SAN BENITO — Bernard Rodriguez is taking on the job of revitalizing the city’s downtown.
The city has hired Rodriguez as its downtown coordinator, charging him with duties including bringing new business and shoppers into rows of empty storefronts along Sam Houston Boulevard.
“I’m going to hit the streets and promote the city,” Rodriguez said after about two weeks on the job.
Rodriguez entered into a one-year renewable contract paying $45,000. The San Benito Economic Development Corporation will fund his salary.
Rodriguez has served as Weslaco’s planning director and downtown manager, helping spearhead a revitalization project that led to the renovation of the Cortez Hotel.
In 1999, the Texas Main Street Program named Rodriguez its New Manager of the Year.
“The commitment that was there is here in San Benito,” Rodriguez said, comparing the downtowns in San Benito and Weslaco.
Rodriguez said the city is launching a program to help businesses spruce up their storefronts.
As part of the program, he said, the city will earmark $10,000 per storefront for qualifying businesses spending $10,000 or more in renovating their shops’ facades.
“We are committed to invest in the business community and the entrepreneurial spirit to remove barriers to growth, drive up revenue and increase employment opportunities for all citizens of San Benito and the region,” Rodriguez said in a written statement.
