Brownsville Herald Reporter Portrays Tony Martinez as Savior of Lincoln Park

Brownsville Herald's Ty Johnson

Valley Interfaith candidate forums frequently put politicos on the spot, asking when a certain street will have a sidewalk or a certain intersection a traffic light. Candidates are asked to simply say "yes" or "no" about an issue, not merely weasel out with double-talk or spin.  

At the Valley Interfaith Accountability Forum held Sunday at  St. Eugene de Mazenod Church, all six mayoral candidates, including Tony Martinez, promised to keep Lincoln Park "where it is."  

If there was any "weaseling" by Martinez, that was conveyed through Brownsville Herald reporter Ty Johnson, who typically chooses city government spin over facts in his coverage.  Johnson's report on the candidate forum published Monday did not deviate from that well-established pattern.  Note below a quote from the article:
  
Martinez has been portrayed by critics as the figurehead of the movement to sell the park for $6.5 million and rebuild it across from the Brownsville Public Utilities Board wastewater treatment plant on East University Boulevard, but he said later that he and the city were exploring options that could make everyone happy.


A vote about the deal late last year led to the filing of a lawsuit, and a city-run public forum to discuss amenities at the proposed new park quickly turned into a rally against the transaction as speaker after speaker railed against the movement of a park for the sake of university expansion.

Martinez said Sunday that the city is considering other options." Actually, Martinez himself admits that the proposal to transfer Lincoln Park to the ultra-rich University of Texas system originated in a phone call between the mayor and UT.  Notice his comment at the 2/25/13 City Commission meeting:
  
"The land offered last time (2/5/13 resolution) are two different parcels, the "Fish and Wildlife" you mentioned(22 acre tract next to Lincoln Park) and the 55 acre tract east of the expressway. The University of Texas came back to us, to me, and said would we consider the 47 acre tract west of the expressway known as Lincoln Park."

Thus, Martinez self-admitted role in the Lincoln Park giveaway is real, that of a presumptuous, unilateral spokesperson for the City of Brownsville, not simply a fictional one, as"portrayed by critics."

As to the claim by Ty Johnson that speakers turned  "a city-run public forum to discuss amenities at the proposed new park quickly turned into a rally against the transaction as speaker after speaker railed against the movement of a park for the sake of university expansion," that is simply incorrect.  

City Spokesperson Patty Gonzalez

City Spokesperson Patty Gonzalez had attempted to spin the purpose of the meeting, but, make no mistake, a public hearing to consider whether or not to sell the park was legally-mandated. Here is how the Brownsville Herald initially characterized Patty's words:  

 "Brownsville spokeswoman Patty Gonzales is presenting the hearing as an opportunity for residents to be involved in the creation of the new park, which she noted could even warrant a name change if citizens voiced their displeasure at the dedication of a third Lincoln Park."

By the time of the October 30, 2014 town hall meeting, the city had corrected the agenda to be consideration of whether or not to convey Lincoln Park.  

As to Martinez, "considering other options," why not simply take Lincoln Park off the table?  The video below this article shares City Attorney Mark Sossi's attempt to explain why legally this couldn't happen.  Yet, as we've explained in previous articles, the resolution had already been changed quite easily with Assistant City Attorney John Chosy presenting a "clarifying" resolution. 

So, while young Ty Johnson attempts to portray Mayor Tony Martinez as a protector of the city's assets at Lincoln Park, he's actually a far different animal.