By Juan Montoya
Where does Eduardo Roberto "Pewee" Rodriguez get off saying that he is running for the Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees to fulfill his "obligation" to help society and his community when he's devoted himself to thwarting the rights of local citizens?
His slogan? An Open Mind, A Positive Approach.
This apparently sets him apart from his opponent Trey Mendez, his opponent. Does that mean that Mendez (who advertises in this blog) has a closed mind and a negative approach?
Rodriguez, a local attorney and currently counsel to the Brownsville Public Utility Board, is also well connected. His brother Joe Rodriguez is the former Athletic Director to the Brownsville Independent School District. Big Joe Rod is at the end of his tenure there having had the majority on the board extend his contract until June, six months past his resignation date. So for the past six months Big Joe has just sitting back and collecting his checks for...doing nothing.
If Pee-Wee gets in at TSC, will Big Joe be not far behind?
We don't know much about what Pewee has done apart from what he handed the Brownsville Herald in his candidacy announcement, but even this should give TSC district voters cause to pause.
He lists, among other things, his tenure as chairman of the Brownsville Convention and Visitor's Bureau (red flag!), and director and basketball coach at the Brownsville Boys Club (second red flag!).
Wasn't there some kind of scandal involving a former director of the Great White Pyramid embezzling funds? And what happened to the Boys Club? Is it even open yet?
Then, just last September, Brownsville City Manager Charlie Cabler went before the members of the city-appointed PUB hat-in-hand asking for a handout to pull the commissioners' chestnuts out of the fiscal fire. When El RrunRrun wanted to get a picture of our illustrious city manager making his pitch at the podium, Rodriguez stood firm.
No pictures, he instructed his minions. "It's a PUB rule."
We thought that tough-guy Cabler leaning on the PUB members like a Mafia enforcer and the PUB members looking askance spoke more than the thousand words we would eventually write.
There was Cabler, more annoyed than worried as PUB members peppered him with questions about why the city was coming back to the well for another $3 million after the utility had already transferred $10 million in cash and services to its 2009-2010 budget.
And there was Mayor Pat Ahumada turning sideways in his chair looking at Cabler, the latter's right leg twitching nervously at the podium answering what he obviously thought were unnecessary questions.
We had our camera ready and, out of courtesy, we approached the PUB secretary and asked her if we could snap the photo. She said no, that the PUB legal counsel (Pee-Wee) did not approve of the request.
The PUB being a public entity, the building being a public building, the matters discussed being public issues, and we, providing the public with information they need to know to learn about the activity of the public entity they pay for with their taxes and rates, begged to differ.
But, rather than being charged with creating a disturbance, we opted to call the issue later, after the first portion of the public meeting was over. With Cabler finished and making off like a thief with $3 million to help commissioners dodge the budget bullet, we approached the honorable Messr. Rodriguez, Esq., and asked about his ruling.
"It's board policy," he said. "We already have a television camera." "But this is a public meeting, in a public building," we countered.
"It's against board policies," he maintained.
Brownsville Public Information Officer Bill Young – a staunch defender of the First Amendment – thought that Rodriguez didn't have a leg to stand on. He thought there would be little justification for someone stopping us from snapping the shot.
We asked then: "Could it be that a Brownsville lawyer has the power to override the U.S. Constitution and deny local residents the privileges of citizens granted them by the Bill of Rights?"
In Brownsville, in King Rodriguez's court, apparently he does.
Later, he told some board members that he had refused the request because "I don't even know who he is."
So, apparently, it depends who you are and who you know that determines whether the Constitution applies in his little universe.
Now, you tell us, "Is this staunch supporter of the public's right-to-know the type of trustee we need to defend the bastions of academic freedom and our community's interests?"
We think not. You, voter, will be the jury come May. Send him packing elsewhere.
Where does Eduardo Roberto "Pewee" Rodriguez get off saying that he is running for the Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees to fulfill his "obligation" to help society and his community when he's devoted himself to thwarting the rights of local citizens?
His slogan? An Open Mind, A Positive Approach.
This apparently sets him apart from his opponent Trey Mendez, his opponent. Does that mean that Mendez (who advertises in this blog) has a closed mind and a negative approach?
Rodriguez, a local attorney and currently counsel to the Brownsville Public Utility Board, is also well connected. His brother Joe Rodriguez is the former Athletic Director to the Brownsville Independent School District. Big Joe Rod is at the end of his tenure there having had the majority on the board extend his contract until June, six months past his resignation date. So for the past six months Big Joe has just sitting back and collecting his checks for...doing nothing.
If Pee-Wee gets in at TSC, will Big Joe be not far behind?
We don't know much about what Pewee has done apart from what he handed the Brownsville Herald in his candidacy announcement, but even this should give TSC district voters cause to pause.
He lists, among other things, his tenure as chairman of the Brownsville Convention and Visitor's Bureau (red flag!), and director and basketball coach at the Brownsville Boys Club (second red flag!).
Wasn't there some kind of scandal involving a former director of the Great White Pyramid embezzling funds? And what happened to the Boys Club? Is it even open yet?
Then, just last September, Brownsville City Manager Charlie Cabler went before the members of the city-appointed PUB hat-in-hand asking for a handout to pull the commissioners' chestnuts out of the fiscal fire. When El RrunRrun wanted to get a picture of our illustrious city manager making his pitch at the podium, Rodriguez stood firm.
No pictures, he instructed his minions. "It's a PUB rule."
We thought that tough-guy Cabler leaning on the PUB members like a Mafia enforcer and the PUB members looking askance spoke more than the thousand words we would eventually write.
There was Cabler, more annoyed than worried as PUB members peppered him with questions about why the city was coming back to the well for another $3 million after the utility had already transferred $10 million in cash and services to its 2009-2010 budget.
And there was Mayor Pat Ahumada turning sideways in his chair looking at Cabler, the latter's right leg twitching nervously at the podium answering what he obviously thought were unnecessary questions.
We had our camera ready and, out of courtesy, we approached the PUB secretary and asked her if we could snap the photo. She said no, that the PUB legal counsel (Pee-Wee) did not approve of the request.
The PUB being a public entity, the building being a public building, the matters discussed being public issues, and we, providing the public with information they need to know to learn about the activity of the public entity they pay for with their taxes and rates, begged to differ.
But, rather than being charged with creating a disturbance, we opted to call the issue later, after the first portion of the public meeting was over. With Cabler finished and making off like a thief with $3 million to help commissioners dodge the budget bullet, we approached the honorable Messr. Rodriguez, Esq., and asked about his ruling.
"It's board policy," he said. "We already have a television camera." "But this is a public meeting, in a public building," we countered.
"It's against board policies," he maintained.
Brownsville Public Information Officer Bill Young – a staunch defender of the First Amendment – thought that Rodriguez didn't have a leg to stand on. He thought there would be little justification for someone stopping us from snapping the shot.
We asked then: "Could it be that a Brownsville lawyer has the power to override the U.S. Constitution and deny local residents the privileges of citizens granted them by the Bill of Rights?"
In Brownsville, in King Rodriguez's court, apparently he does.
Later, he told some board members that he had refused the request because "I don't even know who he is."
So, apparently, it depends who you are and who you know that determines whether the Constitution applies in his little universe.
Now, you tell us, "Is this staunch supporter of the public's right-to-know the type of trustee we need to defend the bastions of academic freedom and our community's interests?"
We think not. You, voter, will be the jury come May. Send him packing elsewhere.
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