South Texas mayors unite to serve the region

Countries from across the globe are investing in South Texas.

Our region’s dynamic, young workforce is fueling a resurgence in manufacturing, and our geographic positioning with our proximity to trading partners and ports is solving supply chain issues and reducing economic bottlenecks.

Make no mistake, South Texas is our state’s economic future. Some South Texas cities have experienced double-digit population growth since 2010, and our region’s productivity has increased by more than 40% while exports have quadrupled in the same time period, according to the Texas Economic Development Corp.

And our collective economy represents a balanced portfolio, from energy production to space exploration, to trade, manufacturing, agriculture and health care.

And we’re growing despite historic underfunding of infrastructure needs. We’ll admit our own shortcomings. One factor that has prevented us from seeing our full potential has been a failure to view ourselves as a united region.

But new leadership brings fresh ideas. That’s why mayors from communities across

South Texas this summer came together in Weslaco to form the South Texas Mayors Alliance.

We recognize the potential of our collective power, and we are committed to aligning our advocacy efforts to move our communities and the Texas economy forward. We share culture and history, along with common strengths and common challenges.

Founding members included Ron Nirenberg of San Antonio; David Suarez of Weslaco; thenMayor Trey Mendez of Brownsville; Norma Sepulveda of Harlingen; Ramiro Garza Jr. of Edinburg; Norie Garza of Mission; and Javier Villalobos of McAllen.

John Cowen, the newly elected mayor of Brownsville, has maintained membership.

Our initial declaration stated our shared values: We are motivated by the mutual economic, civic and cultural interests of our communities. We recognize our workforce is essential to driving the future economy of our state and nation. We acknowledge the deep, generational ties that South Texas residents have shared throughout our collective history.

And we’re resolved to leverage our combined economic and political strength through the strategic cooperation of mayors to advance the quality of life for all our cities.

After our initial meeting in Weslaco, we’ll be reconvening this week in San Antonio. Where we go as an alliance will be a collective decision based on finding the common good (Congress may want to take note.).

We have included an array of issues and opportunities on the agenda, such as workforce development, public schools and community colleges, and partnerships with business to fill the skills gap in aerospace, cybersecurity, skilled manufacturing and technology fields.

We’ll discuss opportunities to align cultural programs to enhance tourism, and, of course, we’ll coordinate our advocacy efforts for greater investments in infrastructure, including our ports, both coastal and inland.

In South Texas we’re not just ready to fill jobs, we’re creating them more than ever, because there’s truth to the saying, unidos jamás serán vencidos.