It was through Facebook that current mayor Juan “Trey” Méndez announced that he would not seek re-election next year.
In the statement, he mentions that one of the reasons why he has decided not to be re-elected is because it has affected certain areas of his life, such as his mental and physical health, among other things. More than that however he feels satisfied with what he has achieved up to today.
In a post he wrote the following;
“After months of consideration and self-reflection, I have decided that I will not seek re-election as mayor for the upcoming May 2023 election. As much as I would love to continue, I realize that the last three and a half years have come at a heavy cost. in my physical, mental and financial health that few can relate to. I believe we have successfully handled a multitude of catastrophic and unforeseen events in the last 36 months that required our undivided attention, but it was not easy. We have been fortunate to have received national attention to several great initiatives that we’ve been able to move toward completion in. The biggest will be citywide broadband, but I’m proud of many other accomplishments along the way, like the zoo’s first master plan in 50 years, bus on Sundays, a new development code and the digitization of our permitting process, electric rate reductions at PUB, substantial increases and n our revenue while lowering the tax rate, record investments in residential and commercial developments and, of course, the massive economic impact of SpaceX. An increase in the number of police and fire personnel, as well as the addition of a third hospital (DHR Brownsville) are important milestones that will bring even more quality care and safety to our citizens. Despite these achievements, my work is not done yet. It will be an honor to serve my term with the same energy and leadership that you have seen in the last 3 years and I wish the next mayor every success. My passion has always been to help create a better Brownsville for families to raise children, provide young adults with more career opportunities, and create a vibrant, progressive, and connected community. During my 13-year journey as a public servant, I have never taken your support or the responsibility of an elected position for granted. I am sincerely humbled by the trust and faith you have placed in me to represent you. The role of mayor is extremely difficult and doing it well requires a huge time commitment. In addition to serving without salary, the mayoral position for the city of Brownsville has no dedicated staff or support staff, making things difficult. I strongly urge our community to support whoever is in office and refrain from the personal attacks and behavior that public servants, including myself, have seen in recent years. I ask that you consider the candidates, their agendas, platforms, backgrounds, record of public service, and character. I truly hope we have a candidate who will innovate and do the work necessary to continue to realize our full potential and eliminate special interests on City Hall, something I feel I was able to do during my tenure. I am grateful for the honor of serving in this seat during such an important time in our history. My goal is to transition back to my full-time law practice in the next few months. It’s never a good time to say goodbye, but this feels like the right time. Those who know me know that I love my city too much to leave, so I hope you continue to be involved in improving our great city in some way in the future.
– On the border, by the sea and beyond.”