By Juan Montoya
No sooner had the participating entities aboard the Imagine Brownsville bandwagon plunked down their bucks than we learn that the plum jobs are going to...those picked by Fred Rusteberg and Juliet Garcia.
As Emma Perez-Treviño points out in last Sunday's front-page story in the Brownsville Herald, there will be no application process to the position of "communicator-facilitator" (Isn't that a Transformer?). Instead, Brian Godinez, of Godinez Communications of McAllen, said he was told by Fred Rusteberg to submit a proposed contract to the United Brownsville Board for the position for their approval.
Godinez said he would be responsible for training members of committees "informally"appointed to assist in the plan’s implementation.
Apparently, Godinez will start working for a consulting fee of $3,500 a month for one year, or $42,000 for a year. But he will have to wait until the board of directors is installed before he gets the nod.
This type of putting the carriage in front of the horse approach seems to suit everyone just fine because nary a peep has been heard from the entities that make part of the board.
There is a hitch, however. As Emma wrote, those entities that form the new board already have six public information officers on board with a combined salary of almost $400,000 a year.
Why then do we need another one?
After convoluted responses that repeated the catchword of "vision," "coordination," "facilitation," "implementation," and other snazzy phrases of public relation jargon, Rusteberg still could not explain why yet another spokesperson was needed for the board.
Emma's article pointed out that taxpayers are already paying Bill Young to be the spokesman for the city, Drue Brown for the Brownsville Independent School District, Gilbert Salinas for the Brownsville Economic Development Council, which is under contract with the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corp., Lucy Hernandez for the Brownsville Public Utilities Board, and Letty Fernandez, with the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.
On the board are the usual suspects: Rusteberg, president of the International Bank of Commerce, who co-chaired Imagine Brownsville, UTB-TSC President Juliet V. Garcia, and Irv Downing, UTB-TSC’s vice-president for economic development and community services.
Asked why requests for consulting proposals would not be sought or advertised, Rusteberg said Godinez was "up to speed" and had been close to the plan for 30 months.
City Attorney Mark Sossi is still flying by the seat of his pants and incorrectly told the Herald that city manager City Manager Charlie Cabler could make purchases on "anything under $50,000" and wouldn't require proposals.
This was contrary to a resolution approved by the city commission in
2008 setting the staff-purchasing limit at $35,000, the article noted.
2008 setting the staff-purchasing limit at $35,000, the article noted.Still, no one seemed to want to follow the commission's resolution when it comes to going against Rusteberg.
If this is any indication of things to come, competitive bidding, requests for proposals, and all the niceties of municipal and government management are out the window. This is the Powers-That-Be government without accountability, transparency or citizens' input. Whatever King Fred, on the top floor of IBC, and Queen Juliet, in her insulated cocoon of her Ivory Tower want, will be.
4 comments:
Now is the time for all Brownsville resident to stand up and say enough is enough!!! Juliet come Lately has been in her position too long. Sometime back, I was speaking a former board memeber of TSC and I was told all the good jobs are rigged.
Now that I think about it, I guess he was right.
I gag. I gag. With planners like these, these grow grow grow rip rip rip pave pave pave lovers ...and to pay for a leader, and to pay to belong to the club ....
But the loaves of bread and tents of circuses, like Super Bowls serve as mind-sop for millions, here and elsewhere, and they easily turn from issues to jokes, diversions ....
Imagine Brownsville? What's that? A new nightclub probably!
Little Juliet has been to long at that post, time to go sweetheart, you have over stayed your visit.
A longtime ago, I remember that some alternative newspaper had an article aboout the two ladies that were at the head of UTB/TSC and BISD. I thought it was funny when I read the caption under Juliet's picture as she looked at herself in the mirror -"Mirror, mirror, on the wall; who is the fairest of us all?" The reply was "Zendejas, not you!" Maybe it is time for Juliet to stand in front of that mirror again and ask it if it is time for her to leave. She has done what she has done and much is appreciated, but we need new blood in the kitchen.
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