Rep Aaron Pena

3.25.2007
McAllen Convention Opening Marks The Growth of a Region

I had the pleasure of attending the opening event of the new $62.2 million dollar McAllen Convention Center last night. The facility far exceeded my expectations. The center has the ambiance of conference halls on a level of the Houston Galleria or that of Las Vegas. There may be some regional pride exhibited in that statement, but judging from the comments of other attendees, I think my judgment is accurate.

My district covers portions of McAllen, so such comments might be expected. As an observer of history, I do think the opening of the convention center may act as a landmark event, marking a positive trend in the development of our region. Like the old city-states of classical Greece, the South Texas of my youth was divided by bitter city rivalries, with little to no regional cooperation. We sometimes call this the "Friday night football mentality" with each community trying to up their neighboring cities. But very much like ancient Greece, challenges coming from outside the region pulled the competing interests together to form a regional identity.

Whether one chooses to mark the old McAllen from the new, or one marks the development of a regional identity to that which once was, it is my belief that South Texas and the borderlands of Texas are entering a new era. An era of regional cooperation and a more cohesive regional identity.

Last night most of the regional dignitaries were joined by elected counterparts from Mexico. This is not uncommon for our region, in that strong family and historical ties have always bound us to our neighbors on the Mexican side of the river. But my thoughts this morning, on this concept of a new regional identity coupled with a renewed regional cooperation, is that without a doubt this future will include our Mexican neighbors who are undoubtedly an integral part of our future. At a time when many in this state fear what Mexico brings to the future of our state, our region must lead the way in setting the example of a prosperous future with the cooperative help of our Mexican counterparts.

Sure, I have taken the simple opening of a convention center to mark grand sweeps of history. Think what you might, one cannot deny that these events and trends are real. More than any other time our regional legislative delegation is stronger and working as a region to improve the lives of the citizens from South Texas. It is my belief that in the closing years of my life, I may look back fondly and remember the formative years of a powerful international region and how it changed for the better when it embraced it's rightful place in our state's future by working together for that future.