THE ALTERNATIVE "STATE OF THE CITY," MONTOYA SINGS DYLAN, ONE OF "LOS JUNIORS" RESPONDS TO JERRY

Brownsville's Bloggers Hold Alternative "State of the City" Event under the Fully Lit Market Square Dome

"What a great night!" I told fiancee' Ana when I finally powered my phone back on at 3 AM.

Ana Adiong

"As long as you had fun," was all Ana had to say.

Hell, yeah!

Fantasy vs reality to be sure, but, also, a superb evening in balmy, downtown Brownsville, followed by a night of wind and storm.

The evening started with a taxpayer-sponsored "State of the City" that morphed into a "Martinez for Mayor" campaign event, with Tony taking credit for everything from SpaceX to the water in Brownsville's resacas.

Later, after checking out Dodici's, Erasmo suggested a cerebral visit to The Library, a new nightclub just off Market Square.  Outside the venue we ran into John Cowen, Ben Neece and two city honchos.

Blogger Jerry McHale soon joined, ordering Don Julio, followed a few minutes later by Juan Montoya, who preferred Jack and Coke.  

Things quickly got ugly as Jerry's latest theme, "Los Juniors," came up for discussion.

"Asshole!" someone said and Juan stood up for a few seconds, only to be distracted by a request to do his Elvis Presley imitation "Suspicious Minds."

Next, Juan and I collaborated with a legendary performance of Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue."

She was married when we first met

Soon to be divorced

I helped her out of a jam I guess

But I used a little too much force

The cynical, uncut "State of the City" went back and forth 'tween the bloggers.  

"He's doing a good job, bro!" offered Erasmo Castro about the new, young city manager, Noel Bernal.

"Did GBIC Director Mario Lozoya immediately get his panties soiled by Mike Hernandez III?" someone asked.

"Duh!" was the response.

I had a job in the great north woods

Working as a cook for a spell

But I never did like it all that much

And one day the axe just fell

Somehow the discussion turned to fatherhood.

"I can't say that much for the marriage," started Neece, "but fatherhood has been great."

Two of McHale's boys were with him, with the oldest fetching him another Don Julio, then placing his hands on his dad's shoulders.

"My son wandered in, too!" I added, speaking of local artist Diego Lee Rot, who came into Market Square with his girlfriend for the food, not the politics.

But all the while I was alone

The past was close behind

I seen a lot of women

But she never escaped my mind

And I just grew

Tangled up in blue

When I got home and charged up my phone, there was a long note from Carlos Guerrero, a candidate for City Commissioner At Large "A," one of those Jerry has notoriously labeled as part of "Los Juniors," young Hispanic men hellbent on introducing the ways of Matamoros to Brownsville. . . 

Guerrero explained:

I think this is one of the reasons he dislikes me a bit lol:

This contradicts what Jerry told us at the after party last night, that he only targets those for advertising that he conscientiously can support.  This is how Jerry worded it on his blog, the McHale Report:

At The McHale Report our ad policy is very simple: We offer ad space to those politicians we like and refuse ad space to politicians we dislike. In the present election no amount of money could persuade The McHale Report to support Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa, Jessica Bradshaw-Puente and Carlos Guerrero. They do not move Brownsville forward. Tetreau-Kalifa and Guerrero are puppets of the special interests and Bradshaw-Puente is a Trump strumpet.

Next, Guerrero explains why he did not agree to buy advertising from McHale:

I just never got back to him. Did not feel I had to reach out to him or pay him to get elected or get recognized.

I reached out to him at first cause I thought he was a good person to talk to and pick his brain a bit.

But cut him off when he sent me that text and ever since that. I have been on his bad side. Lol dose not make a difference to me but. I’m guessing that’s why he started writing negative things about me. I figured I would send you that

Take care Mr. Barton have a goodnight

Carlos Guerrero