Mayor’s State of City address goes into law book

Mayor of Harlingen Chris Boswell addresses event attendees and media Friday for the annual Harlingen State of the City Address at the Harlingen Convention Center. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)

HARLINGEN — After decades, the mayor’s annual State of the City address is going into the city’s code of ordinances, where the event is moving from noon to after 5:45 p.m.

Earlier this week, the city commission’s majority called for the change in the event’s schedule to give more working residents a chance to attend the address featuring the mayor’s annual report on the city.

During a tense exchange, Mayor Chris Boswell argued the move to place the event under the code of ordinances was “forcing” the changes down the Rotary Club’s throat after the group has sponsored the event for decades.

For decades, the Rotary Club of Harlingen sponsored the charity fundraiser at noon at Casa de Amistad.

Since 2019, the club has hosted the noon event at the Harlingen Convention Center to raise money for charities.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Commissioners Rene Perez and Frank Puente said holding the event after the work day would help draw more residents.

“I believe that the 8-to-5 working majority in Harlingen do not have the ability to actually go to the meeting and see it,” Perez said. “The point is, we’re giving the people of Harlingen an opportunity to go to the event.”

Meanwhile, Boswell suggested Perez meet with the Rotary Club to discuss changing the event’s schedule.

“All I’m saying is why don’t we get some input from the people putting it on and just get their feedback before we pass this,” he said. “You’re the one who’s bringing it up so it’s your obligation to invite the stakeholders to come talk to you or the commission and say how can we make it better. My concern is this notion of forcing things down people’s throat through passing an ordinance rather than engaging them in getting their feedback and their input. It’s kind of evolved into a fundraiser to support charities which I think is a positive feature of the event which I think you don’t want to lose.”

Puente denied the charge.

“I don’t think we’re forcing anything down their throat,” he told Boswell. “It’s almost like you want us to a ask for permission to change the hours when it should be the other way around. All we’re asking is to move this venue so the common (people) can attend. I’m getting feedback from my constituents as well and, one, they can’t afford it, and two, a lot of working-class people can’t attend it.”

Perez, who is a teacher, said he wouldn’t have been able to attend the event this year if it didn’t fall during his Spring Break.

“They’re not part of a small minority of people that can just take off the day,” he said of the city’s working residents. “I’m not a lawyer. I don’t have the ability to take off in the middle of the day to attend the event. I’m a teacher. The only reason I myself was able to go to this event this year was because it was during Spring Break.”

While the city live-streams the event, it’s also free to the public, Boswell said.

“You don’t have to pay to go,” he said. “That’s why there are chairs set up in the perimeter of the facility to allow the public to come in.”

But Perez said he wanted to give residents the chance to “experience” the event.

“You’re using taxpayer money,” he said, noting the city paid $14,645 to help fund the event. “I know some people are saying they can see it on You Tube. That’s like the old-school saying of Marie Antoinette — ‘Let them eat cake.’ This is something they should be able to see in person. Where the seating for the public is, we’re talking about way in the back and you have little folding chairs.”

Commissioner Frank Morales said the event’s ticket prices are climbing.

While tickets cost $50 last year, this year prices jumped to $75, he said.

Meanwhile, he said the cost of tables soared from $500 last year to $1,200 this year.