Gowen Defends the Method but Not the Madness of Giving Away Lincoln Park!

Gowen, at the Town Hall
Meeting, but not listening
to the people.

In an article by the Brownsville Herald's Ty Johnson 11/18/14, a quote from the office of City Secretary Estela Von Hatten was cited:  “Commissioner Gowen ... does not believe that the University of Texas System, Board of Regents (or any University of Texas related entity) is, by definition, a “business entity” as that term is defined by Texas Local Government Code 171.001(2).

Town Hall Meeting at Tony Gonzalez
Gymnasium to Discuss Lincoln Park 

Gowen may very well be correct that her employment in a UT medical clinic does not disqualify her from voting on an issue involving UT, namely the gifting of Lincoln Park to the university system.  Of course, there are six other legal arguments in the lawsuit to be presented November 19 in Arturo Cisneros Nelson's 138th District Court to block the sale.  

There are also other moral, pragmatic and public service issues that need respectful attention despite the vote to sell, gift or convey the park.  These issues won't be heard by the 138th District Court, but we can reiterate them here.  In a way, our City Commission is on trial in the court of public opinion.

A question I've heard more than once since the 10/30/14 Town Hall meeting and the 11/4/14 vote to sell:  "What is the purpose of such a meeting if the city commissioners do not listen to the overwhelming will of the people?"  Of course, three of those who later voted to approve the sale did not bother to attend the town hall meeting.  Those three CHOSE not to listen to the people!  The one voting to sell who did attend, was there in body, not in spirit.

Gowen, Villarreal, Tetreau, Downing, Longoria

It was interesting to observe the gestures and body language of Commissioner Rose Gowen, who feigned disinterest, portrayed disgust, derision and disapproval as half a hundred citizens, most from Southmost, came forward to express their opposition to selling and moving Lincoln Park.  Experts in the field of kinesics or body language would have had a field day interpreting Gowen's body language.  At least twice her emotions got the best of her as she was heard to mutter "fucking dumbass" after District Attorney Luis Saenz' speech and "what a slob!" as Attorney Michael Cowen approached the microphone.  None of this boorish behavior surprises those who know or work with Gowen.(Enter "Gowen emails" in the search feature of this blog to read a series of articles in July 2014 sharing dispectful language used by Gowen to respond to citizen inquiries.)

One of the bigger issues, legal and pragmatic, is the University of Texas proving an actual need for the 48 acres of Lincoln Park.  They admit they have no current need, no proven need in 5 years or 10 years. The buildings UT currently occupies are underutilized.  Notice this comment from a UTB student:  "Ah, you hardly get what's really going on here. I've studied at UTB. Half of those rooms are empty. I walk past empty rooms every day on my way to class. Even before the old UTB/TSC faculty was laid off."

While the University of Texas system keeps referring to the eastern satellite campus of UT-RGV having 20,000 students, notice a portion of a comment place on Commissioner Deborah Portillo's Facebook page by TSC Trustee Trey Mendez:  "Further, the apparent rationale of the "gift" was for the expansion of the UT-RGV Campus in Brownsville. The popular explanation for the expansion argument is that the campus is set to hit 20,000 students by the year 2030. As of now, however, I have seen no concrete projections to show how anyone arrived at this number, making it nothing more than a fancy slogan. In fact, it is a similar slogan that was used in the late 90s, stating the campus would hit 20,000 students by 2010. 

At its peak, with dual enrollment and TSC students, the UTB campus never reached 20,000, the highest being about 14,000. According to the US News and World Report, the UTB campus currently has an enrollment of 7,547 students. Now, it faces various realistic barriers that will affect its growth. First and foremost is that the Brownsville university will have admission standards consistent with a UT System school. Unfortunately, many students graduating from local high schools are not college ready and will not meet these standards. Second, Texas Southmost College has continued the dual enrollment program with BISD, has lowered tuitions by about 35 % and has open admissions, making it a real asset for the students of Brownsville and its surrounding areas. Third, UT System officials have not actually stated what the role of the Brownsville campus will be and what programs it will house. Last, and certainly not least, is word out of College Station that A&M is planning some type of Campus in Weslaco. Even though I bleed UT orange, I can recognize that an A&M campus in the Valley will cut into the UTRGV market share."

Did you notice the current enrollment of the new school? 7,547
Here's another comment made my Mendez to Portillo, detailing the large holdings already acquired by the UT system on the Brownsville campus:
  
"With all due respect, I'm not aware of anything that our "sister cities" have given the UT System. You say that UTB doesn't "own that many buildings" in Brownsville, but they actually do.

They own everything between Ringgold (where the student union is) and University Blvd (where all the new buildings are, including the new library). This amounts to a huge part of the campus and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of square feet worth of buildings. 

This infrastructure and improvements is easily worth over $100M, a lot of which was paid for by this community. They also own an undeveloped 70 or so acres on the "duckhead" (on the other side of the expressway by the soccer fields) which they had reserved for future expansion in their previous master plan. 

At this point, they cant justify the growth they claim they will have, nor have they provided any concrete data to support it. They now have admissions standards consistent with a UT System school. They also dont have BISD's dual enrollment students anymore, because TSC has taken that program over. Further, TSC has lower tuitions and open admissions. There's also a forthcoming A&M campus in the mid valley, and a growing Our Lady of the Lake branch. All this will cut into their market share. I bleed orange, but I have to also be a realist. The city needs both a community college and a university. Done right, both should thrive. Your heart is in the right place, but I respectfully disagree with this decision. 

One last thing: they wouldn't leave hundreds of millions worth of land and buildings because one of the poorest cities in the US asks them to pay fair market value for land where one of the cities best parks is currently housed."

Interestingly, when the City of Brownsville and UT officials set up the town hall meeting, they placed signage on the back walls outlining projected growth for UT-Brownsville, a now defunct entity.  When a student commenter called them out on this, the UT rep sheepishly admitted the posters were obsolete and misleading.  "We have no idea about the future needs of UT-RGV," he admitted.

For those interested in seeing how this whole matter develops, be reminded of the hearing at 9:00 AM, November 19 in the 138th District Court presided by Judge Arturo Cisneros Nelson.