How Lies, Disinformation and the Mayor's Inaccessibility Factored into the Parking Meter Rate Raise~Part II

City Manager Charlie Cabler

After the disguised, clever phrasing of the December 10th City Commission agenda item failed to sneak a parking meter raise past the commissioners, Mayor Martinez called for a town hall forum "within two weeks."  Without knowing exactly when the town forum would take place, the mayor said he would be "out of town" and designated City Manager Charlie Cabler to arrange for the town hall meeting.

Walking in to the Market Square Conference Room, I walked over the City Manager Cabler to ask about the requirements for Public Comment.  "Oh, there's a list over there to sign.  It's just like a City Commission meeting," Cabler stated.

Interim City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez

Walking over "there," I saw no such list and realized Cabler was out of the loop.  While Cabler mosied over to his normal "security guard" position along the wall, City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez was near the speaker's stand, comfortable, obviously in charge.  A microphone was set up facing the podium, so speakers would have their back to the audience, but would be facing Ramiro, the moderator.

Planner Ramiro began his 18 minute power point with a very basic lie about downtown Brownsville, describing it as "congested" with prospective downtown shoppers "cruising" downtown streets in desperation, looking for a vacated parking space.  

Empty E. Jefferson Street on Brownsville's busiest
weekday.  E. St. Charles is also empty.  Planner Ramiro
did not show these photos because they show his
representation of Brownsville's downtown "problem" is a lie.

"Research shows," Ramiro repeated again and again, "that cheap parking is the problem."  The "research" Gonzalez referred to was in a book, "The High Cost of Free Parking" that sits on the planner's desk.  Gonzalez referred to New York, Chicago, San Antonio and Houston as examples that Brownsville's 25 cent parking was beyond the times, never comparing cities in the valley, especially Harlingen, where parking is free.  Slides showed two carefully selected downtown streets, Elizabeth and Washington, from E. 10th to International Blvd. with few available spaces, carefully avoiding Jefferson and St. Charles, both fully metered, but empty.  

Actually, what Ramiro never revealed to the town hall forum or the City Commission later is that he had been working since 2011 to increase parking meter rates so as to create a revenue stream for "downtown revitalization."  And what is the first downtown project for these monies? Ramiro admitted to us it would be the purchase of new, credit card accessible parking meters.

Wooptido! Way to "revitalize" downtown Brownsville!

(to be continued)