MAYORAL CANDIDATES SQUARE OFF AT REALTOR'S CANDIDATE FORUM

Brownsville/SPI Board of Realtors Forum
L-R:  Mayor Tony Martinez, Trey Mendez, Charlie Cabler

A friend of mine was ready to declare victory at Wednesday's realtor candidate forum:

"Did you notice Trey and Tony going at it while Charlie stayed above it all?  Charlie won this!"

Actually, Mayor Martinez has been very remarkably conciliatory with Cabler, even at the Whine & Cheez podcast and now, at this forum.(Toward the end, the mayor clasped Cabler's extended hand with both of his, smiling, seemingly congratulating him on his forum performance.)

Mendez and Martinez were not so lovey-dovey with each other, with Mendez describing Brownsville as "broken," offering to "fix" it and Martinez reminding the audience of the large judgement awarded former TSC President Lily Tercero in her suit against the community college where Mendez is a trustee.

Cabler's primary theme is that he, unlike the current mayor and Mendez, is in a position to be a "full-time mayor," something he says this city of 200,000 desperately needs.

Mendez, appealing directly to an audience of realtors, finds it unacceptable that the average value of a home in Brownsville is $85,000, while in McAllen it is $125,000.

"That's a lot of tax base to make up," stated Mendez.

Martinez took credit for SpaceX, resaca cleanup and a newly enacted ethics code.

Mendez reminded the audience that Martinez had promised an ethics code as the "top priority" of his administration back in 2011, but was unable to deliver one until "30 days" before the election.(Actually, it is newly appointed City Attorney Rene De Coss who should be given credit for the new ethics code, completing it in just three months.)

Both Cabler and Mendez mentioned the issuance of new business permits as a process severely slowed by inefficiency and lack of coordination, while Cabler questioned why there is currently no city director for permitting, tourism or traffic.