For Star-Crossed Harlingen City Commissioner Kori Marra, It's Another Long Round On The Ropes...Politics Has Its Ethics...

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor

HARLINGEN, Texas - In sports, there comes a time when the fight looks so hopeless that a team or a boxer's corner will throw in the towel. In basketball, fans begin to stream out of the arena as soon as they decide time will not allow a comeback. In opera, aficionados know the show is almost over when the fat lady sings.

So, at what time will the fat lady sing for the play we've known as The Kori Marra Chronicles?

Yesterday, she again was walloped by that worst of menace for any politician - a bad publicity day. Cameron County court records released to the news media indicated Ms. Marra was being charged with violation of state ethics rules when she "twice failed to abstain or file an affidavit for a vote in which there was a special economic benefit." That was last September. Those same records further stated that she had a "substantial" interest in city commission action to do with city-funded improvements to the Harlingen downtown district. Commissioner Marra owns a real estate business in the district.

The charge is a misdemeanor that has her facing a possible 1-year jail sentence and/or a $4,000 fine.

In political shenanigans, that is a relatively minor indiscretion. Bigger fish have been nabbed with more serious charges. But for Marra, it comes only weeks after her name hit the streets that said her company had failed to file payroll taxes with the IRS during a 5-year period. Before that, a litany of weirdness swirled around her public service. Her fear of something or another forced her to declare that she would wear a gun for protection. Repeated absences from City Commission meetings led to community backlash. Rumor and innuendo may be the legacy of her public service.

It will be interesting to see how she defends herself against this latest charge. Prosecutors generally need enough goods on someone before they run to file charges. Ms. Marra has denied voting on any issue coming before the city that would enrich her in any way. This fight she will tackle in court.

What may be a tougher opponent may be her constituents in District 3...

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Public Education: Is It Just About Budgets, About Salaries, About Teachers?...No, Not Really...

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor

AUSTIN, Texas - Back when I was writing about Mexico for The Houston Post, I would at times pull into some small town aboard some battered bus in the company of some really poor people. Dust that covered my blue blazer always seemed like it belonged there at those times, when stepping off the bus meant fending-off a small army of unwashed kids asking for either a few coins or a peso for a pack of gum. It always struck me that such towns needed something for these kids to get off their begging and their pushing of those Chiclets.

American kids don't know that rotten life. At least, not today's public school kids. They aren't allowed to beg in Texas or any other state, and they sure as Hell would never lower themselves to selling anything at the bus station. From time to time, I've seen kids peddling candied-apples and Mexican candy at some of the Rio Grande Valley's restaurants and taquerias, but they always seem to be accompanied by adults.

I bring this here this morning as the state wrestles with wanting to slash some $10 billion from public school funding and wondering what the Hell that is going to mean - to schools and to society. No one knows, but most agree that it will not be a pretty sight. There cannot possibly be anything good in seeing a classroom filled from wall to wall, more than 30 students sitting here, awaiting instruction while wondering where the surrounding mob came from. Teachers don't have a chance. Kids may as well stay home. The current system has let them down.

Yet, as budgets are being framed by stunned administrators who expect much, much less in funding from the state, it does allow for a bit of reflection. We ask: How much funding did your school district get, say, 10 years ago? 15? 20? A whole lot less, is my freakin' guess.

Without a doubt, pay for administrators has risen like cartoon weeds. And wild weeds tend to grow at will, oblivious to any sort of exterior control. A superintendent being paid $200,000 annually is no longer rare. Some make a whole lot more. But there are striking comparisons: the superintendent of Harlingen is paid $200,000, plus perks; the superintendent of New York City makes $250,000, with some perks. NYC has many, many more students than Harlingen, so why is the local guy being paid an amount not exactly in keeping with the local economy?

Spare me the cliche bullshit about superintendent being worth their pay in gold. If they were, we wouldn't see so many problems with so many schools and so many students failing to meet standards. Standards! No, the nation's youth will not be educated in the superintendent's office. Our hopes and dreams are carried daily on the backs of underpaid and overworked teachers. Spend a day at your child's school (if school officials will let you) and see the so-called learning environment. Most people wouldn't do it, not even for twice the salary, which is less than half of what administrators are paid.

So, yeah, put down the handkerchief and forget about crying. Administrators will never backtrack from their hunt for the best-paying job. Superintendents are like rodeo clowns; they hang around a few years and then start circulating those resumes, riding the super's circuit, always looking for more money, more freedom, but rarely seeing the results parents and society expect. Accountability is not part of their contract. Student performance does not affect their pay. Their sole audience is the schoolboard they serve. Get the schoolboard behind you and the job's a breeze; get one on your ass and, yeah, there go the resumes.

Life guarantees no one anything. Students still must do the work, study and perform at test time.

That has never changed.

