SOSSI'S $5,000 COUNSEL CONTRACT WITH GBIC UNDER REVIEW

By Juan Montoya
Members of the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation will reschedule their postponed meeting and revise their agenda to include an item to consider removing fired former city attorney Mark Sossi as counsel for that body.

Th GBIC was formed after the passage of the 4A Economic Development Sales Tax in 1992 by the voters to oversee the disbursement of a quarter-cent sales tax of the 8.25 cents sales taxes collected in Brownsville.

The GBIC board, appointed by the Brownsville City Commission approves funding for job creation incentives and various grant programs related to infrastructure and education.

Sossi served as a city attorney since he came under contract July 15, 2009. His salary was set at $10,000 a month. Additionally, he was hired by the GBIC as counsel for an additional $5,000. This past January 17, while dealing with a custody battle with the mother of his child, Sossi was able to persuade the city commissioners to hire him as a full-time city employee so that he could include him in his health insurance as required by the court.

However, with his firing as the city attorney, commissioners apparently feel that it is inappropriate to continue having them as their attorney. Two city commissioners who voted to fire him – Jessica Tetreau and Cesar de Leon – sit on the GBIC.

It is unknown when they will reschedule the GBIC monthly meeting, but it is up to Tetreau, the group's chairwoman, to decide when they will meet.