FORMER BROWNSVILLE CITY OFFICIAL RAMIRO GONZALEZ MAKES A STATEMENT ABOUT HIS RESIGNATION

 

Ramiro Gonzalez

About 3 weeks ago, my 12-year service to the City of Brownsville came to an abrupt end. 

To set the record straight I was asked to resign or get terminated and given a couple of hours to make that decision. 

Many know the reason and I won’t get into detail but I will say that I’ve been preaching about Downtown Revitalization for over 12 years and I had not had the opportunity to invest in a property downtown until now. 

I bought a building with a friend of over 20 years who happens to be Mayor. 

Everything was transparent, we never hid anything, and both parties had their own realtor involved in the transaction. We are two private citizens investing in an area that we believe in.

My story with downtown and development runs deeper than many know. My family has been in the development business since 1995 and in the real estate business since my grandfather’s days in Matamoros. 

Thus, for the better part of 60 years, development has been part of our family history. I grew up in Downtown Brownsville at my parents’ interior decorating store at the corner of 8th and Washington (a place now owned by an architecture studio).

Later on, Downtown Revitalization became the focus of my master’s thesis at UT-Austin. 

I felt very fortunate when I was hired as Comprehensive Planning Manager by the City of Brownsville in 2009 because that meant coming back to my hometown and I was eager to make a difference. 

At that point, Brownsville had little to no direction, there were no major projects to speak of, and downtown revitalization had many failed attempts.  

Twelve years later I can proudly say I left my mark on my hometown and I leave it better than how it was. 

I’m grateful for the friends, colleagues and community partners I met and worked with along the way. 

I also acknowledge that progress could not have happened without political support. I do believe the challenges were getting greater and the projects were only getting larger in scope. 

I will miss being a part of these major initiatives, particularly the closing of the Digital Divide, because this is one of those projects that can really push Brownsville forward forever. 

As I write this post I can’t help but think of the many experiences and people that I had the opportunity to meet along the way. 

However, one initiative in particular takes a special place in my heart. In 2012 as we were engaging with many partners on our Build a Better Block initiative, I met a girl who was very passionate about our community. 

She wasn’t from here and yet she was engaged in several community activities. This girl was extremely well connected at the University and played a pivotal role in bringing student organizations and artists to Better Block. One Better Block led to another, which then led to a couple of dates, and a couple of years later Luciana and I got married.

I’d like to finish this post with a list of some of the numerous projects I worked on, from design to implementation.

PLANS: Downtown Master Plan, Brownsville Hike and Bike Plan, LRGV Active Transportation and Active Tourism Plan, Gladys Porter Zoo Master Plan

Projects under my watch or initial vision

TRAILS:

Belden Trail, Belden Connect, Belden 3 ($2 Million total)

West Rail Trail ($8.8 Million)

Southmost Trail ($9 Million committed)

Battlefield Extension - North of Battlefield ($2 Million)

Battlefield Extension - University Connect ($1 Million)

6th Street Sidewalk Improvement ($750,000)

DOWNTOWN & MITTE CULTURAL DISTRICT

Market Square ($6 Million)

George Ramirez Performing Arts Academy ($5 Million)

E-Bridge Original Vision - San Fernando buillding ($2.5 Million)

UP Railyard Transaction 

Facade Improvement Program ($1 Million)

Large Murals (BTX and Cosmos) ($65,000)

Build a Better Block events in 2012-13 ($25,000)

Downtown Pole Replacement - coming soon ($875,000)

Cannery Public Market Project ($2.1 Million)

Zoo Infrastructure ($5.5 million)

PARKS:

Portway Acres Rehabilitation ($475,000)

Veteran Park Trees ($50,000)

Broadband Middle Mile Network ($19.5 Million)

Total Project Amount: 65.2 million dollars

These 12 years went by quickly because I enjoyed my work. But our progress did not come easy and without personal sacrifices. 

Time with family, career opportunities, and my public image were impacted along the way. Still, I can honestly say that I gave my all to my work with the City with the current and the past administrations.  

Although it shook me how things happened in the last weeks, I am optimistic and enjoying some off-time with my family. 

I’m excited about what the future holds for Brownsville and I will seek to remain involved as much as I can. 

Brownsville, On the Border, By the Sea, and Beyond!