MARTINEZ AND CABLER ECHO EACH OTHER AS MENDEZ SKIPS THE UTRGV FORUM

Tony Martinez, Charlie Cabler at UT-RGV Forum(the empty chair was reserved for Trey Mendez, a no-show)

Probably about the time Trey Mendez was selling his 20,000th pizza at Dodici Pizza and Wine Wednesday, his fellow contenders for the Brownsville mayorship, incumbent Tony Martinez and former City Manager Charlie Cabler engaged in a virtual lovefest at the college's PlainsCapital Bank El Gran Salón.

Yes, the PlainsCapital Bank El Gran Salón.  Let that sponsored name roll off your tongue once or twice, replacing what was once one of the more creative names for a venue anywhere.  

Cabler and Martinez basically echoed each other.  Contrary to an intentional mischaracterization by Blogfather McHale, the bad blood is between Martinez and Trey Mendez, not Charlie and Tony.  Duh!

Event advertising by Rio Grande Valley Student Media stressed that UTRGV students would be given "priority seating," but, as the above pic shows, we older folk did not have to stand.

Before the event, I gave Martinez the bad news, that Erasmo was asking the mayoral candidates for one more appearance at Angelita's Casa de Cafe April 28.  Tony pointed me to one of his assistants, Kevin, who gave me his email as kevin@mapwins.com, obviously connected to James Aldrete's Message, Audience, Presentation, Inc., the Austin outfit whose website once depicted Hispanic voters as possessing "low education levels" and a "low level of information."

Martinez took credit for what he said would be a "July announcement" by an LNG firm of "3,000 jobs, while SpaceX, the mayor claimed will bring "600 new jobs," hiring "60 engineers" at minimum six figure salaries.(Interestingly, in the Environmental Forum, Mayor Martinez distanced himself from LNG, reminding us that it was a Port of Brownsville matter.)

Cabler could not match those promises, only repeating that he was on the original "Space Team" as City Manager.

The students incorporated a couple 50 cent words in their questions, one asking about gentrification, the process of upgrading a blighted urban area, while another raised the issue of persistent poverty.  The responses were, at best, vague.

One of the questions asked the candidates what could be done to keep UTRGV students from having to travel to Edinburg for "most of their classes."

Martinez reminded the student that the city supports the college, but doesn't control it, while Cabler speculated that once student population reached a certain point, the problem would correct itself.

Responding to one of those "why can't we be like McAllen" questions, Cabler made an odd statement, saying that Brownsville shouldn't be "compared to a city that was actually part of a "metroplex."  

McAllen/Pharr/Edinburg is a "metroplex?"  Really?

Martinez, sort of liking the Cabler vibe, added that, as an attorney, he never competed against other attorneys, but only "against himself."  What?