What is clear is that when Americans bitch and moan about their particular public schools, it's always about money. Fancy stadiums must be built, the field covered by fancy artificial turf and the "jumbo" scoreboard better not be different than those found in major college stadiums. Public education often is compared to the pseudo-essence of one's own life: It's not how you feel, it's how you look. Those statistics on this piece of paper say we're doing okay. Really? Don't bet on it.

Little will change even if Texas does slash all those millions from school district budgets. Somehow, the schools will stay open, students will file in and teachers will provide their tireless, thankless tasks. It's called civilization, and civilized people do not fold; they overcome.

Who knows what became of those poor kids in the Mexican town I visited all those years ago? But I know this: All of them could never have imagined having books, having the luxury of going to an air-conditioned school, getting a warm meal even when the family wallet could never pay for it, being availed a bus ride to the campus, having a teacher teach things that these orphans or a dirt-poor kids would never learn.

Nope. Those kids would learn little and parental expectations would be down on the ground. American kids have it all within their reach, yet our kids rank below those of other countries in subjects such as science and math. Every year, yes. And of course you know that it's been going on for decades...

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In Brownsville, A Top-Heavy School District Takes Care of Its Administrators...Belt-Tightening Targets Lower-Paid Teachers...

By RUDOLF VON BULOW

Special to The Tribune

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - In a town where many residents struggle to make ends meet, it is administrators of the local public school district who aren't exactly biting the economic bullet. Thanks to one of our loyal readers, we can now provide the salaries of these particular public servants. Readers should not read into this that we begrudge administrators their right to make as much money as possible, but these are tough times for everybody. And, of course, we feel that it is the children who suffer the most when teachers are laid-off, as is being considered across the state at present.

 Brownsville ISD Salaries

Highest Salary: $198,000
Median Salary: $37,881

Name.....DepartmentTitle.....Salary

Brett A. Springston (shown in photo), Superintendent, $198,000

Raquel Ayala, Area Assist. Superintendent (Porter), $117,642

Mary J Monfils, Area Assist. Superintendent (Lopez), $117,640

Susan J Fox, Asst. Supt./HR/ Title IX/504, $117,640

Fred A Fuller, Chief Financial Officer, $111,000

Reynaldo G Arteaga, Maintenance, $107,138

Sharon S Moore, Curriculum & Instruction, $107,063

Kenneth J Lieck, Warehouse/Txtbks/Fixed Assets, $105,811

Morrie Verner, Computer Services, $102,595

Robert W Fisher, Technology Services, $102,595

Beatriz Gracia, Curriculum & Instruction, $102,315

Jose H Chirinos, Transportation Administrator, $102,290

Kent A Whittemore, Employee Benefits/Risk Mgmt., $100,900

Robert M Ruiz, Finance Administrator, $100,900

Jacqueline R Williams, Brownsville Learning Academy Principal, $99,069

Pearl R Rendon, Fine Arts (Murphy Center), $98,877

Judy S Cuellar, Classified Personnel, $98,782

Raul N Vasquez, Assess/Research/Evaluation, $98,376

Thomas E Chavez, Athletics, $98,000

Maria J Gonzales, Bilingual Education, $97,112

Maria R Pena, Purchasing, $95,447

Hector Hernandez, Lincoln Park School Principal, $95,372

Timothy F Snyder, Rivera High School Principal, $95,205

Roni Louise C Rentfro, Early College High School Principal, $95,164

Ismael Garcia, Special Programs, $94,378

Drue E Munsch, Mail Room, $94,140

Sylvia Senteno, Pace High School Principal, $93,774

Theresa A Alarcon, Hanna High School Principal, $93,688

Dawn E Hall, Lopez High School Principal, $93,523

Mary F Atkinson-Tolman, Homeless Youth Project, $93,071

SOURCE: Data provided by agencies under the Texas Public Information Act

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[EDITOR'S NOTE: We wish to send sincere thanks to Rey, one of our loyal readers, for supplying this info. He resides in Brownsville. Shoot him a note at Rey114324@aol.com. The Tribune appreciates reader input, in comments and information...]

Swatting The Fly: It's Never, Ever Easy Going Up Against The Stupid...Try It...Tough As Getting Pig Stuff Off Your Boots...

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor

HARLINGEN, Texas - We didn't really want to prick him too hard, mainly because we like having him around. He gives readers a clear example of something awful, and that is valuable. You've got to know what's down before you can appreciate what's up, is our feeling.

With his steady, projectile diarrhea, the impish blogger Tony Chapa has ceaselessly attacked readers of The Tribune. He says they do not exist and he wants them to come on here with their names. It appears that has happened. Our readers are a bit more intelligent than his two clowns: Himself and the dud known on his blog as Jake. I say "dud," but it could be any of a thousand such characterizations. Fool comes to mind, as does fuck-up. There, we're now down to his level.

