San Juan City Commissioners Meeting...It's Tuesday, It's Hot,...And something doesn't smell right...

Every now and again, since I started this blog back in January, there have been brief instances when I question the value of continuing RGV Politics. I don't do this full time, and I don't get paid for it. Why then, should a citizen care about what's going on in his community? For that matter, why should a citizen care about passing on any pertinent information other citizens may not otherwise get? Tonights San Juan City Commissioners meeting cleared all of the skepticism I had about continuing on this path.

I have attended two meetings, the previous one and tonights, and overall, I'm getting a good feeling about the current administration. For instance, Mayor San Juanita Sanchez in item 10 of tonight's agenda brought up the issue of city commissioners sitting on the San Juan Economic Development Corporation. The mayor questioned the ethics behind having a sitting commissioner being able to vote on items brought forth by the EDC that affect the City of San Juan. Commissioner Eddie Rodriguez motioned for a vote to eliminate any sitting city commissioner to serve on the EDC as well. Commissioner Claudia Gonzalez seconded the motion. The motion passed. And, hell, I for one applaud their efforts. Why? Because by voting to bar any sitting city commissioner from voting or holding office within an Economic Development Corporation means there's less chance of anything unethical going on. Commissioner Bobby Rodriguez had something to say about this when he stated that up until now, the EDC has been transparent in all their dealings, which brought "tsks" and hushed colorful comments from some citizens in attendance. Not sure what that means, but if you're like me, you can probably put two and two together on that count.

However, the little cynic in me can't help but bring into question the items that followed the EDC vote.

To wit, items 11, 12, and 13.

Item 11: Consider and approve appointment(s) to Amigos del Valle Corporation Board of Directors.

Commissioner Eddie Rodriguez nominates Commissioner Claudia Gonzalez.

Commissioner Claudia Gonzalez nominates Commissoner Eddie Rodriguez as alternate.

Item 12: Consider and approve appointment(s) of representative(s) to the Hidalgo County Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Commissioner Eddie Rodriguez nominates Mayor San Juanita Sanchez.

Commissioer Claudia Gonzalez nominates Mayor Pro-Tem Eddie Rodriguez as alternate.

Item 13: Consider and approve appointment to the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council Board of Directors.

Commissioner Claudia Gonzalez nominates Commissioner Eddie Rodriguez.

The votes passed. Now....

Something doesn't smell right to me. It didn't at the very moment it was happening, and in retrospect as I type these words, it still doesn't.

Here's the thing. If, as citizens, we are going to demand a better government whether you're from Brownsville, or Hidalgo, or Pharr, or Edinburg, we need to put an end to anything that even closely resembles that tired word, "compadrismo". Now, I'll concede that if we're going to clean up dirty politics, we're going to have to weed the old regimes out. I'm speaking of course, of factual information, not innuendos, or I heard it from a friend of a friend. I'm talking about honest to goodness, in your face, we don't care if everyone and their grandmother's know what's going on we're going to do it anyway type of politics. The Valley is in need of a positive change from this type of politics. I'm not sure what the commissioners intentions were tonight, but as citizens we need to keep an eye on this.

This is dangerous because it brings up the question, in my mind, of whether a new slate is only after their slice of the political pie. I hope not, and if the commissioners intentions are different, time will tell. Like I've stated before, and I believe it warrants repeating, I believe in the mayor and the commissioners, but it's one thing to "beat them to death with their own rules", as Oscar Z. Acosta put it. It's a whole different story when "we need to keep our eyes open, we might just be changing names on the masthead." I said that a few months ago on RGV Politics, and if I had my pick of ideaologies to warily approach politics in the Valley, well...I didn't decide to start this blog for nothing.