Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor Trevino discussed the city potentially joining the newly-formed South Texas Alliance of Cities.
Jorge A. Vela / Laredo Morning Times
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Jorge A. Vela, LMTonline.com / Laredo Morning Times
Recently, a new South Texas group of cities spearheaded by San Antonio formed South Texas Alliance of Cities, aimed at strengthening their economic ties, transportation avenues, development and learning on how to deal with any immigration issues.
While Laredo sits between San Antonio and most of The Valley municipalities, it was not originally asked to join the STAC. However, talks are now underway between the mayors of Laredo and San Antonio to discuss the matter further.
Members of the STAC include:
- San Antonio, Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
- Harlingen, Mayor Norma Sepulveda.
- Brownsville, Mayor John Cowen.
- Mission, Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza.
- Weslaco, Mayor David Suarez.
- Edinburg, Mayor Ramiro Garza.
- McAllen, Mayor Javier Villalobos.
Bruce Davidson, the Communications Director for the Office of Mayor Ron Nirenberg, said the group is in its infancy and began with a coalition of mayors and local officials from smaller cities in the Rio Grande Valley “that Mayor Nirenberg helped convene based on his work as current chair of the Texas’ Big City Mayors organization.”
Davidson said that San Antonio has recently approached Laredo in regards to becoming the alliance's newest member.
“Mayors Trevino and Nirenberg have spoken about the initiative,” Davidson said. “Mayor Nirenberg does not intend to be chair of the South Texas Alliance of Cities, and has already conveyed his support of inviting the City of Laredo to be a part of STAC.”
Trevino said that both Laredo and San Antonio have always had a strong partnership in history, culture and economic development that matters in efforts to strengthen the South Texas area. Both also sit along the I-35 corridor, which extends beyond into the interior the United States and connects with the interior of Mexico.
“Mayor Nirenberg and I sit together on the Big City Mayors Coalition, and we share the same vision of strategic partnerships to achieve economic prosperity,” Trevino said. “The South Texas initiative is more geared toward what The Valley is trying to achieve. I believe that San Antonio, along with other cities that we have strong economic relationships with, are always forming additional partnerships and alliances.”
According to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service, an excerpt of the document signed in agreement to start the alliance stressed the importance of South Texas working together.
“The challenges faced by the communities of our region are not faced alone, and they have implications for the future prosperity of all nations in North, Central and South America," it read. "They range from increased migration across the southern border directly into South Texas, long overdue infrastructure investments to modernize and accommodate projected growth, revitalizing and empowering communities where poverty has been entrenched for generations, educating and re-skilling a multilingual workforce of the future, mitigating the effects of climate change.”
Trevino said he understands that some of the goals or objectives that some cities in The Valley have might differ from those of Laredo, but he said there is importance in developing and strengthening close alliances.
“I am a firm believer in alliances, and I believe we are stronger together than apart,” Trevino said. “The Valley and Laredo share a significant amount of strategic partnerships, but we have to understand that at times the economic development goals can vary and are at times, distinctly different. As Laredo continues to be the largest port of entry in the United States, we project to see an increase from 40% to over 50% of all Mexican merchandise crossing the border through Laredo.”
At face value, Trevino agrees with the alliance’s main objectives of trying to better transportation, infrastructure, economic development and immigration issues in efforts to strengthen the relationship between the cities in The Valley and those of San Antonio. The mayor said he believes this as international trade, economic development and border security all go hand in hand.
Trevino also said Laredo continues to be one of the safest communities along South Texas, with the second lowest illegal border crossings in the country because of the “simple formula of mutual respect, in combination with open communication” with state, federal and Mexican counterparts.
Whether Laredo joins STAC or not, the mayor said it is very clear that the city is expected to see a continuing boom economically and its footprint in the international trade paradigm for the time to come. He also feels the continued shared relationship with the Nuevo Laredo is a major part of that continued progress.
“We are moving into a new era for the City of Laredo,” Trevino said. “With the anticipation of the expansion of the World Trade Bridge, nearshoring expansion and Mexican aduanas (customs offices) headquarters moving from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo, the writing is on the wall on where the economic boom is expected.”
jorge.vela@lmtonline.com