Will Leal Have the Brass to put Brass on the Agenda?

Chesney and Leal push for Community Fight.
Grow Corpus Christi organizer Diane Metz announced on her Grow CC facebook page that Priscilla Leal has agreed to place the Brass deal back on Tuesday's City Council Agenda. Whether she can actually do that is another question.

Metz stated on her page that "Councilwoman Priscilla Leal becomes Mayor pro tem Friday at midnight. She supports Brass project and will PUT THE NEGOTIATIONS BACK ON THE AGENDA FOR A REVOTE! **PLEASE POST NOW AND CONGRADULATE (sic) COUNCILWOMAN PRISCILLA LEAL FOR STEPPING UP!** THANK YOU PRISCILLA LEAL! YOU ARE A HERO! YOU ARE A LEADER!"

City Secretary Armando Chapa stated that Leal takes over from current Mayor Pro Tem John Marez Friday night. Chapa said Leal has not contacted him regarding her intent and said it would be possible for Leal to attempt to add to the agenda before noon on Saturday.

In response to a question about Leal's authority, Chapa stated that he would have to research to see if Leal actually had the authority to add to the agenda and that he had not had time to do that. That leaves open the possibility that Leal might be able to file but not get it on the agenda until the Novmeber 17 meeting in order to give time for City legal to research the problem. Chapa said he would need to ask for Legal's interpretation if Leal filed to amend the agenda.

The efforts of Metz, Councilman Brent Chesney and one must suspect Brass to force the City back into negotiations has raised eyebrows in the community. The Brass position which was reported by City negotiating team head John Bell (See Brass' Brass this page) as leaving the City getting only apartment buildings on the bayfront and all of the liabilities was rejected as a bait and switch by the Council. Brass, Metz and Chesney seem willing to risk law suits, petition drives and another destructive city wide brouhaha to get their way as even Mayor Joe Adame has admitted the whole area is a park and would negate most funding options.

Chesney who was there to support Metz's effort on Wed. (see Press Conference article this page) was asked whether pushing the Brass plan wouldn't set up divisive fight over the park land similar to the beach fight in 2006 that deeply divided the community. Chesney stated, "I'm not afraid of a fight, bring it on."