Is Our City Commission Being Manipulated?

     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, afterall, 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.
     Our new commissioners will evidently have to be prepared for tricks.  No coming in flat-footed.  Estela Chavez-Vasquez repeated a Zamora phrase about "announcements" in her brief contribution to the discussion.  She seemed poised to vote "yes" until she noticed which way Tony was blowing the wind and quickly succumbed to "nay".  Tony then made a comment that I'm certain his San Antonio handlers would never have written for him:  "I'd like to continue doing what the last administration did.  It seems to be working pretty well.  I don't want to change it."
     It's been said that the broadcast of public comment is a litmus test for Brownsville's new city administration.  It's not the biggest issue facing the city, but its handling gives notice as to the direction the city is taking.  It does not look good for transparency, inclusiveness and democracy at this point.