Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville is a city located in Cameron County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 139,722. It is the county seat of Cameron County{{GR|6}}.

City Government

Brownsville has a Council-Manager style of Government. The Mayor and six City Commissioners, two At-Large and four District, serve staggered four year terms. Every two years, three Commission seats are voted for, one At-Large and two Districts. General elections are held on the first Saturday of May in odd numbered years. The City Secretary's Office conducts the city elections. This involves administering the appropriate papers for a candidate to be included on the ballot. The City Secretary is also responsible for keeping records on the candidates, mainly their Campaign Finance Reports. The City Secretary's Office counts the votes and declares a winner. In Texas, local elections are non-partisan, meaning candidates don't run with a party affiliation but independently. It is not uncommon though for groups of candidates with simular political idealogies to support each other. In non-partisan elections a potential candidate for any city elected office will self-nominate themselves by going to the City Secretary's Office and filing the appropiate paperwork to be placed on the ballot. The City Secretary's Office will then check if the candidate meets residency requirements to run for a particular office. A candidate for local office must receive a majority of the vote in order to avoid a runoff. If a runoff election is needed the City Secretary's Office will set the date as needed. In the event that a Commissioner or the Mayor vacates his/her seat a special election will be held to fill the vacancy.

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At current Brownsville's elected officials are:

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• Mayor: Eddie Treviño Jr. (Since 2003)
• Commissioner At-Large "A": Sally Arroyo (Since 2003)
• Commissioner At-Large "B": Ernie Hernandez (Since 2005)
• Commissioner District 1: Ricardo Longoria Jr. (Since 2003)
• Commissioner District 2: David Betancourt (Since 2003)
• Commissioner District 3: Carlos Cisneros (Since 2002)
• Commissioner District 4: Edward Camarillo (Since 2005)

The next regular elections for the City will occur in the following years:

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• Mayor: 2007
• At-Large "A": 2007
• At-Large "B": 2009
• District 1: 2007
• District 2: 2007
• District 3: 2009
• District 4: 2009

Brownsville also has officials that are appointed by the City Commission among those are the:

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• City Manager: Charlie Cabler
• Assistant City Manager: Carlos Ayala