God And Mayor In Los Fresnos...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

LOS FRESNOS, Texas | You would ask: Does the genial mayor of this outlying Cameron County town believe in God? More than you would imagine, is what you would be told. God and the Bible are a big part of what Mayor Alejandro Flores offers residents these days. Perhaps a bit much.

While other Rio Grande Valley mayors stick to pushing or explaining local government, the 44-year-old Flores does that but also seems to be fronting religion vigorously. His Facebook page is a run-through of his daily official activities and his steadfast belief in the All-Mighty.

Separation of Church & State in Los Fresnos?

Nope. Not even close.

It's one thing to be God-fearing man on your own time, but Mayor Flores (shown in photo above) seems to be more the city's elected pastor than its governmental leader. Psalms and prayers (see one from his Facebook page below, at left) in stand-alone Facebook postings. Unmasked God adoration at every opportunity. The people of Los Fresnos, said to be a few more heads than 8,000 these days, have themselves one God-pleasing dude at City Hall.

We know that every other mayor in the RGV surely has his or her religion, only they are not giddy, out-in-the-open cheerleaders for the Bible, not as openly or bold as this guy. Maybe he thinks the out-of-the-way, rural Life allows for more freedom to do as you wish as mayor. Yeah, who's watching you out here?

Also troubling to us was his habit of arbitrarily and almost petulantly shutting down "comments" on his Facebook page. We have not been a steady visitor to say that he's had loads of troublemakers, but even if he did - so what? He's everybody's mayor in Los Fresnos. Even those with nothing but criticism and complaints for him. That's the job description.

When one concerned resident complained about slow roadwork on a local thoroughfare, Flores did allow the comment, but then sort of sarcastically noted that highways are the responsibility of the State of Texas, not the cities. Perhaps he just had a ready answer on that one, one that allowed him to blame someone else for the lack of progress on the local road.

Invariably, it's Mayor Flores happily being mayor, at the gym for his own healthy well-being, at the city's annual rodeo for fans, at a new Whataburger for business. He should know that Facebook pages and what you choose to post there do reveal you as being this and that. Every post is a tell-tale sign of who and what you are, and we mean everybody, not just mayors. Like many people in the smalltime RGV, Flores may be so provincial that he thinks only residents from Los Fresnos see his Facebook postings. Uh, no. 

Like many here, Mayor Flores was not born in this funky little town.

"I was born in Brownsville and have been living here for quite some time," he said soon after being elected mayor in 2020. "This is a great place to live and a great place to raise a family."

A post-election write-up in Los Fresnos News described Flores as a financial advisor by profession. His bio says he holds a business degree from the University of Texas-Brownsville, now UT-RGV. It also states he attended Hanna High School in Brownsville and Los Fresnos High.

But he's an odd duck in promoting the religious stuff so heavily. As mayor, we mean. In a major city, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would be all over him for fronting for God on what looks like city time, i.e. while moving about town and serving as mayor.

Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda uses her Facebook page to inform her constituents of City Hall doings, as does McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos. Brownsville Mayor John Cowen has a Facebook page but perhaps no real interest in using it for personal or political doings.

There is no question that Mayor Flores here knows the good power of social media. He does inform the community on what he's up to, and, while doing it, always makes it a point to reenforce his strong belief in God. Los Fresnos doesn't seem to mind. We know of no complaints. City residents likely know who they voted for and what they can expect from their governmental leader.

This must be said: God does not belong front-center at City Hall. In a mayor's mind, yes - all day and all night. No problem there. In his public service persona, no. Not good. You never know what a resident or group of residents has or have as religious beliefs. To speak of your God as if he also is everybody else's is ridiculous and wildly pretentious.

Mayor Alejandro Flores is abusing his elected position and treating members of his tiny Cameron County community as if they are all fellow parishioners, all from the same religion.

What does he say to non-church goers he also serves in town, or to those who openly do not believe in God?

Nothing, it's clear...and that's not public service, is it?...

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