What's with this dwarfish man (shown in photo above)? Has he no life off his computer keyboard? What, no cantina in town with a stepladder for the bar stools? No neighborhood playground with a mini-slide? No Happy Meals at the local McDonald's? No shrimp coming in from the Gulf? Poor dude. Maybe some veteran ought to invite him out for a taco somewhere. You know, show him his own town.

It's a mystery to us why he harangues our readers with his silliness. Such childishness is best seen in, well, children. We are glad that our readers have responded in a way that finally tells Chapa that, yes, they are legitimate comments coming from real people. Now, if only his dwindling number of commenters would do the same. Word is he has even taken one of our loyal followers, the erstwile Gladys, and made her his own. Pitiful, we know.

Not that we worry about him. Yesterday, we forwarded a sizeable check to the Dwarf Society of Texas, asking that our funds be funneled to the organizations's Harlingen branch. They asked us for the name of our preferred recipient and we gave Tony's name, although we hear that he likes to go by Anthony when in the company of children.

The fact is we know we're not Number One in the Blogosphere. Heck, there are more than 5 million blogs now, and many, many, many of them get more readers than we do. So, yeah, why worry about it?

We're left with nothing but to think that this Chapa fellow must suffer from a world-class case of inferiority. We've heard about this being present in men of short stature, which the Chapster certainly is. We've heard every little bit of criticism cripples them on the spot, sends them into a mini-bout of something called Dwarf depressison.Who knows? We propped up this guy back when we thought he had something to contribute to the community's future. He doesn't. It's all about Chapa over on Hickory Court, where he lives a life of "Oh, I've gotta check the comments on The Tribune!"

It's danged pathetic, we know. Americans died at war so that Chapa could blog. And still, he won't even show proof that he is an American citizen. Yet, he finds time to note that he is "Number One," and that we make up our readers' comments. Chapa has gone beyond being funny; he is now being obscene.

It's a wonder he keeps going.

Too many people we know have abandoned him, people who used to comment on his blog, who brought real thinking and good ideas as to how Harlingen could again find the road to progress. But Chapa doesn't care about that. There are a jillion stories he ignores. He doesn't have the brains to bring new ideas to the table. He'll ask for and post press releases from elected officials, law enforcement and everybody else who will Email one, rather than be a real reporter out gathering new, useful info. He won't publish an editorial because he can't, and because he doesn't know what an editorial is, sad as that may be.

No, what we have here is a failure at communication.

Yet, he persists in annoying an entire community.

There was a time when we thought people wouldn't talk to him because they feared him. Not so. We were wrong. It's because he's a Nobody, a major aggravation continuing to exist simply because the technology allows him the space to act bigger than he is. What has he accomplished? Nothing. What does he promise? Nothing. Who believes anything he says? No one.

On this crude and uncouth individual, we agree with City Commissioner Kori Marra, with Blogger Jerry Deal, with Private Investigator Joe Rubio, with the entire wait staff of my favorite Harlingen breakfast restaurant and with the rising number of residents who need - and will demand - more seriousness from any news source in town.

Say goodnight, Tony...

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The Reluctant Commissioner: Kori Marra Aptly Serves Her District...Harlingen Appears To Be Something Else To Her...Few Answers Forthcoming...

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor

HARLINGEN, Texas - The queer side of the Kori Marra enigma is that she appears to be a woman interested in public service. She smiles alot. She seems to enjoy her place at City Hall, and she'll have her say at the microphone when she thinks it's due. Taking that into a cccount, it's a mystery why her reputation in town is that of an amateur politician - someone who just can't seem to bridge into being a do'er, a role model, a uniter.

The Tribune has tried twice to get her thoughts on the city's standing on a variety of fronts, from politics to economics to things a bit closer to her personally - like her health, her philosophy on public service, her ideas regarding the future of the troubled city. To date, not much has come from her. Ms. Marra was elected to her position as commissioner for District 3 in 2009 and stands for re-election next year if she chooses to seek the office once more.

Word from the streets has it that she'll have plenty of opposition, with at least one local political action committee already on record as saying it will spotlight that contest, with the sole mission of defeating her at the polls. Ultimately, the voters will decide.

But here's what she wrote to us recently, after we posed a series of questions to her via the same lines of communication. We have not altered her words or repaired her grammar:  

I have had my responses edited by blogs before. I have only responded to Jerry Deals on a few occasions because I know that he will only run them as I write them. 

I have not responded to you before because I have seen some of your writings and honestly, they have appeared to be very harsh in their content. My criticism has come from those that have nothing positive to say about me no matter what I say. Lets be honest, no matter how much I might wish I had nothing in common with certain folks, there is ALWAYS something we can agree upon. 

