Thursday, May 18, 2017

SOSSI THUMBS NOSE AT CITY, HIRES ON WITH MISSION LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER HE BECOMES FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE

(Minutes of meeting)
Thursday, January 12, 2017, at 5:30 P.M. and 6:00 P.M.

Image result for mark sossi brownsvilleACTION ON ITEM DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION: A) Discussion and Possible Personnel ACTION to make City Attorney a City Employee. Commissioner Ricardo Longoria, Jr., moved to proceed as discussed in Executive Session to make City Attorney a City Employee. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Cesar de Leon and carried unanimously.

By Juan Montoya
Since the City of Brownsville Commission voted to hire Sossi January 12, 2017 as a full-time employee with all the benefits without having to go through the normal application process, we have learned that less just a month after he was approved, he signed a contract of retainer to
draw a $2,500 a month retainer from the City of Mission.

Sossi asked that the city hire him as a regular employee so that he could include a child involved in a custody and child support case in the local courts could be eligible for medical insurance. A sympathetic city commission acquiesced and Sossi became a full-time employee. As such, he continues to advise the city commission on matters before them and the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation.

At the time of the change from contract attorney to full-time employee he was receiving $10,000 a month from the city and another $5,000 a month from the GBIC for a grand total of $180,000 a year.

As far as we know, he stills draws that money minus deductions.

One of the conditions of being a full-time city
employee is that you are prohibited from working  simultaneously for another employer. In other words, you cannot serve two masters. Yet, Sossi, on February 13, 2013, signed the retainer agreement to advise the City of Mission "in matters regarding police, fire, labor, employment and civil service when requested..."

Additionally, under the agreement, Sossi is required by his contract to "attend all Civil Service meetings and/or hearings and shall represent the commission. The attorney shall be available for consultation with the client at reasonable times, at the request of the client."

Did Sossi thumb his nose at the city commissioners, its administration, Mayor Tony Martinez and the taxpayers by signing the agreement with Mission a month after they did him the favor to help him place his child under the city's medical insurance?

And how long will the city and the citizens of this town continue to aid and abet this ethics-challenged lawyer by rewarding him for his transgressions?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what?????? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME, JUAN!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Just another example of greed and disloyalty. Those may two of the main characteristics of the tenure of Mayor Tony Martinez. Sossi is a an arrogant and self-serving DICK. Apparently he thinks that lawyers make the rules, but don't have to abide by any rules.......sort of like the U.S. Congress.

Pat Ahumada said...

The customary procedure after an election is to post on city agenda as the number 1 item, canvassing votes and swearing into office those who won. This procedure was undermined to give Management and commissioners to do their dirty business by excluding new comers and avoiding opposition. Sossi got what he wanted with De Leon and Longoria pushing for it, knowing this is not for the taxpayers benefit, but in support of the deals they cut at our expense. No telling what other shenanigans are being facilitated before they swear in Neece and Munguia. This was deliberate, because there was no reason not to swear them in this past Tuesday by canvassing votes at start of meeting and swearing them in.

Anonymous said...

wow - if what Ahumada says is true, De Leon and Longoria must go.

they did sucio Sossi a favor, but what I want to know is... in exchange for what? there has to be a deal under the table, there always is. Its the standard of politics.

Anonymous said...

So - Sossi is a lousy attorney who doesn't make enough money to pay for his own family insurance?

So do all of us Brownsville residents have the same privilege of being hired by the City to be able to afford the hyper expensive Obama Care?

This stinks.. no sorry, thats an understatement. This smells like shit and 2 commissioners have shit on their hands.

Anonymous said...

You are shitting me, Right? This would have been a good April Fools Joke, but man, this is June. WTF and now he gets money from Mission. I guess Mayor Norberto really is loosing it!

Anonymous said...

It seems that the city has done away with the normal HR hiring process that give all applicants a fair chance of being consider for employment. They done the same thing with the Grants Director, Public Relations Officer, Emergency Management Director, Zoning and Planning Director alnd the list goes on and on. These Positions were never advertised, therefore, they broke labor employment laws. A total corrupt system, the City is lucky that no one sued them for this illegal and unethical hiring practice.

I'm not a robot! said...

Actually per the city charter of Brownsville, he is supposed to get WRITTEN PERMISSION from the city to obtain outside employment.

Sounds like getting WRITTEN PERMISSION should have been an agenda item for approval from the city commission.

Anonymous said...

Ricardo Longoria is laughing
Pat Ahumada is crying

Cantinflas said...

Transas INC. that's all, folks more of the same is coming for the city of Brownsville-no change whatsoever. adios

Anonymous said...

Patricio no te hagas pendejo
tu contrataste al rata de Sossi

Anonymous said...

Sossi gains a job the City losses any hope of leadership - all current politicians are shady.

Pat Ahumada said...

Anonymous 10:46, the difference between me and you is that I sign my name and stand behind what I say, while you make up stuff or are an imbecile. I was the only person on the commission that voted against hiring Sossi as the city attorney. The only nay vote! But, continue to make things up, because you are the problem who has created and supported where we are at today, which is in a shit hole with people like Longoria and De Leon who have no ethics or principals. They are opportunist who will sell themselves and betray who ever gets in their way. I would not trust any on the commission. Hopefully Neece and Munguia will bring ethics, transparency, integrity and doing what is right for the city by setting aside their personal agendas and making our city the agenda. There is a glimer of hope with Neece elected, he cannot do mireacles, because he is only one vote, but he can be a warrior for what is right by making his vote count for the city and not for the deals and special interest. I was only one vote, but I can say that I did not vote for Sossie, opposed his appointment vehemently, just as I did for Imagine/United Brownsville and other votes that has now proven that I was looking out for our city. My nay vote against all these characters like Longoria may mean nothing to many, but it means a lot to me, because it proves that I never sold out the city or put my personal interest before the city. So, continue to make up stuff all you want, but the readers should know that it is probably BS since you will not sign your name.

Anonymous said...

Sossi has collected dirt on all of the commissioners over the past couple of years. He has them by the balls so they can't fire him. Brownsville is the joke of the valley.

Anonymous said...

City charter is a joke- NOBODY follows rules and they do what's good for themselves not the city.... I'm ready for Judge Ben!

Anonymous said...

Rick Longoria for Mayor 2019

Anonymous said...

Who the fuck cares about the Commissioners dirt?!

Its pretty stupid to think that the Brownsville voters will care about the Commissioners dirt - there is soquete, mud, cow manure all over city employees, including Sossi himself and nothing changes.

he will eat dirt.

rita