Rene Oliveira Urges Brownsville to Re-Elect Tony Martinez As Mayor!

Representative Rene Oliveira

In a pre-Brownsville Day party in Austin this past Tuesday, an observer claims State Representative Rene Oliveira proclaimed:

"One thing we must make certain we do.  We must re-elect Mayor Tony Martinez!"

Our tipster said the room, filled with mostly Brownsville officials and operatives, received Oliveira's declaration with something less than enthusiasm.  It's a poorly kept secret that most in City of Brownsville departments do not like the mayor.

Oliveira, never a friend of Brownsville, but paid handsomely to shill for the Linebarger law firm, has an undistinguished 30 year tenure "representing" District 37 at the Texas State House of Representatives.  

Notice an excerpt from a May 27, 2012 Mean Mister Brownsville article:  

"First, a little historical perspective: In 2001 Oliveira spearheaded a committee to remove a line in section 3308 of the tax code limiting the delinquent tax collection fee to 15%, subsequently including language allowing a tax collection fee rate of 20%. That bill sailed through the Ways & Means Committee of which Rene was chairman and was passed by the entire house. Considering Linebarger's near statewide presence in tax collection, how many millions of dollars did this sleight of hand add to the agency's coffers?


Now, fast forward to 2012. With Rene Oliveira retained by BISD as interim counsel, but still connected to Linebarger, the February 2, 2012 board meeting agenda contains an action item INCREASING the tax collection rate by 2.5%, netting the collection firm an extra $125,000. And who is that newly named firm? Linebarger, Goggan, Blair and Sampson LLP. (Please note: As documented by Bobby Wightman-Cervantes, Linebarger was a substantial contributor to the campaigns of BISD board members Longoria, Escobedo and Saavedra.) Who pays this extra fee and the millions of dollars collected since 2001 by the passage Rene Oliveira's house bill? The tax payers, the very people Representative Rene Oliveira claims to represent.


We must not limit Oliveira's traitorous betrayal of Brownsville and Cameron County to tax matters. We must not forget Oliveira's treacherous attempt to effectively nullify the 4-3 vote to preserve Texas Southmost College. Rene totally misrepresented the will of the people by trying to overturn that vote with a house bill essentially for unification. Only by the efforts of TSC Trustee Adela Garza to lobby the committee, carefully laying out the actual situation at UTB/TSC was Oliveira's attempted sabotage thwarted. Yes, Rene Oliveira is a representative, but not of the people of Brownsville, Cameron County and District 37."