, 1935-11-22
Not Fernandez Ticket

Tanning. streSSing the necessity
for an alert business administra-
ton, asserted that his group was
not a Fernandez ticket" "All that
j.. G.. Fernandez ever said to me
about the race was this: After our
ticket announced. I met Mr.. Fer
nandez on the street and he said.
i e you IN a candidate for
mayor I answered that I was, and
he said May the best man win"
Yturria urged the club women 10
take an active interest in city af-
fairs. saying "I think this league
should be a part of our city gov
ernment.' If elected. he said. he
would stress a campaign for beau
LITIGATION of streets and other pub
lie property.
Speaking last. Mayor Rentfro said
his ticket went into office on a
platform with three major objec-
tives, and he felt the administra-
ton had reasonably fulfilled those
detectives. These planks we're: Take
the chamber Of commerce out of
politics. prevent issuing of time
warrants without a vote OF the peo-
pie and give the city an economical
and sound business administration.
Through adoption OF a new
charter, drawn by a commission of
representative citizens, control Of
the chamber OF commerce was
placed in a non-political board OF
not less than nine. the mayor said.
This board controls the policies and
finances Of the chamber, Mayor
Rentfro stated.
The charter also prevents un-
limited issuance OF time warrants.
When the administration went
into office the city had a debt Of
about 81, 200 600 in short term s
percent warrants. Through a re-
funding operation in which part Of
the debt was made Az and S per
cent long term obligations the ad-
ministration is saving $1,000 a year
in interest, the mayor asserted.
Taxes Reduced
Taxes are high" the speaker
said. "but we have lowered city
taxes BY approximately 80 1-3 per
cent through reducing valuations
from about S19.500.O00 to approx
imately Sl2. 100000"
Answering the opposition's charg-
& OF high salaries. the mayor said
the administration has cut expendi-
lures about $4,000 a year through
salary reductions and other saw
ings. All the pay the mayor and
the city commissioners obtain is
$40 for each meeting OF the COM
mission. he said. Over a period OF
years. the mayor and commission
erS here have averaged slightly less
than $50 per month each. Mayor
Rentfro told the clubwomen.
The salaries paid In Corpus
Christi. a city Of approximately the
same size as Brownsville and with
detectives, are higher than
those here. the speaker asserted.
The mayor and four commissioners
in Corpus Christi draw s1l 1000 a
year and that is slightly more than
double the amounts paid both the
Brownsville CITY commission md
city manager, the speaker asserted.
The Corpus Christi city secretary
Is paid S425 a month and has i
Sl25 a month assistant; the Brow
secretary is paid $50 a month
and has no assistant. Rentfro said.
The Corpus Christi city attorneys
office draws S700 per month"; the
Brownsville city attorney 5000.
the speaker said in continuing the
comparisons.
Brownsville's police department
Is small but efficient: the fire
department has one of the best
records in the state although the
size Of the force Is kept at the
minimum required by the state In
order to hold the present insurance
key rate, the speaker said.