Will Brownsville, Texas, the "Poorest City in the United States," Really Give Lincoln Park to the University of Texas System? Part I

Lincoln Park

In its relationship with the University of Texas system, Brownsville, Texas, the poorest city in the United States, is always the giver.  The University of Texas system is the taker, eagerly gobbling up precious assets from this poorest of cities, based on a thinly veiled threat to pull their satellite campus out of town.  Brownsville's City Commission, including the mayor, are easily duped because they have no concept of negotiations, suffer from a regional inferiority complex and, in some cases, do not understand that their oath of office includes protecting, not squandering or giving away the assets of 200,000 of the country's hardest working taxpayers.  

First of all, make no mistake, the University of Texas was NEVER leaving Brownsville without a satellite campus.  That would have been a colossal public relations mistake. The UT Regents are not country bumpkins and are expanding their university, not shrinking it.  One of the richest universities in the world leaving the poorest city in the United States without its four year university? UT is not that dumb.  That would have been a public relations nightmare with the Brownsville Herald possibly being the only newspaper in the country not picking up on the story of how a university system with billions in its coffers robbed, raped and pillaged a 90% Hispanic community with the lowest per capita income in the country.(Don't forget that the current value of the Permanent University Fund of the University of Texas, just one of its funding sources, based on the investments from oil and other revenues from 2,000,000 acres of land, is worth $17 billion.)

Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez

In their bush league eagerness to "keep" a satellite of the UT system in town, Brownsville's City Commission foolishly offered to "donate" two parcels of land to the system totaling 76 acres.  This is evidently what the executive session item on the agenda of the coming February 4, 2014 City Commission meeting is all about.  I understand one of the parcels the city wants to "donate" to the UT system is Lincoln Park.  WTF? A sort of resolution was adopted, worded something to the effect that if the newest version of UT's Brownsville campus was located downtown, this donation of land would be consummated. 

Despite the City Commission's frantic mayor-driven purchases of numerous obviously unsuitable properties downtown, the UT regents decided to stay on the campuses they had always used.  There was no interest in Casa del Nylon or ten other loosely affiliated properties Tony and the commission bought.  So, now we have the issue of this resolution and land giveaway that will be considered February 4th in a scheduled 15 minute executive session.

More on this in the next couple of days.(We'll endeavor to discuss the impact that losing Lincoln Park would have on the city and some possible improprieties in how the agreement to do that was handled.)  
Below is the description given for the executive session on the agenda:      

EXECUTIVE SESSION: 5:45 P.M.
A) Consultation with attorney pursuant to Texas Government Code 551.071 and 551.07(2) on a matter in which the duty of the attorney to the governmental body, under the Texas
Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas, clearly conflicts with Texas Government Code, Chapter 551, and Texas Government Code 551.072, in the deliberation of real property, concerning possible exchange of property with the University of Texas at Brownsville and/or Texas Southmost College. (Mark Sossi – City Attorney – 15 min.)

(to be continued)