Are Brownsville's Young City Commissioners Growing Into the Job?

City Commissioner John Villarreal

For the second time in two City Commission meetings Commissioner John Villarreal has co-authored an agenda item designed to protect taxpayer assets and curb the spendthrift Mayor Tony Martinez from using city revenue streams as his own personal piggy bank.

After learning that Tony Martinez had been dipping into the $3,060,000 AEP Texas settlement funds without consulting the City Commission, Commissioner Villarreal, along with Commissioner Debbie Portillo, joined in putting an item on the agenda of the January 21, 2014 City Commission meeting to ascertain what monies Tony had spent and to put controls on the remaining balance: 
12. Consideration and ACTION to acknowledge the expenditures paid from the AEP lawsuit settlement proceeds and to approve an expenditure budget from the remaining proceeds.(Commissioners J. Villarreal/D. Portillo)

Commissioner Jessica Tetreau

Whether the offshoot of that agenda item will be either an executive session or a public workshop was not totally clear.  At the January 21st meeting, when the discussion among the commissioner began to implicate the mayor, Mayor Pro Tem Rose Gowen, acting as moderator in Martinez' absence, quickly called for a workshop on the item.  Commissioner Longoria suggested an executive session instead.  Later in the meeting, Commissioner Estela Chavez-Vasquez mentioned having both an executive session AND a workshop.(If this matter goes to a workshop, the mayor should get an earful.  There is no excuse for the mayor to lease/and or purchase and refurbish first one, then a second  location for a downtown office with all of the office space the city already owns.  It is simply an outrageous waste of hard-earned taxpayer dollars simply spent to satisfy the mayor's whims.  In actuality, it is doubtful, either the newly named Brownsville Downtown Revitalization Information Office at 1101-A E. Washington or the now being remodeled second choice for mayoral office at 609-11 E. 11th Street will EVER be actual daily use offices.  To my knowledge, the BDRIO has been used for only one meeting since being leased October 8, 2013 and subsequently refurbished.  The map of Brownsville City Resacas fell off the wall about two weeks ago and has yet to be put back up.  The mayor, as we've reported, is frequently out of town, likely not to be available for constituent chit-chat at a downtown office.)

Now, as we just reported, Commissioner Villareal, this time in tandem with Commissioner Jessica Tetreau, is co-authoring another agenda item for the scheduled February 4th City Commission meeting to wrest control of city funds from Mayor Martinez, reaffirming the nature and legality of an actual city commission.  Here is the Villarreal/Tetreau authored agenda item for February 4:  
12. Consideration and ACTION on Resolution Number 2014-029, in support of the City Manager’s role as the Chief Executive Officer as authorized under the Brownsville City Charter, Article V, Section 20, and directing that no member or members of the city commission, acting in numbers less than a lawful quorum, may direct the city manager to take any action regarding the use of funds, without city commission members being informed of any transactions or the general business of the City at all times. (Commissioners J. Villarreal and J. Tetreau)

Commissioner Estela Chavez-Vasquez has also been assertive for the past year in questioning contracts presented for approval.  Along with Tetreau and former Commissioner Zamora, the silly Robert C. Luna, coming before the commission, expecting the usual rubber stamp, was frequently sent back to get his facts straight, as in the number of bids received, how many contractors bid, etc.  Eventually, Luna stopped making those presentations.

Commissioner Chavez-Vasquez

At the January 21st meeting, it was Chavez-Vasquez who questioned the $39,000 spent to move the Stillman House twice not coming before the commission.  While Commissioner Gowen and City Attorney Sossi both stated incorrectly that there was no way of knowing the building would have to be moved twice, thus making the two part move two separate contracts, the facts show otherwise.  City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez was quoted in the Brownsville Herald October 18, 2013: "When the house was first moved here, that location was always meant to be a temporary location,” he said. In other words, the city ALWAYS knew the Stillman House would be moved twice. If they did not have a final location in mind, the exact final cost of the two moves may have not been determined, but it would obviously exceed the $35,000 threshold.  Commissioner Chavez-Vasquez was correct.

Veteran City Commissioner Ricardo Longoria spoke up when the nearly passed tripling of downtown parking meter rates came up on the agenda in December.  He also expressed utter shock at the expenditures detailed in Finance Officer Pete Gonzalez' January 21 report of funds already spent from the AEP Texas settlement.  He obviously does not read this blog as much of that had been covered here in the last few months.