It was like clockwork.
We had just finished posting our take on Brownsville Independent School District trustee Minerva Peña's witless antics on the board when we heard about yet another of her premier stellar performances.
It seems that Minnie, while on the hustings for companion candidate for the board Butch Barbosa, noticed that the New York Deli had allowed one of Barbosa's opponent for Place 5 – incumbent Catarina Presas-Garcia – to place one of her campaign signs inside the restaurant property facing the heavy traffic passing by outside.
Now, the Deli happens to be nicely situated in a strategic corner facing Price Road a couple of blocks from the BISD central offices and on the entrance Sloss Street only a block from US 77-83. Owner Gilbert Rendon is a Beatles fanatic who will challenge anyone to out-Beatle fan him. So far, Gilbert has been the reigning Mean Mister Mustard in Browntown.The place has become an informal gathering place for professionals for state, city, county and school district employees, including some recent arrivals from the Midwest and Northeast who enjoy the fare served there. Where else in Brownsville could you find such entrees like Boar's Head Deluxe Ham. Oven Roasted Buffalo Chicken, Genoa Italian Salami and Soup Du Jour like Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Chicken Tortilla, Black Bean, and the old standard Clam Chowder?
The place is also becoming a sports hangout as well with the Deli's acquisition of a beer and wine license.
Well, our intrepid Minnie decides it would be nice if she could have her and Butch's signs adorn the Deli just like Caty's and proceeded to ask Gilbert for space to do it. Now, Gilbert is a nice guy as far as that goes, if not a bit cranky at times. "Takes him out to look at the Queen, only place that he's ever been, Always shouts out something obscene..."
But there was a catch. Apparently, Minnie wanted to move Presas-Garcia's sign to get the choice spot for hers and Gil would have none of that.
Well' you can imagine the brouhaha that resulted. Peña wasn't the captain of the Porter High School Belles for nothing. She threw a hairy and the results were of general unpleasantness. It got to the point where the local gendarmes almost had to be called before she left in a huff.
Now, those of us who have followed the trials and tribulations of the BISD and its legal nightmares know that the BISD last year settled with Art Rendon – Gil's brother – after he was terminated by the former majority of the BISD board and part of the settlement was that he be rehired by the district. It was one of those cases where Art went to the FBI, Texas Rangers and other investigative bodies with evidence of wrongdoing in the Special Services Department. He was reviled and terminated for his troubles after the district spent 100,000s of dollars in litigation to justify his termination.
When the new board saw the writing on the wall, they cut their losses and settled with him and set about to straighten out the mess he had uncovered.
Art is now the head of transportation and is trying to clean up that mess left there by Jose Hector Chirinos, who by the way, is also running for the BISD board in November.
Well, we live in a small town and have long memories. Guess who voted against the settlement that allowed Art to return to work for the district? You guessed it. Minnie Peña herself.
Now, we have to ask ourselves. Is Peña so witless that she would think that the brother of the person she voted against would welcome her campaign advances with open arms?
Gilbert will probably get mad at us for posting this, but rather than face his icy wrath, we'll wait a decent interval before we venture into the Deli's cozy confines.
"Once there was a way to get back homeward..."
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