I have spoken maybe 10 words total to Joe Rubio, and less than that to Tony Chapa. They do not truly want to know what I think or believe because they only want to hate. Harm to me personally, politically, in my business and to my family. I have no use for those types of people. I didn’t volunteer and run for this position to please anyone. I did it because I truly love the City of Harlingen. My family and my business must come first.

Let me ask this…did you get responses from any of the other commissioners in regards to these questions?

Politics is a strange world. Often, it dictates the uttering of certain verbiage or demand certain actions, and does not allow for a steady flow of personal excuses. But, at the local level, in a small town like this one, perhaps that is a bit more palatable. Sooner or later, however, making excuses turns into whining and moaning and groaning. Voters are keen. They love a scrapper and disdain an introvert. They want to see their own take on the perceived bad guys, to do battle with critics, to not fold at crunch time. Eventually, they will craft their own assessments and, when confronted with a recalcitrant elected representative, opt for someone new.

But Commissioner Marra must surely know that...

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The Politics of El Caballo: In Brownsville, Mayor Pat Ahumada Rides Hard...Sheds Scandals As Election Nears...No Worries About History...

"The monkeys stand for honesty,
Giraffes are insincere,
And the elephants are kindly, but
They're dumb.
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages,
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum.

Zebras are reactionaries,
Antelopes are missionaries,
Pigeons plot in secrecy,
And hamsters turn on frequently.
What a gas! You gotta come and see
At the zoo." - A song by Simon & Garfunkel 

By RICARDO KLEMENT
Special to The Tribune

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - His is often characterized by others as the most miserable city in the Rio Grande Valley, but politician Pat Ahumada, the current mayor here, sees it as a humdinger of a prize for any would-be public servant. The bouncy and affable 58-year-old Ahumada is going for it again, seeking re-election  in a campaign that has him going against a hefty current city commissioner and a local lawyer at ease with a hairstyle from the early 1960s.

Life is weird in town, not that anyone cares.

In launching his latest bid, Ahumada glosses over much in noting his experience and accomplishments. Or, as he puts it on his glossy campaign website: "Over the last four years, the citizens of this city have had a hard working, long reaching leader, who knows the issues and is not afraid to take a stand for what’s right." Nowhere in the informational site aimed at drawing voter support is scant mention of his many foibles, personal and in the carrying out of his duties as  figurehead leader of this bordertown's 140,000, ever-dreaming residents.

Coming border hard at him are City Commissioner Edward Camarillo and candidate Tony Martinez. Camarillo, shown in photo at right, has fashioned a largely opague career that has him unable to point to a centerpiece accomplishment other than his showing up for scheduled meetings, while Martinez appears to merely be out for a little publicity ride in the local press. It is Martinez some say has the better chance of unseating the popular Ahumada, with Camarillo's "looks" being his handicap in a droopy town wanting desperately to be seen as somewhat attractive.

The fighting mayor is seeking a third term as mayor of a town easily described as falling. He was first elected in 1990 and served through 1993. He was subsequently elected again in 2007 and has been in office since then. In between came an ill-advised stab at the area U.S. Congress slot, which he lost and in which he bizarrely ran as a Republican.

Much has and hasn't happened under his watch - some of it to do with his official duties and some of it with his personal life.

Some would say his term has been scandalous.

Ahumada has been arrested on DWI charges and stood trial for depositing a $26,000 City of Brownsville check meant for a vendor into his personal bank account. The mayor was found not guilty following the pressing of charges. Since then, however, he has been uncharacteristically quiet and well-behaved. Earlier, his reputation was being made by his vigorous opposition to the federal Border Wall he seemed to take as a personal affront and as an unnecessary obstacle ruining historic relations between his city and the Mexican city of Matamoros barely blocks across the passive Rio Grande.

In another life, Ahumada would be not Don Quixote, but Don Pardo - a guy ready for any & every microphone in town.

Brownsville lags behind most American communities on pretty much every social front, with the consumption of alcohol and spousal abuse being the exceptions. It is not a charming town and could easily pass for a Mexican neighborhood within the Matamoros city limits were the river to be re-routed north of Brownsville. Spanish is the dominant language, even at American functions such as July 4th and Thanksgiving. It is said that the drunk is its national symbol.

So, what are Ahumada's chances?

He's been there before, at a spot where no one gave him a chance of winning. He counts a loyal following and maybe because he is a high school graduate, well, maybe many of this poor town's reisdents identify with him. Opponent Camarillo's sizeable weight may be seen as a negative, although perhaps not. The other candidate, lawyer Tony Martinez, is as non-descript a fellow as ever walked the region.

We'll see. In sports, a good team would say it all looks good on paper, but you still have to play the game. At the track, they say all horses break even from the gate and then the blue bloods take charge of the race. Does Pat Ahumada, a political jockey of note, have the energy needed in the stretch? On quick analysis, he'd be the one to lead around all four turns...

