Agenda Watch: CIAC Attack

A strange thing occurred in the video of the 10/2/07 City Commission meeting. During deliberation of Item 7, which reads:

7. Consideration and ACTION to acknowledge Mayor Pat M. Ahumada, Jr., as the Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) member to the Capital Improvement Advisory Committee (CIAC). (Ben Medina, Jr. - Planning)

...the vote, led by Rick Longoria, came down to 4-3 AGAINST acknowledgment of the BPUB appointment (Item 18 on 9/19/07), which was curious. Did Longoria, Cisneros, Camarillo & Troiani realize that BPUB (and thus, the Mayor) HAD NO LEGAL BASIS to appoint Ahumada as BPUB's representative on the CIAC board?

Because they didn't. CIAC's charter is based on a 2006 ordinance. 7 voting members, appointed by the city commission (not BPUB) plus the non-voting membership of the BPUB director and the City Manager. Simple. Fair.

Later that same meeting, the Mayor tried to slam an altered ordinance down the commissioners throats at the same 10/2 meeting, but it was tabled. Now it's up again tomorrow:

6. Public Hearing and ACTION on FIRST READING of Ordinance Number 2007-1100.44 amending the City Code to clarify the relationship between the Capital Improvement Advisory Committee (CIAC) and other entities; and dealing with related matters including $500 penalties. (Ben Medina, Jr. - Planning)

This item should fail, but will it? Ahumada, like the commissioners, has appointed members to this board already. Does he not trust them to see things HIS WAY?

Wanna talk about micro-managing? This is micro-managing, and thinly-veiled at that.