Home of Today’s Common Sense

 Published - Brownsville Herald April 29, 2007

We are just one week until early voting begins in our local elections. The candidates have given us many opportunities to meet them, hear what they say are the most important issues confronting us for the coming term, and describing how they will deal with the issues. All of them are human beings, subject to all the frailties as the rest of us; some have had direct experience in the same positions, which may or may not be helpful.  Over the next few weeks we must make a decision as to the kind of folks we want to entrust our future with. Once that is done, what can we do to keep our representatives on the track that will benefit the community? The press and radio stations can only do so much to seek out the issues and analyze them, even the representatives themselves may make bad decisions based on faulty or intentionally skewed information. Is it right to expect that regular folks elected to a public office with no salary can act as a Board of Directors over such complex businesses as an airport or a power generation utility without staff support, even though they may be managed by competent folks? 

Many candidates bring the skills of their lifetime to the office and others with managerial skills donate time out of community interest or sometimes for some personal gain. Other elected officials, do whatever they can to learn what their neighbors can tell them or even gain a focus by hearing what other candidates have to say. At the most recent meeting of South Texans for Good Government, I had the privilege of sitting next to our County Judge Carlos Cascos. Though he didn’t say, I expect that he was looking at the potential mayors he would be working with in a few months and listening to what issues were resonating with the folks. His active interest was a definite sign of cooperation that has not been seen for some time in the rarified atmosphere of the County Judge’s chambers. Perhaps Judge Cascos also felt the beginnings of the “Miracle on Jacaranda”. 

As I was leaving the meeting, I was told that a few folks were going to get together for lunch at Capt. Bob’s on

I like the shrimp there and made it a point to get there early. I was also able to find a seat with my back to the wall so I would not miss anything. Present were Commission candidates Ernie Hernandez, Ernesto DeLeon, William Garza, Dr. Sandra Garcia, Catalina Presas-Garcia as was GBIC President Jose Herrera – who sat next to me. During the gathering luminaries such as Port Commissioner Peter Zavaleta, former city Commissioner Dr. Joe Zavaletta, former Port Commissioner Candidate Don De Leon, and Raymond De Leon who contributes articles to El Bravo in Matamoros stopped by. Mr. Herrera began the soirée by describing what the Greater Brownsville Incentives Programs did and have accomplished. In response to candidate questions he did an admirable job of explaining the priorities and what he planned to do to reevaluate the focus as a result of some choices that have resulted in public criticism. 

Following my political ideals, I asserted that the extortion of money by taxation from the public to give it to someone else, especially in the case of incentives to corporations just to locate here, was not much more than corporate welfare. I also suggested that incentives given to local businesses being started up by our own neighbors or others that have the vision to expand their current local businesses would be more successful over the long run and those entrepreneurs would work harder for a success that is part of their home town than a transient corporation would. Mr. Herrera countered with a true believer’s passion, and convinced me that an amount of both were needed. The important thing was that the candidates got a first hand briefing as to the operation of one of the important tools the city has to improve its future and a look at another possible focus. In an article published in the Brownsville Herald on September 4, 2004, entitled “PUB Election and OurCPE”, I pointed out the lack of advance preparatory information available to aspiring office holders and the lack of funds available to provide specific staff research to office holders at the city and county levels that would support better decisions. Currently the county and city leaders are required to spend substantial sums to pay consultants that have little experience with the uniqueness of South Texas to give them information, possibly shaded by parties in interest, on which to base decisions that will be with us for years. 

At that time I suggested the creation of a non-profit organization in association with the University of Texas at Brownsville to use that great research resource to make Brownsville more self sufficient and prosperous. An entity such as “Our Center for Public Efficiency” could give our students first hand opportunities to help prepare candidates for their offices, debate the possible solutions from a variety of perspectives as was done at the Friday gathering, and research the many issues facing the city fathers on a day to day basis. Anecdotal inquiries have convinced me that such an entity would receive substantial public support and provide funding for social and community research that might be spent with a less satisfying result outside our city.  I still believe such a resource would be very valuable and will provide a basic concept paper on request.  While the gathering seemed to just evolve, Robert Sanchez happily sponsored it and made me wonder if the star I think I saw over his house last Christmas was still there and perhaps the Miracle keeps following him around. Whatever it is – contrived or something mysterious – I hope it continues because I see opposing candidates focusing on how to deal with community issues without making vicious attacks; that alone has to be a “Miracle” and it is pretty close to Easter at that..