Remembering a Brownsville Giant — Mayor Emilio A. Hernandez
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
The day after Veterans Day will mark a solemn anniversary for one of Brownsville's well known political families. November 12th will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of former Brownsville Mayor Emilio A. Hernandez.
Hernandez was a Brownsville native. His father, Eutimio Hernandez, immigrated to Brownsville from Matamoros. Emilio would later enroll in Saint Joseph's and later attend Brownsville High School where he would excel in the classroom as well as on the football field. Emilio would also become a skilled pugilist, becoming a golden gloves boxer. His success in academics would eventually translate to his success in the business world. One of his first business ventures was owning a salvage yard. He would become a successful real estate developer, creating the Palm Gardens subdivision. His business acumen would eventually transform into helping people in the community who otherwise couldn't receive any help. He owned one of the first self-financing auto sales companies in Brownsville. He also helped several people achieve their dreams of owning their own homes.
His legitimate desire to see those who lived in Brownsville prosper led him to seek political office. While you did not have to register with a major national political party, several local political machines had their own parties who ran entire tickets of mayors and commissioners. Hernandez would be one of the first successful "independent" mayoral candidates to be elected as mayor. Hernandez was a two-term mayor, serving from 1979 to 1987.
If you talk to people who remember Mayor Hernandez, the most frequent words you'll hear people use to describe him are "professional, patient, understanding, and statesman." Mayor Hernandez was someone who was very even-keeled. If a vote didn't go his way, or if a policy he felt needed to be enacted didn't shake out quite the way he thought it would, he would not display any displeasure, anger, or frustration. He always maintained a professional face and realized the mayor's office was far too dignified to embarrass it with someone throwing a tantrum because something didn't go his way.
Under his tenure, Brownsville grew and prospered. He was mayor during one of the first major Mexican Peso devaluations. He knew Brownsville and Matamoros formed a symbiotic relationship and quickly set things in motion to try to ensure Brownsville wouldn't suffer any economic woes because of the peso devaluation. He enlisted the help of U.S. Representative Kika de la Garza who was instrumental in trying to pass legislation designed to help those affected by the peso devaluation. Mayor Hernandez and his administration also applied for grants to study the feasibility of a multi-million dollar downtown revitalization effort, something that we are still trying to accomplish to this day.
The mayor knew preserving Brownsville and her historical features was important. The Historic Brownsville Museum housed in the old Southern Pacific railroad depot wouldn't be what it is today had Mayor Hernandez not led the efforts to revitalize and refurbish the crumbling, dark structure. He also realized the Brownsville Police Department needed new digs, so he took them from the tiny police station on East Washington Street (where the city engineering and traffic departments now are) to a new state-of-the-art facility on Jackson Street. He also led the charge on the revitalization of Washington Park, as well as several other parks and green spaces around the city.
Under his tenure, city departments made improvements to several areas, including public safety, engineering, and urban planning. He also made several other societal and infrastructural improvements to the city.
Mayor Hernandez also understood elected officials should not be given any special treatment — he firmly believed nobody was above the law. In a June 1982 issue of Jet magazine, an article was written stating Mayor Hernandez was among a group of 70 Brownsvillians who were given warnings about their property being unkempt. The irony is Mayor Hernandez is the one who asked the code enforcement officials to crack down on the offending properties. After receiving his warning, the mayor cleaned up his property and avoided any further trouble with the city.
Mayor Hernandez treated the office with respect and reverence. He was a legitimate statesman who understood the real meaning of what it was to be mayor — he understood he had to put the welfare of the citizenry before any self-serving interests or personal agendas he may have had. I wonder if health issues got in the way towards the end of his political career, because I firmly believe he would have been an outstanding state representative or state senator — he could have even taken a shot at the governor's chair. His family's legacy is still seen in Brownsville today. His efforts to revitalize the city are seen all over. His nephew, Ernie Hernandez, Jr. followed in his uncle's footsteps. He is also a successful local businessman and served as a city commissioner. He is currently Cameron County's Precinct 2 Commissioner.
I understand the era of statesmen bringing dignity and class to their elected offices has been over for some time. Politics has been demystified, and for some reason, the citizenry has decided anybody can be an elected official and act foolish and treat their office with disdain and disrespect.
It really is a pity the era of the noble, humble public servant is over. I'm afraid we won't see the likes of an Emilio A. Hernandez ever again.
Continue enjoying your eternal rest, Mr. Mayor. You've earned it. Thank you for all you did for Brownsville and her native sons and daughters.
