IS MARTINEZ BACKING UB'S PORTILLO FOR THE SURE VOTE?

By  Juan Montoya
Up until last October, City of Brownsville District 3 City Commission candidate Deborah Portillo was employed as the Special Assistant to the Executive Director of United Brownsville.
But, according to a statement issued by United Brownsville for an information request on her work and salary history with the nonprofit, she  now works at her family's business at Portillo Jewelers. The family has at least one outlet at the Sunrise Mall and another Portillo Jewelers is listed in La Plaza Mall in McAllen.
A smaller store in downtown Brownsville was housed in a property owned by Abraham Golonsky situated across from the new bus terminal across the UTB-TSC campus. That business, we have learned, was to be  vacated due in part to the sale of the property to the City of Brownsville for $2.3 million.
There are three other candidates in the District 3 race after incumbent Melissa Zamora declined to run for her position. They are local businessman Martin Sarkis, newcomer David Belleperche, and Rosalio “Chalio” Rosales, executive director of the Good Neighbor Settlement Home.
According to the UB release, Portillo was employed with United Brownsville as the Special Assistant to the Executive Director from January 25, 2012 to October 5, 2012 and her grossed salary earnings were $28,103.33 during that time.
In a sense, in running for office, Portillo is automatically assumed to be the candidate for City of Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez, an ardent UB supporter and member of the board. Also, she is in effect trading a paid position for a non-paying one since the nonprofit gets the bulk of its operating budget from annual  donations from a number of publicly-funded entities and corporations.
United Brownsville is a non-profit corporation that has no funds of its own. Rather, it survives and pays its staff by extracting a $25,000 "goodwill" tribute from the City of Brownsville, Greater Brownsville Incentive Corporation, Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation, Brownsville Independent School District, Brownsville Public Utilities Board, University of Texas at Brownsville, Texas Southmost College, and the Port of Brownsville.
Why would Portillo run for a position that doesn't pay a salary and leave one that paid her well over $3,000 a month as the the special assistant to the director of UB? Is Hizzoner hedging his bet to make sure he has at least one sure vote on the city commission to do as he will once Rose Gowen nails down the At-Large position against Robert Uresti?