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ON THE CLOCK: Harlingen City Commissioner Joey Trevino Will Now Take Our Questions...

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor

HARLINGEN, Texas - He's been in office barely two years and has been witness to most of the jagged hubbub coming from City Hall to do with the arrival of Bass Pro Shops as the newest retail outlet, the hiring of a new city manager and the resignation of the police chief. Joey Trevino, however, isn't one of the city leaders getting much press these days, good or bad. In fact, he pretty much flies below the news media radar, although rumors have it that he'll come full-center one of these days.

The District 5 commissioner, a graduate of Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State) in San Marcos, was the first responder to questionnaires submitted by The Tribune to all members of the city commission. He will now take our questions:

1.) There are those who say the council suffers from wide divisions. Do you agree with that? If not, how would you characterize relations between commissioners and between the council and the community?

I believe the commission as a whole has been voting together probably 90% of the time. Of course, there has been some differences in opinion on some of the major changes that have occurred. And those changes have been for the better and have proven to be so. I believe the community has benefitted tremendously from the single-member district form of government and makes the commissioners more accountable.

2.) How would you describe Harlingen's economy these days? What are the positives and what are the negatives?

I believe Harlingen's economy is about to explode with growth in anticipation of the Bass Pro Shop retail development and future medical school facilities.

3.) Reports have it that Harlingen has dropped from 3rd to 6th place in population compared to other RGV cities. How do you explain that?

I knew that Harlingen growth had been falling behind in the last 10 to 15 years. That is one reason why I ran for City Commission. Harlingen has had a reputation of being difficult to do business with and to develop new projects. I believe previous administrations and commissions had no motivation or vision to see Harlingen prosper. The census numbers just reflect that no-growth mentality. I believe that since the new commission has taken leadership, Harlingen's reputation is changing for the better. We are open for business and have a new customer friendly attitude.

4.) The city's principal need at present is what, in your opinion?

Harlingen needs: (a.) Redevelop our city's core, (b.) Support THE BRIDGE Community Outreach project for teens. And help create educational and job training opportunities for our citizens. (c.) Support of our Small Business through incentives and programs to encourage product innovation and business creation in the Harlingen trade area. (d.) Develop Smart Growth Strategies.

5.) The retirement of Chief Danny Castillo seemed a bit messy. What kind of leader would be the perfect chief for Harlingen? Would you favor an outsider over a current Police Department employee?

Our new chief will need to be able to create an new positive synergy within the police department and the citizens of Harlingen. And I would support any candidate that can provide that synergy.

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2-PAC in Harlingen: Dance of The Old & The New...Who Will Answer...A Town Uninterested In Promises, Disdaining The Past...

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor

HARLINGEN, Texas - The fight is the same one waged here for the past three decades, pitting those who like things as they are and those who want something better. And, recently, it has been the birth of two political action committees garnering the more-excitable press coverage. One comes with a name reeking of heavyweight fight and the other taking the cliche approach to saying something, but saying nothing.

The former is HEAT, acronym for Harlingen Empowered Advocacy Team; the latter is HCLC, or the Harlingen Citizens Leadership Council. That's nice-sounding gobbledygook for the press. HEAT is really a no-holds-barred group of angry residents wishing nothing but a complete takeover of city government and control of the town's future. The HCLC squad fields a litany of old codgers often referred to as the Old Guard whose desire it is that everybody who wants change stick it up the wazoo. Both sides may distance themselves from our assessment, but perhaps not privately. We stand by our analysis.

In any case, that's the battle that has emerged in this city of almost 70,000 denizens, most of them suffering the pains of unemployment, low wages and a general business malaise that they say has lingered beyond the point of human belief. Those residents openly and loudly blame the Old Guard for the city's fall from grace.

Enter HEAT, led by former Harlingen Police Department Lt. Joe Rubio and former mayoral candidate Kenneth Benton, shown in photo above wearing a blue suit. Rubio, now a private detective, also has failed at getting the mayorship, but has quickly earned a reputation in town as a sort of government bureaucratic sleuth. He's the one to ask about quirky things at the local airport and about city entities he believes have under-performed either because of incompetence or horrible leadership coming from City Hall.

HCLC is led by a covey of well-known, well-heeled businessmen and former city leaders. In that air-conditioned tent is local car dealer and political powerbroker Frank Boggus, sugar mogul Tudor Uhlhorn and a few other lesser notables. According to HEAT, HCLC may also count Mayor Chris Boswell and City Commisioner Kori Marra as members of its old school cabal.

On its face, the political mano-a-mano portends good things for Harlingen. The Good vs. The Bad always plays well in the press and in the neighborhoods. It is the impending brawling between these two groups that will contribute The Ugly. Good luck, Harlingen.

