No leadership: Commission's actions on fence show inability to work together

It's been said that trying times bring out a person's true colors. That appears to be true in the Brownsville City Commission, where the debate over the border fence has deteriorated into the petty name-calling and disregard for decorum for which this commission already has become known.

Mayor Pat Ahumada maintains the populist stance on which he was elected, and many will find his devotion to his principles admirable. Unfortunately, his position is a political one, and even though he probably has the majority of public opinion behind him, he is obviously outvoted on the City Commission, where he himself has said he is but one vote. It can be argued that he has the popular and moral strength behind him, but that obviously means little to other members of the commission.

Good leaders accept the obvious and work to mitigate the differences with his colleagues. Ahumada can't simply stand up to the majority and insist that he was elected by the people, as he often has. The argument not only falls on deaf ears, but it is a weak one, when one considers that all members of the commission were similarly elected.

Ahumada should seek avenues to offer alternatives, perhaps compromises, and negotiate options to lessen the effects of the border fence, and other items of contention on this commission. The mayor might come up against the abstinence and refusal to listen that these commissioners have become known for, but the intent still needs to be made.

One item of question has to be the propriety of perhaps the most vocal of all commissioners calling for capitulation with the Department of Homeland Security. Commissioner Charlie Atkinson, along with Anthony Troiani, appears to be the most adamant about working with DHS. Atkinson's motives might be honest, and he has built a reputation as a maverick, but it's still worth noting that Atkinson is a DHS employee, who recently won a lengthy legal battle for reinstatement after he was terminated over perceived conflicts of interest between his job and his position on the commission.

The worst, and most dangerous, issue is the apparent willingness of Ahumada and Troiani, at least, to negotiate with outside entities on behalf of the city. A city's mayor is traditionally regarded as the primary negotiator for a city, authorized to make such deals. In this city, however, Ahumada obviously doesn't have the strength of a majority supporting his actions. Troiani might presume to have other commissioners' support, but to our knowledge they haven't authorized him to speak on their behalf. Ahumada is still the mayor, Atkinson is mayor pro tempore and Ricardo Longoria is deputy mayor pro tempore. Those positions suggest an official chain of authority that should be respected.

In the end, Ahumada must work harder to bring cohesion to the commission he was elected to lead. Commissioners must learn to respect the positions they hold, and acknowledge that every other member of the board, and the constituents each represents, deserves the same respect.

Most importantly, voters should recognize the consequences of voting without fully investigating the candidates and the issues. We hope that future elections will reveal more preparation and better decisions by the public.