to protect the environment.
To my critics as mayor, I was engaged in the mission to serve and to improve our community. All my initiatives were for the benefit of our city, not for an individual or class of people.
I was always on the go to make good things happen for our community and gladly accept the criticism as a badge of honor for doing my best twice as mayor.
If the bag ordinance were to be repealed, I am sure the good citizens of Brownsville would rebel at regressing to the Third World perception Brownsville once had. Being progressive has its price and after the fact people tend to realize there was a purpose behind the madness. People criticized those who had the courage to introduce initiatives others only find fault with.
Pat Ahumada
.jpg)
I don't mind the ban on the plastic bags. Our city is much cleaner. My only objection: you can buy the plastic bags. If it's banned, then BAN and don't sell them AT ALL.
ReplyDeleteYep, its a ban right what happened to recycling wasn't that the whole idea?the ban should have been with incentives so people will bring bags in to recycle.
DeleteIt is NOT a plastic bag ban, it is a plastic bag ordinance. Big difference.
DeletePat Ahumada had some traumatic and unfortunate events in his life. Did they drive him to drink more? Perhaps. Setting his personal issues aside, Pat is a very smart man - surprisingly smart. Have a 5 minute conversation with him and you'll understand. Our current mayor wants us to think he's smart. He did not get rich off his knowledge, he got rich off his scams, just like he continues to do with Barrera and Golonski. As crazy as you may think I sound, we were waaaaaay better off with Pat. The mayor is going to have a tough time getting re-elected.
its too bad that Pat Ahumada could not maintain a calm sensible tone at City Commission meetings like he does in this letter
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of Mr. Ahumada, and I dont particularly like the way he comes across in person as arrogant, BUT I totally agree with him in his letter to the editor and even with all his faults (too many to enumerate) at this point and time, he was much more involved in his city than our current mayor who was going to "transform" Brownsville. Mr. Martinez, you have transformed Brownsville, yes, into the laughing stock of the RGV.
ReplyDeleteAND A THIRD WORLD TOWN.
DeleteSo, if it was printed in The Herald, why publish it here? Without comment, it is simply re-routing news. Dare to report it!
ReplyDeleteTry to think analytically. Why do articles get reposted? Why are links used? Does a reposted article always require commentary? Dare to think!
ReplyDeleteps: your style seems familar
I don't mind an effort to get rid of the plastic bags, but one question comes to mind. When I see people using cards from the various food/entitlement programs, they all seem to be buying many bags. Does our tax dollars pay for the plastic bags to food stamp and other entitlement programs. While there are some reasons for a plastic bag (meat, ice cream, etc) we see carts full of those plastic bags exiting the food stores. Here again, we seem to have an ordinance that targets one part of the population but then allows tax dollars to be used to buy/use plastic bags. Obviously too big a problem for the city to take on while they figure out what to do with the Stillman "shack" in Linear Park.....and spend money on more bike trails. Is anyone awake downtown?????????
ReplyDelete"Is anyone awake downtown?????????"
DeleteNO THEY'RE DEMOCRATS.
Idiot! 250,000 bags a day. Where does he get his information? Brownsville needs a recycling program not a bag ban. Of course HEB loved the idea. Can you imagine how much money they saved?
ReplyDeleteMost miss the main points. Like prohibition and even Obamacare, the bag "ban" may address an important issue, but like the aforementioned laws it is ill-conceived, poorly thought out. Founded on misinformation and some outright lies the "ban" at its core, penalizes the law abiding and does nothing to address the real problem. It blames the "gun" and not the "shooter." Has it had some positive affects? Maybe. But it is impossible to quantify in spite of the "feelings" and rhetoric of its proponents. The unintended consequences however are many and easily definable. There are better solutions to this problem and the fact that this is the best effort of our city leaders is truly alarming. It is why Brownsvillle is a distant follower when it should be the leading city of South Texas.
ReplyDelete