But, really, what dance is this?

Harlingen always has been divided along these same lines, and Harlingen always has managed to maintain the status quo that has those backing HCLC in power. We are forced to ask: What will HEAT do that others have not done, and exactly how does it expect to waylay moneybags HCLC?

Rubio is known to take things to the mat, to be aggressive in voice and action. That may or many not help. Benton, 58, claims to have "a talent for writing," so perhaps both can point and explain the way to victory. Mayor Boswell is not up for election until 2013, but HEAT is likely looking at the District 3 seat currently held by up & down City Commissioner Marra. Lately, references have been made about her district counting a large number of Hispanic voters, although Ms. Marra has said she had their support last go-around.

Would HEAT play the race card? Rubio is Hispanic and Benton is African-American. HCLC counts several Hispanic-surnamed members, although their critics giddily refer to them as being "coconuts;" that is, that they are non-whites acting as if they are whites. No one disputes the idea that HCLC is led by Anglos. Whether that eventually plays out remains to be seen. Harlingen is at a certain economical crossroads, and there are those who say that the time for standing on the sidelines has come and gone.

When he battled Benton for the mayorship in 2007, Mayor Boswell said this on commentator Ron Whitlock's Newsline show: "Harlingen has all the ingredients to be the premier city in South Texas."

Sadly, it isn't. It has slowly, but surely gone from bad to worse.

And that's what HEAT may be counting on. Whatever happens, it is true that a good brawl in the down & dirty political mud can only be good for the community. Well, we say that because, really, how long can a city keep being the punching bag of its smaller, more successful surrounding towns?

Not much longer, says this observer...

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Ring My Bell: Harlingen City Commissioner Beats Back The Critics Empire...She Often Blows It, But She Still Has Time To Do Good For Her Town...

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor

HARLINGEN, Texas - If truth ever jumps into her story, well, City Commissioner Kori Marra may point to the fact that many of her critics never have been fair. And she would be right; they haven't. Those who oppose her oppose her at every turn. They vigorously label her "Old Guard" even as they know she's been in town many, many years less than most of this struggling city's residents. In many respects, and really only because she has aligned herself with the local powers-that-be, she engenders hate with every word she utters and every action she takes at City Hall.

But, is Marra, shown in photo at right, a true-blue Harlingenite? The quick answer is no; she's rooted in West Texas. And she is of the Anglo persuasion, so that also has led many to brand her on the side of the dreaded Old Guard, described as a collection of Old Codgers interested only keeping things as they are and always have been, meaning anyone with aspirations for positions of influence in city government needed their blessing.

Marra has brought much of the criticism she has received in the past two years on herself. Not long after winning election, she made a scene out of lax security at City Hall and declared she would next be carrying a gun. She absented herself several meetings in a row without explanation. She played the naysayer on pretty much all City Hall moves seen by others as Marra being obstinate for obstinate's sake. She reportedly fell ill and flew to California for treatment and nothing came from her mouth about that, placing her constituents in the position of wondering about her health. She voted against the hiring of the new city manager and took the position that the resignation of Police Chief Danny Castillo, a man who drew as much critical heat as she did, was unwarranted.

Then she ran into problems with the taxman, the IRS saying she - or someone with her real estate office - had fudged on payroll taxes, that bill rising to the $20,000 range and Marra's company paying a settlement for less than the amount. Word surfaced that she lagged on paying city property and school taxes.

Collectively, all of this would sink any self-respecting politician.

But Marra hangs tough.

Lately, she has begun to fight back and openly taken her positions to the press, responding to blogger criticism promptly and offering a rare full explanation of her actions as commissioner. It's a start.

We would be hasty to write her off, however. The Tribune is on record as supporting all female public servants in the Rio Grande Valley, mainly because we fully believe that the Macho culture has fenced off progress and/or ethical public service for more years that we care to count. Marra can still do good for her district and her community. We have stayed away from the tit-for-tat debates on all-things-Marra playing in other blogs. The fair thing to do is to merely report foibles, questionable official action and utterings. In their entirety, we do not believe the Harlingen news media has been fair with Commissioner Marra.

That should not be taken as a round endorsement of her service. We wince at every one of her public missteps, and we cannot help but wonder why she takes such career-killing positions, but we are of the opinion that there is still time for her to do good in town.

For that to happen, however, it is also our feeling that the ballsy commissioner needs to step away from her current alliances and set a course that will see marked improvement in her image and in her district. It will require a little class, but we feel she can do it. All it would take would be a press conference in which she would be a bit contrite about past actions and then a bit more positive about what she will do, what she will do individually for the collective.

Do that, Ms. Marra, and the dark sky will open and a new light will shine down on you...

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The Grandfather Who Came To Rape: In Weslaco, A Horrible Crime Shines Light On All-Too-Common Family Assaults...

