Wednesday, May 24, 2017

SOSSI-ELIZONDO GO-ROUND: ONE HAND WASHES THE OTHER

By Juan Montoya
When we heard that a concerned citizens group had filed a complaint through local attorney Denis Downey asking why the city allowed Brownsville Fire Dept. Chief Carlos Elizondo to remain in an elective position as a Brownsville Independent School District trustee in violation of city policy and possibly the Texas Penal Code, we filed an information request.

The city had 10 working days to file a response, and that lapsed until on Thursday, May 18 – just at final day of the 10-day deadline – we received an email response from the city's secretary's office. It was short and sweet and said: Public Information 2017-281 (Chief Elizondo)
Mr. Montoya,
"The City does not have any records pertaining to your requests."
Thank you

We could not believe that our until-then reliable sources had erred and pondered over that weekend how this could have happened.
On Monday, at 10:22 a.m., the city's secretary office emailed us that they had just received an answer from the city attorney's office confirming such a letter had been received and sent them a copy.
"I just received the attached letter/complaint from Downey office regarding Chief Elizondo," the response said and sent is as an attachment.

Downey had sent his complaint to the proper city office, the office of the city attorney. That office just happens to be filled by none other than city attorney Mark Sossi. Sossi, it seems, had possession of the Elizondo complaint letter dated April 20, a full month before our inquiry. Why, after the city secretary's office had fulfilled its statutory obligation under the Open Record Act, had Sossi "overlooked" the fact he had received the letter only to later hand it over as state law requires?

As city attorney, Sossi advises the city's administrator and the city commission on laws that pertain to municipal government. As such, he knows that the city administration is in violation of its own personnel policy manual that states:
Section 702 Political Activity by City Employees:
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B. Specifically, City Employees may not engage in the following activities:
4. Hold an elective City office or hold an elective or appointive office in any other jurisdiction where service would constitute a direct conflict of interest with City employment, with or without renumeration. Upon assuming such office, an Employee shall resign or shall be dismissed for cause upon failure to do so.

This blog has posted numerous Sossi peccadilloes – from having had outstanding warrants in local justice of the peace courts, driving without a license, plates or inspection to having outside work while a full-time employee – and nothing has changed. He has been free to flaunt the law how and when he pleases. "Why does a dog its ____? Because he can."

But he might owe Elizondo something as well. Sossi name was said to have come up in an incident involving a former city employee and while he was visiting her at her home one night, ran into some problems that included an incident where the ambulance (and EMTs) was called for a report of an injured child. But not just any EMTs. The EMT who was called was none other than Elizondo before he was appointed as fire chief.

A lawyer who subpoenaed the ambulance report for possible litigation was astounded to see that the reports filed in the incident by the fire department lacked any mention of Sossi presence, other than to say a "person" was said to have been at the scene. The same was true for police incident reports of the same incident.

Was Sossi planning to sit on the Downey letter and allow the sore to fester until it bursts in a local court? Was that a pay back for Elizondo's white-washed reports of the incident mentioned above?

We don't know where the Downey complaint on behalf of the concerned citizens will end up. Jurisdiction on the matter can fall under the local district attorney, but if the performance of Luis V. Saenz's Public Integrity Unit is any measure of their response, you might as well lay back on your hammock while you wait, Mr. Downey.

Luckily, jurisdiction also falls under the Texas Attorney General when it involves a potential case of official abuse under the Texas Penal Code.
 Or as our Spanish limited monolingual friends state so eloquently:
"En Brownsville, todos se tapan con la misma cobija."

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

This means shit to me, bro. So what?!!!!!

Anonymous said...

PINCHES RATAS

BISD EMPLOYEE said...

no vale verga carlos Elizondo !!

Anonymous said...

El Culo Unido, Nunca Sera Vencido.

Zeke Sauceda said...

DA BLIMP went to a hospital in McAllen! LOL!!!! He's saying Brownsville IS the Third World Capital of the United States. fucking Blimp, always putting Brownsville down. Eat me, Blimpo!!!!

Anonymous said...

What if D-O-G really mens "cat"?

Anonymous said...

The unethical practices seem to continue in Brownsville. Elizondo scratched Sossi's back (or some part of his anatomy) and now Sossi seems to be taking action (or inaction) on behalf of Elizondo. Tony Martinez began his tenure by saying that he would develop and "code of ethical conduct" for the city of Brownsville. That never was produced and so we continue to question the ethics of his city government at every turn. Sossi and Elizondo are two who surely have questionable ethics and yet no effort has ever been made by the mayor or the city commission to develop a standard of ethics. We don't just accept corruption in Brownsville....we demand corruption; and so far this administration has not failed to give us corruption.

Anonymous said...

What if 6 turned out to be 9, I don't mind.

Anonymous said...

"Carlitos guey" looks like capt kangaroo.

Anonymous said...

Elizondo is worth a shit, a shit...

rita