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| Graphic by Diego Lee Rot
Our beautiful city, sometimes described as the country's poorest, would be much poorer, losing many of its assets, while still shouldering its tax burdens, had not some courageous people pushed back against Tony Martinez and his cronies in 2011 and again in 2014.
Setting the stage for a 2011 "separation or unification" controversy was a November 2010 decision by the University of Texas System Board of Regents to terminate the UTB/TSC partnership. The proposed plan, supported by Tony Martinez, UTB President Juliet Garcia and others, called for TSC to lose its autonomy, being absorbed by UTB, $198 million in assets being ceded to the University of Texas System with Brownsville taxpayers still on the hook for $102 million in bonded indebtedness.
Four courageous TSC trustees, Rene Torres, Fransisco Rendon, Adela Garza and Trey Mendez, voted against that merger, protecting Brownsville taxpayers from an incredible and immoral loss of assets. We stand forever in their debt.
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On October 30, 2014 hundreds of citizens show up for a town hall meeting at the Tony Gonzalez Park Gym, with the front row "reserved" for UT "suits," originally to discuss whether or not to give away Lincoln Park, but cleverly changed by the city to giving citizens a chance "to be involved in the creation of a new park."
While one local after another pleaded not to give away the park, IBC President Fred Rusterberg, Chamber of Commerce President Maria Hall and the normally reticent Abraham Galonsky spoke in favor of the transfer.(It was later learned that Galonsky owned a 20 acre tract adjacent to the sewer plant he hoped the city would purchase to expand the new park.)
The public pressure against the conveyance of Lincoln Park won out and the proposal was dropped. Valley Interfaith, among others, made their point.
But, no credit goes to Tony Martinez. At every turn, he has worked against the interests of Brownsville and its taxpayers.
Giving Martinez yet a third term would be disastrous.
Actually, it was a Tony Martinez mailout that got me thinking. . . . Tony claims that, because of the separation, "countless TSC buildings are going unused."
ReplyDeleteHow can that be when TSC is experiencing record enrollment. The key may have something to do with Tony Martinez, Rene Oliveira and Eddie Lucio, Jr. not having the political will or skill to keep the Edinburg campus of UT-RGV from getting the lion's share of classes and all of the administration. . . .A split campus is a horrible idea, anyway!
No update on the election bribery at the library?
ReplyDeleteTSC enrollment not all that impressive, actually. List the number.
ReplyDeleteWhat is TSC enrollment not counting kids in the local high schools taking Dual enrollment classes?
ReplyDeleteThose help inflate tremendously
TSC is not what Jim Barton portrays here. Sad.
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