By NICK RYAN
Special to The Tribune

WESLACO, Texas - They rape granddaughters here.

Cops have again arrested another crazed Rio Grande Valley man who took wanton sexual liberties with a child, this time a 56-year-old man alleged to have had his way with his 14-year-old granddaughter. It is not a pretty picture; it does not speak well of a culture that has sexual needs being fulfilled at home, with family members. This particular case is only the latest in a string of similar crimes perpetrated on the young around here.

The unidentified man is being held on $250,000 bond and is said to have had warrants resulting from outstanding traffic violations. There was no word on whether he was drunk when he acted on his sexual urges with his granddaughter, or whether he's had arrests related to being drunk in public. As sociologist will tell you, booze is forever tied to cases such as this one.

It was two days before last Christmas that cops launched an investigation after the granddaughter, now 18, reported the sexual attack. The rape resulted in a pregnancy. A lab examination to determine fatherhood revealed the worst.

"Through the course of the investigation, lab results revealed that he was the biological father of the victim’s child," Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño told The McAllen Monitor.

No word came from other family members. The girl's parents were not identified, either.

Sexual assaults within the nuclear family are not that rare in the Valley. News about them sprouts almost as often as do stories of spousal abuse and public drunkenness. In an insular culture such as what is found here, people choose to say little about such attacks. Airing family laundry is considered gauche, something that will only add to the pain and suffering of the victim.

Mothers forever console themselves in private sobbings and prayer. Fathers clench their fists, but rarely act on urges to take justice into their hands. Beating up a grandfather goes against the Mexican culture that says elders will be respected. And so the incest continues, practitioners oblivious to the damage they do to their victims, usually defenseless women in the family...

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The Soda Jerk: How State Sen. Eddie Lucio Lost His Way To The Bar...Taxing Booze Would Be a Bigger Revenue Generator In His Happy-Hour District...

By RICARDO KLEMENT
Special to The Tribune

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - It is said here that trucks move a six pack of beer into town for every resident every day. Sales are large and they are steady. Bartenders and cops know it well; they deal in drunks. That's a lot of beer when your community counts more than 100,000 citizens and another 100,000 non-citizens.

Now comes State Sen. Eddie Lucio with a not-so-novel idea of taxing every can, bottle or carton of soda. He wants to add to the state treasury in an effort to avoid teacher layoffs as Texas struggles with its projected $27 billion deficit. For sure, it is a time to think big.

But maybe not Big Gulp.

Lucio's bill, filed in Austin this week where the Legislature is entertaining a load of proposals, would impose a one-cent tax per ounce for a “carbonated or non-carbonated nonalcoholic beverage that contains natural or artificial sweeteners.”

Well, it would add to the state coffers. But it is an easy-reach solution. Tax soda? Lucio must've stayed up all night thinking about that one. Tax soda? Lucio never has been accused of being the brightest bulb in the room.

As empty as it sounds, here's Lucio's fatuous explanation: "There are solutions to the budget mess we find ourselves in which do not involve making drastic cuts to vital services. The Texas Legislature should be exploring these solutions."

Sounds good. But then Lucio adds the tax would help prevent layoffs in public education and healthcare.

A better solution would be taxing booze. Lucio knows his South Texas district counts on some world-class drunks. Imagine the tax cash that could come from taxing, not soda, but beer.

Lucio won't go there, however. Beer is simply too ingrained in his community's culture. To mess with it would bring immediate outrage and scorn, no doubt more than he got for his profitable role in the Bridge To Nowhere scandal. Heck, some of the city's biggest names have a certain fondness for booze, beginning with the DWI-arrested Mayor Pat Ahumada and continuing on down the 14th Street bar tab line. You can stop any of a thousand cars on a weekend night and likely nab a drunk or two or three or four in the same vehicle. Booze flows here like chocolate flows in Paris.

So, it'll be interesting to see just how far Lucio's soda tax bill goes. He's a Democrat and Democrats are in extremely short supply in the Legislature these days. Our bet is that it goes nowhere, pretty much like every piece of legislation Lucio has put forth in his too-long career as public servant.

Tax on soda? Absurd. Nevermind that Lucio's expansive district counts some of the country's top producers of raw sugar, a key ingredient in all soda. It feeds his constituents' economy as much as do the hundreds of taco and tamale outlets, and as much as the thousands of booze-happy cantinas.

Lucio is damned lucky there is no tax on small brains...

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In Ever-Reaching McAllen, A Big City Idea Sinks Quietly...What, No Central Park For The City of Palms?...Shocking!...

