Government 101

Words and phrases like “stupid” and “shut up, man,” aren’t in the standard high school government textbooks. Nor are descriptions of grown men screaming at one another at the top of their lungs in the literature of how American democracy functions.

Nevertheless, this is just what Letty Davila’s government class from St. Joseph Academy saw Tuesday night at the City Commission meeting.

“Government can be intense. This is a live lesson. This is exactly why I brought them,” Davila observed.

What got the commissioners at each other's throats were questions over political appointments.

PUB member Cris Valadez’s appointment came up for renewal, but the appointment was Commissioner Edward C. Camarillo’s to make.

He motioned to appoint former Brownsville Housing Authority board member Manuel Vasquez and Commissioner Anthony P. Troiani quickly backed it.

Mayor Pat M. Ahumada Jr., who as mayor appoints BHA members, sought and received Vasquez’s resignation from the BHA board shortly after his election. Ahumada said Tuesday that appointing Vasquez to the BPUB was a “disservice” and indicated he sought his removal because of micromanaging and other issues, which provoked an outburst from Commissioner Ricardo Longoria.

“Don’t you do that,” Longoria yelled at Ahumada. “Don’t you ridicule a person.”

Troiani chastised Ahumada for making allegations without “findings,” while Ahumada told them that Valadez had raised $150,000 in funds to assist the needy.

Longoria, Troiani, Carlos Cisneros and Camarillo voted for Vasquez while Ahumada, Charlie Atkinson and Leo Garza cast the dissenting votes.

The question of whether a person can serve on several boards brought another eruption with Atkinson telling Camarillo that he was doing “stupid” things. Longoria leaped to Camarillo’s defense, telling Atkinson, “Shut up man.”

Davila’s assessment was that the divisiveness and aggressiveness is like that witnessed from the U.S. Supreme Court through the various levels of national, state and local government.

“Guess what, it’s in your backyard,” Davila told her students when the commission retired to executive session.

“I expected some debate, but not that much aggression,” 17-year-old student Veronica Lopez said.

Added Miguel Sarkis, also 17, “I thought they would be more unified.”

Other business was accomplished more civilly, with the commission approving an eight-liner arcade at 344 Paredes Line Rd.

Commissioners Troiani, Longoria, Atkinson and Cisneros went against Police Chief Carlos Garcia’s recommendation that the permit requested by Jose Sanchez of 605 Paredes Line Road be denied.

Like their vote in September, Camarillo and Garza voted to deny the permit. The mayor also voted in September to deny the permit, but on Tuesday, he decided to abstain.

The petitioner, Jose Sanchez, did not attend the meeting in September and is believed to live in Houston.

Sanchez’s petition for the permit listed Christopher Sirhan as the owner of the building where the arcade will be located, but public records show that the building is owned by former Brownsville Public Utilities Board member Chris Valadez’s family.

Valadez said Monday that he knew nothing about the venture and said Sirhan leases the building and can sub-lease it.