ACCIONAMERICAGATE: WHODUNNIT?

By Juan Montoya

Just when you think that things could not possibly get worse at the Brownsville Independent School District or with its trustees, new revelations keep right on coming.

The latest invokes images of cloak-and-dagger spies and industrial espionage involving the Dallas-based community action group Accion America. Accion America has been vocal in its criticism of the BISD and some of its administrators. It has been most critical of the decisions made by the board’s majority of Rick Zayas, Ruben Cortez, Joe Colunga Jr., and Rolando Aguilar.

The latest wrinkle is that Accion America was the target of a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission by a BISD board member. That board member, identified by our sources as Ruben Cortez, complained to the commission that Accion America had not complained with the requirements of a Political Action Committee (PAC) in its campaign against the majority.

We are still trying to get the particulars of the complaint, but suffice it to say for the moment that the complaint was rejected. AccionAmerica, by the way, is not a PAC, we were told.

But, AccionAmerica organizers noticed that some very specific (and private) information involving their media campaign against the BISD was contained in the complaint. Backtracking, they were told by a local broadcaster that a representative with a local advertising firm had demanded the contractual and method-of-payment information claiming it was public information and that anyone could request it.

Unbelievably, the information was apprently released to the ad agency’s representative.
In turn, AccionAmerica representatives believe the information was handed to Cortez and that it formed the basis for his rejected complaint with the ethics commission. There are already lawyers on the case and we have been led to believe that legal action will result. However, it may not be in Cameron County. AccionAmerica may move legally against those it thinks may have abused their rights in a Dallas courtroom.

We don’t know where that issue will end. However, we are offering links to two reports that the district has gone to court to squelch involving BISD AD Joe Rodriguez. Since the reports were paid with public funds, concerned a public employee, and are of a legitimate public interest, we felt the public has a right to know what’s contained in them.

In previous media reports, Rodriguez did not address any of the issues raised in the reports, but claimed there was a bias because his side of the story (responses) were not also included. Mr. Rodriguez is formally being offered this cyberspace to air his responses.

We, as do the Texas Attorney General and the Brownsville Herald, believe that this is a matter that should be open to the public. Even though the majority of the board sued the AG not to release the reports, the AG issued an opinion that the people have a legitimate right to see what was in those reports.

We have therefore provided links to both reports. Mr. Rodriguez is free to e-mail us his responses and we will gladly provide our readers with a link to them as well.