QUALIFIED NON-POLITICIANS TO SERVE ON THE GBIC BOARD

 

As reiterated before on this blog, the purpose of cities in Texas creating 4A and 4B boards, like our own Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation(GBIC) and Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation(BCIC), was to remove monies used for economic development and quality of life projects from being controlled by politicians. 

Instead, qualified private citizens, not mayors or city commissioners would control how those monies were allocated and spent, removing even the appearance that politicians were "steering" projects toward companies, tracts of land they owned or controlled, family members, friends, palm-greasers, etc.

It's called transparency, people, a word politicians use, but don't understand.

Yet, this past fall, the Brownsville City Commission essentially disbanded the entire GBIC Board, replacing it with themselves, the Mayor and City Commission.  

It was a rogue move.  It was a dumbass move, one that I, hopefully, but wrongfully assumed would be corrected by now.  It was temporary, right?

Our City Commission not finding qualified replacements after all these months is simply lazy, apathetic and irresponsible.

So, let's do the work for the City Commission and name competent Brownsville citizens, not politicians, who are at least as competent, astute and scam-resistant as anyone on our somewhat dull City Commission.  These are simply people I know to be qualified, although I'm unsure of their actual residence or willingness to serve.  

Yes, I know Craig Grove lives in Rancho Viejo, but I figured that, with his vast real estate connections, he could find a downtown apartment, boarded-up house or Notary Public Office to declare as his legal residence.

Please, consider this a starting point to find seven willing, qualified, non-politician members to serve on GBIC:

Dino X. Chavez

Dr. Joe Hinojosa

David Hughston

Daniel Lenz

Laura Miniel

Teresa Saldivar

Tom Robinson

Jorge Lerma

Ben Nunez, Sr.

Gilbert Velasquez

Mary Helen Flores

Christopher Tamayo

Matthew Kendall

Michael Garza

Eduardo del Rio

Emilio Crixell

Diana Cazarin

Donald Hamm