"Three of the 6 McAllen City Commissioners are up for re-election soon. Don't like the waste of money they have been voting in favor of? Then vote the fools out. Vote for anybody but the incumbent. Or better yet, go ahead and run for the position yourself!.." - A McAllen resident

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor

McALLEN, Texas - No one would argue with any American town or city wanting to bring its residents a taste of the Big Apple. New York City is spectacular, a city many would wish to emulate. This Texas-Mexico bordertown wanted to give it a shot with its own Central Park. It even hired a Big City developer to get it there. But something happened on the way to the dream: Tough times intervened, the developer blinked and McAllen city leaders canned the idea.

Central Park here was to rest on land once the site of Boeye Reservoir on the city's southwest side, there along Expressway 83 and S. 23rd Street. McAllen's mayor - Richard Cortez, shown in photo at right - wanted a nifty park setting bordered by trendy apartments and retail stores. The site is near La Plaza Mall, which continues to draw hordes of shoppers. But last January, the city decided the Dallas-based developer, Henry S. Miller Sustainable Partners, had failed to bring the dream to fruition.

McAllen has lost $270,000 in payments it disbursed for the developer, and, now, it is going back to the drawing boards.

As Mayor Cortez, a pro-business politician, put it: "He had a chance to do something and he didn’t." Cortez did acknowledge that the current economic woes played a part in the decision to cut ties with the Miller company.

But Cortez is drawing heat for his recent decisions on a variety of new development projects. He backed the sale of the old city convention center on S. 10th Street after the city built the new center on Ware Road and Expressway 83 on the far west side of McAllen. He also wanted to sell Westside Park in the same area, but was stalled by citizen outrage. That park's sale is now off the table.

 Still, the City of Palms is living large these days.

Its population is rising rapidly to the point that city officials say the next census will show McAllen has eclipsed the 200,000 range. A slow, but steady influx of drug war-fearing Mexicans have moved in, helping real estate revenues stay ahead of the national curve. Once-rare million-dollar homes are now part of the local geography. A certain giddiness lives at City Hall, although some have thrown a bit of dust onto that scene, with many wondering what will come after the new Mexicans return to their country.

The city is pushing upward and onward, a feeling that follows the philosophy that what will come will come. That Entertainment District downtown has grown by leaps and blounds and what started out as  a four-block section full of bars is now twice that size. High-dollar joints and restaurants line the old street once the domain of the city's Hispanic community.

Central Park was to propel the city into another social realm. Cortez pushed for it hard during the past three years, making the project a centerpiece of his annual State of The City speech.

Left to be seen was whether Central Park would even work at that questionable location. It would have been flanked by the airport, a cemetery, a sprinkling of old, frame houses from another era and, a bit farther west, fast-food joints and used car lots. Not exactly the same environment one finds while enjoying Gotham City's Central park.

"It was a gimmick idea," said one resident recently. "The city wanted a street like Austin's 6th Street so it built the Entertainment District. Then we wanted Central Park. I guess we'll go for an Eiffel Tower next."

No one disputes the fact that Mayor Cortez is an acknowledged dreamer. He unabashedly chases a public service legacy that would have him identified as a do'er, a politician who served a community and left it looking better than when he arrived on the job. It is a laudable, but heady approach - one fraught with pitfalls.

A city on the move will always go for the gold. It will unfold wild dreams, and it will be more than glad to look at even the outlandish and the ridiculous.

Central Park in McAllen would be ridiculous.

Why not, for once, come up with an original name for an idea you push as being grandiose?

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Beaten To Death: Another Rio Grande Valley Woman Dies At The Hands Of Her Husband...His Stupid Brother Helped...

By BOB VERACRUZ
and NICK RYAN
Special to The Tribune

WESLACO, Texas - According to cops and witnesses here, they punched and kicked Farrah Lynn Villalobos until she stopped breathing. That was February 19th. Yesterday, the two brothers alleged to have been her merciless killers confessed to the crime. It is just the latest case of spousal abuse to play out in public along the Rio Grande Valley.

Charged with the murder were 26-year-old Pedro Cantu Villalobos (shown in photo at right), and 22-year-old Daniel Cantu Villalobos. Farrah was 29. She had the unfortunate luck of being Pedro's wife.

Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño told story-hungry reporters neighbors reported seeing the men pummel the woman outside for long minutes before she was dragged inside to be whipped some more. Emergency medical personnel found her shortly before 8 a.m. She was taken to Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco, where doctors put her on life support. Family members decided to pull the plug on her short, but violent life last Friday.

Little was known or said about what may have sparked the argument and subsequent bloody beating. Cases of spousal abuse are common in the RGV, however, with women usually bearing the brunt of horrible physical attacks from husbands or boyfriends, or both. Alcohol and adultery are given as the main reasons for such assaults, although some women complain that they risk a whipping when they confront their errant husbands about such things as unpaid child support and womanizing.

Pedro Cantu Villalobos remains in custody under a $2 million bond; Daniel (shown in photo at left) also is behind bars on a $1 million bond...

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