You're So Vain, I Bet You Think This Amendment is About You...

By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon

In today's city commission meeting, the Brownsville city council voted to put a proposed change to the city charter on the ballot in the upcoming municipal election to be held on May 1, 2021.

The proposed City Charter Amendment, proposed by rhe charter committee, is broken down into multiple amendments. The two key amendments are the implementation of term limits for the mayor and the other six city commissioners. The proposed amendment would limit the mayor and city commission to two four-year terms.

A visit to The Brownsville Herald's social media page will show dozens of comments approving of the proposed term limits. Several of the people commenting are in favor of limiting the amount of time politicians get to spend warming an executive leather chair behind the dais in the old federal courtroom above the post office on East Elizabeth Street.

I'm not a fan of term limits. If an incumbent is doing a poor job in serving and representing his community, his "term limit" should be the people voting the incumbent out of office. 

Term limits are the easy way out for the lazy and apathetic members of the citizenry who will say, "Well, hell's bells, I don't have to go vote if I don't like the mayor's ideas, I'll just wait until his term limit comes up." 

The power of a democratic republic comes from the choices the governed make. If a mayor is doing well, let him get reelected. If a commissioner is doing well, let her get reelected.

There are those who will argue term limits will prevent corrupt politicians from sticking around too long. If Brownsville politics has taught us anything, it has taught us our politicians are not leopards. They often times change their spots. A district commissioner will just run for mayor, then at large commissioner, then county commissioner, then county judge, then school board, then port commissioner.

If there's a cookie jar out there, a corrupt politician won't let a term limit keep him from sticking his hand in.

And, of course, making sure the spotlight is never off her for too long, District 2 Commissioner Jessica Tetreau went into a tailspin at the mere mention of term limits. She is irrevocably convinced the proposal is specifically aimed at her. She believes there's a multi-faceted conspiracy to accomplish what couldn't be done at the ballot box. Since she is the only sitting commissooner who would immediately be affected by the term limit proposal, she has cleverly dubbed the amendment the "Remove Jessica Clause." During her huffing and puffing, she reminds everyone (as if anybody could forget since she brings it up every time her mind thinks the rest of the commission is out to get her) she is the only write-in candidate who has been successfully elected and her constituents have returned her to her District 2 chair by a crushing margin of victory.

If she's that confident in her constituents wanting her to stay in office, she shouldn't worry. I'm sure her supporters will come out in droves to defeat the proposed amendments.

I have some.news for you, Madam Commissioner, Franklin Delano Roosevelt you are not.

I don't think your support is as comfortable as you think it is. The question begs to be asked - what, exactly, have you done for Brownsville? I mean, other than supporting the renaming of East Fronton Street and ignoring the wishes of the residents who lived on that street who came back and asked you to reconsider the name change saying you didn't think it was a big deal since there were a few blocks of Fronton Street that survived on the west side of Palm Boulevard.

Other than making your bank account grow by washing commercial vehicles that do business with the city and trying to manipulate human resources for the Brownsville Police Department, what have you really done for Brownsville?

Brownsville doesn't revolve around you. Just because you're the commissioner who would immediately be affected by the term limits, should these measures pass, everyone on the council will eventually have to abide by the term limits.

If anything, I'd think you'd be wanting to go big while you still have the opportunity. You're still a sitting commissooner. Stop worrying about term limits and start worrying about serving your constituents and leave something good behind. Don't let your legacy be one of not showing up to meetings and worrying about yourself. Use however much time you have left on the council to do something positive for Brownsville.

That said, you could always run for mayor.

My opinion on term limits is what it is, but it appears it will be put in the hands of the voters. If you needed an incentive to go out and vote this upcoming May, this may very well be it.

Don't pass up an opportunity to shake up the city commission in more ways than one.