The day after Veterans Day will mark a solemn anniversary for one of Brownsville's well known political families. November 12th will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of former Brownsville Mayor Emilio A. Hernandez.
Hernandez was a Brownsville native. His father, Eutimio Hernandez, immigrated to Brownsville from Matamoros. Emilio would later enroll in Saint Joseph's and later attend Brownsville High School where he would excel in the classroom as well as on the football field. Emilio would also become a skilled pugilist, becoming a golden gloves boxer. His success in academics would eventually translate to his success in the business world. One of his first business ventures was owning a salvage yard. He would become a successful real estate developer, creating the Palm Gardens subdivision. His business acumen would eventually transform into helping people in the community who otherwise couldn't receive any help. He owned one of the first self-financing auto sales companies in Brownsville. He also helped several people achieve their dreams of owning their own homes.
His legitimate desire to see those who lived in Brownsville prosper led him to seek political office. While you did not have to register with a major national political party, several local political machines had their own parties who ran entire tickets of mayors and commissioners. Hernandez would be one of the first successful "independent" mayoral candidates to be elected as mayor. Hernandez was a two-term mayor, serving from 1979 to 1987.
If you talk to people who remember Mayor Hernandez, the most frequent words you'll hear people use to describe him are "professional, patient, understanding, and statesman." Mayor Hernandez was someone who was very even-keeled. If a vote didn't go his way, or if a policy he felt needed to be enacted didn't shake out quite the way he thought it would, he would not display any displeasure, anger, or frustration. He always maintained a professional face and realized the mayor's office was far too dignified to embarrass it with someone throwing a tantrum because something didn't go his way.
Under his tenure, Brownsville grew and prospered. He was mayor during one of the first major Mexican Peso devaluations. He knew Brownsville and Matamoros formed a symbiotic relationship and quickly set things in motion to try to ensure Brownsville wouldn't suffer any economic woes because of the peso devaluation. He enlisted the help of U.S. Representative Kika de la Garza who was instrumental in trying to pass legislation designed to help those affected by the peso devaluation. Mayor Hernandez and his administration also applied for grants to study the feasibility of a multi-million dollar downtown revitalization effort, something that we are still trying to accomplish to this day.
The mayor knew preserving Brownsville and her historical features was important. The Historic Brownsville Museum housed in the old Southern Pacific railroad depot wouldn't be what it is today had Mayor Hernandez not led the efforts to revitalize and refurbish the crumbling, dark structure. He also realized the Brownsville Police Department needed new digs, so he took them from the tiny police station on East Washington Street (where the city engineering and traffic departments now are) to a new state-of-the-art facility on Jackson Street. He also led the charge on the revitalization of Washington Park, as well as several other parks and green spaces around the city.
Under his tenure, city departments made improvements to several areas, including public safety, engineering, and urban planning. He also made several other societal and infrastructural improvements to the city.
Mayor Hernandez also understood elected officials should not be given any special treatment — he firmly believed nobody was above the law. In a June 1982 issue of Jet magazine, an article was written stating Mayor Hernandez was among a group of 70 Brownsvillians who were given warnings about their property being unkempt. The irony is Mayor Hernandez is the one who asked the code enforcement officials to crack down on the offending properties. After receiving his warning, the mayor cleaned up his property and avoided any further trouble with the city.
Mayor Hernandez treated the office with respect and reverence. He was a legitimate statesman who understood the real meaning of what it was to be mayor — he understood he had to put the welfare of the citizenry before any self-serving interests or personal agendas he may have had. I wonder if health issues got in the way towards the end of his political career, because I firmly believe he would have been an outstanding state representative or state senator — he could have even taken a shot at the governor's chair. His family's legacy is still seen in Brownsville today. His efforts to revitalize the city are seen all over. His nephew, Ernie Hernandez, Jr. followed in his uncle's footsteps. He is also a successful local businessman and served as a city commissioner. He is currently Cameron County's Precinct 2 Commissioner.
I understand the era of statesmen bringing dignity and class to their elected offices has been over for some time. Politics has been demystified, and for some reason, the citizenry has decided anybody can be an elected official and act foolish and treat their office with disdain and disrespect.
It really is a pity the era of the noble, humble public servant is over. I'm afraid we won't see the likes of an Emilio A. Hernandez ever again.
Continue enjoying your eternal rest, Mr. Mayor. You've earned it. Thank you for all you did for Brownsville and her native sons and daughters.
Comments
Post a Comment