Tuesday, August 19, 2014

As BCIC Board Prepares to Go Gowenless, Another Attempt at Naming Director Scheduled August 21

Outgoing BCIC Board Member,
City Commissioner Rose Gowen
Last year $8,400,000 was diverted from Brownsville's sales tax dollars to be used for economic development. Half, $4,200,000 went to the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation.
The other half, $4,200,000 went to the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation for so-called "quality of life" projects.  

 Commissioner Rose Gowen has been the primary manipulator of the BCIC, the board deciding how such "quality of life" funds are spent.  (Her boss, Carlos Marin, completely controls projects vetted by the BEDC, the symbiotic syster of the GBIC.  All his projects pass the GBIC without discussion.  He's already wined and dined the board members, explaining what he wants, and they comply like naive school kids.)

 Rose Gowen and two other BCIC board members, Jude Benavides and Blanca Perez-Moreno, are leaving at the end of the year, having completed 2 two year terms, the maximum allowed.  

 3 new members commencing in 2015 has the possibility of changing the thrust and focus of the BCIC.  While half of their funding is still committed to the Brownsville/Olmito Sports Park, the other monies have largely been used for bike trails, bike trail maintenance, bike trail design, etc.  While this leaves infrastructure that will stay with the city, the actual interest of Brownsville citizens in cycling has been greatly exaggerated.  Staged, subsidized events like Cyclobia appear to show spontaneous interest, but would fade without consistent BCIC funding.

 The Brownsville Museum of Fine Art has also been a favorite of the BCIC, while the Gladys Porter Zoo has been overlooked.
Planner Ramiro Gonzalez
On August 21 at 4:00 PM the BCIC will meet for the third time in two months to consider hiring another director.  Originally 5, but now 6 candidates will be considered.  Ramiro Gonzalez from the Planning Department is Rose Gowen's choice.  As reported in this blog, the young, loquacious Ramiro has time and again proven himself to be a willing hey boy for Rose Gowen and Tony Martinez.  Selecting Gonzalez as director would effectively continue Rose Gowen's control of the BCIC board.
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6 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 20, 2014 at 7:51 AM

    Since there is no provision for Commissioner appointments to boards (a very bad idea) look forward to a push to put Estella Vasquez on BCIC for a term that far exceeds her elected office. David Betancourt, Carlos Cisneros, and others were still pulling the purse strings LONG after they were out. It now seems clear that the move to appoint Jessica T. to GBIC was done to prevent her appointment to BCIC and clear the way for some long term deal cutting with a lame duck.

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  2. AnonymousAugust 20, 2014 at 9:47 AM

    Jim, who are the other 5 candidates?

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  3. AnonymousAugust 23, 2014 at 1:08 PM

    Can we go Ramiroless at the same time? He could loose some weight working for the Meter Enforcement people. I hear they have to cover more ground now looking for violators because there are even fewer people parking and shopping downtown now. That weird geek McAllen can join him on a bicycle. He can pick up a spare one at Our Lady of Perpetual Motion where they are stuffing all the taxpayer paid bikes that go in circles downtown in a "Trip to Nowhere"

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  4. AnonymousAugust 23, 2014 at 1:09 PM

    The poet, the physician, The farmer, the scientist,
    The magician and the other so-called Gods of our legends.
    Though Gods they were -
    And as the elders of our time choose to remain blind
    Let us rejoice
    And let us sing
    And dance and ring in the new Hail Atlantis!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 18, 2014 at 2:36 AM

    No wonder I didn't get considered for the position. It's all who you know. Why post the job, then? Bunch of crooks!

    ReplyDelete

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