CAMEL LOT:...Governing The Ungovernable...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

BROWNSVILLE, Texas | Dreams die hard here. Gone from the cast of characters is Juan "Trey" Mendez, that last Charro dance's mayor. He promised much and, like all city mayors, delivered little. Mendez has left the scene of the political crime. Or so it seems, as we cannot find his old Facebook page for update info. Yes, he may have blocked us, however, or perhaps he just killed it after he departed City Hall with his tail between his legs.

As our old too-pretty pal Melissa Zamora might say about here: "Quien sobby?"

One thing's for sure. Young Mendez's ascent was the portrait of a local, boy-done-good-and-going-places. A race for governor seemed likely in his case, president maybe. Campaigning came easy for him, as did public-speaking (Mendez is an attorney), and backers seemed to come from all corners of this love-starved city at the colon end of the dirty Rio Grande.

Fresh off a sort of long run as trustee over at tiny Texas Southmost College, Mendez was elected mayor here in June of 2019 - or about the time rumblings of Covid-19 hit town. The pandemic would throw a wrench in his plans, that being, we all heard, working hard to bring Brownsville its loveliest time, an Era of Buen Tiempo, if you will.

Mendez, as most mayors, was simply not up to the job of leading a city of some 240,000 souls during a medical disaster. Not that any Rio Grande Valley mayor was; the pandemic put them all on their knees, there left to regurgitate government crap put out by ambivalent Republican President Donald J. Trump and opportunistic Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Mendez, shown with new mayor John Cowen in photo below, at right, has no legacy, other than posting himself to serve junior college students and a community still waiting for good jobs and steady leadership. Those needs, by the way, are also strapping new Mayor John Cowen. It may be something no mortal could ever accomplish, however. We say that knowing that Big Brownsville, a hulking middle linebacker in RGV politics, simply can't seem to get its important stuff done. Self-serving deals at City Hall are more likely than societal breakthroughs. Look it up.

Was Trey Mendez over his head?

Many here, beginning with his mentor at TSC, Adela Garza, thought he was tanned, rested and ready. All city bloggers endorsed his campaign for mayor, not one questioning any of his reasons for seeking the office. That may have been because of the mountain of hatred they had for then-Mayor Tony Martinez, although perhaps the local blogging community is not the best measure of that.

Much came as the pandemic waned. At the top of the list was the arrival of Elon Musk's SpaceX venture that Mendez royally endorsed and translated into a quick, however-fleeting friendship with the mercurial Musk. We cough up a wad of saliva, but SpaceX may end up as the most central item on Mendez's own List of Grand Accomplishments. People over at county government would argue, but Mendez has some standing, we say.

When you look online for stuff on the once up & rising Mendez, you find stuff such as this: [ Mendez was elected as the second youngest mayor of Brownsville, Texas, the largest City in the Rio Grande Valley, and the 16th largest in Texas. Prior to becoming Mayor, he served 9 years at Texas Southmost College, the oldest and fastest growing community college in the State. When he was elected, TSC had the highest tuition rate of all 50 Texas colleges. During his tenure, he was instrumental in lowering tuition 3 times, for a total reduction of over 40%. The college also reached an all-time high enrollment in the 90-year history of the institution.

In his years as Mayor, Mendez made broadband connectivity a priority for Brownsville, which was named the least connected community in the United States prior to his election. After a yearlong process, a broadband plan to begin building the middle mile in his community. Mayor Mendez was named a recipient of the New Century Cities’ Change Maker award for his work on this initiative.

Under Mayor Mendez’s leadership, Brownsville, Texas focused on becoming the New Space City. It is now home to SpaceX and a Tesla Service and delivery center and the new home to Spaced Ventures and the Space Channel, two space related companies that recently relocated to Brownsville, the innovation capitol of South Texas. ]

Heady stuff. All true.

But a politician's contributions and era are never measured solely on such positiveness. Every elected official can pluck a few things out of his time in office to show some success. Threading between the good is always the bad, goes the rest of the equation.

We, however, are struck by Trey Mendez's quick goodbye from all of that.

What does it say when a former mayor goes away so readily? Did he agree that his four years in office meant nothing? Does he agree with most residents here who say he under-achieved? Would he ever stage a political comeback, as happens often in this country?

Who knows?

Once-glib Trey is not talking.

As for new Mayor John Cowen, well, he's already in trouble. Equally articulate Cowen has not tamped down expectations....

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