How Tony Z Reimagined Public Service...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

BROWNSVILLE, Texas | Shortly after former Mayor Juan "Trey" Mendez won election a little more than four years ago, the Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees played "Hey, why not?" with its appointment process, the one used to fill Mendez's vacant seat.

Behind the silly move was TSC Trustee Tony Zavaleta, a learned man who should've known better than to go all-underhanded in naming the new trustee. That turned out to be local educator Delia Saenz, wife of the district attorney.

She played no part in the selection process, not even campaigning for the post.

What Zavaleta, shown in photo above, did was wholly legal, although it too was questionable. As per protocol, all TSC Board members were free to nominate any local resident, friends included. As happened: Only Zavaleta did that. And as he explained to me once, when you have only one nominee, well, that's who the board will consider.

Mrs. Saenz then received unanimous support from the college board.

There should have been a wider choice, it says here. Handing it one individual on a silver platter was not the way to go. Tony Z, as he is best known in town, liked and wanted to go the Tony Z. Way. Delia Saenz was going to be it, going to be the one to take Mendez's still-warm seat. No further explanations, no apologies.

A larger pool of, say, five or six other candidates, would have given the TSC Board a better idea of what good citizen was available to serve the city's junior college students. Delia Saenz was okay, but that should not have been the only measure. Get her onboard ASAP.

Having a choice makes for better and more honest representation. To limit the appointment solely to Mrs. Saenz was bush, high-handed politics. She is shown in photo at right. No, let me rephrase - it was selfish politics. And it was wrong. Choice should have been paramount. It says here that Tony Z knew that. Absolutely had to know it, yes.

To limit a selection is to manipulate it.

Tony Zavaleta manipulated Delia Saenz's appointment. She, by the way, served out Mendez's term and even won re-election when that came around. By all accounts, her service on the board has been a positive one. She's not our mark here. This criticism is not aimed at her. It goes full-parcel to college educator Zavaleta. He had his nominee and that was going to be that. There was no "She's the best candidate," because there was no other candidate to compare her to. Why not consider a handful, Tony?

Who knows who else the other TSC trustees would have offered. Were they given the chance? It smacked at the time - and still does - as a Zavaleta move, one he should've explained a bit more deeply. He did not. All Tony Z. would say was that Mrs. Saenz was it. Indeed, her service on the board has saved him. Again: It's not that she was placed on the TSC Board; it's how the TSC Board (largely Zavaleta, with then-TSC Board President Adela Garza consenting) went about doing it. The clinical appointment begged for a full explanation. We have our theory, but that's all it is.

Our take is that Zavaleta gamed the system...and nobody said a thing. Nothing came from the others on the college's board,  not a peep from the usually candid Miss Garza, shown in photo below, at left.

This is one of those "No ifs, ands or buts about it" critiques. It's been a few years. We do wonder if Tony Z feels any remorse about his actions during this particular nomination and subsequent appointment process?

Likely not.

Why should he? Zavaleta is held in sky-high regard all across subservient, lamblike Brownsville. Friends and more friends he has everywhere in town and in the county. Did he ever fear blowback? Again, no - why would he?

Clever Tony Z has the added privilege of clear upper-crust social standing. Why would a respected college professor mess with a silly Ol' nominating process on a board of trustee's seat not quite the import of, say, one at the Port of Brownsville?

Answer to that one: Because he could.

He knows it...

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