By Juan Montoya
By now we all know that the incestuous employment between local institutions and governmental bodies is widespread.
Whether it's the offspring of county heavyweights such as Aurora De La Garza, Tony Yzaguirre or others, it remains true that it's really not what you know, but rather, who you know to get our foot in the door to a cushy job.
Many have commented on the fact that UTB-TSC president Juliet Garcia's son-in-law German Rico landed his gig as a director of business development at the Port of Brownsville not because of his successful stint on a Fortune 500 corporation, but rather because of who his relations were.
The same applies to countless space fillers who count on their relations and political connections to land a job somewhere. And if there's no job there, why we'll create one for them.
Remember Abel Perez, who lost the runoff for sheriff to Omar Lucio after he won the recount against luckless Conrado Cantu? Perez, who quit his job as constable to run against Lucio, had no place to go after his defeat.
The county, then under Gilbert Hinojosa, came up with a novel position: Constable Liaison with the commissioners court. Never mind that the constables are elected officials and need no one to speak for them. They
just had to make a place for Abel to earn his nickel while something else opened up.
But when a position is given to a job applicant whose credentials don't equal other applicants', questions arise.
Take, for example, the case of TSC trustee Eddie Campirano. Campirano, who has smooth-talked his way from city planner to utilities assistant manager, and then on to port director, is in with the powers that be. Eddie goes along and gets along despite the fallout from his going along on the local taxpayer.
When a position opened up for director of alumni relations in the office of Institutional Advancement at UTB, many qualified candidates applied. Many had master's degrees and had experience supervising and directing entire departments. It just so happened that Eddie's daughter Marisa also applied.
But, alas, Marisa, who is enrolled in the master of public policy and management degree program at UTB/TSC, only holds a bachelor's degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown and did not have the sheepskin yet.
Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the circus.
To begin with, the interviews – in fairness to those applicants who had applied from out of town – were performed over the phone. And when the applicants found out who had been selected by the UTB, they didn't find out about it though a phone call, but rather, through a notice on the alumni postings.
Can you guess who was selected, even though her academic qualifications and experience didn't rate as well as other applicants?
That's right, Campirano's little girl Marisa.
Some of the applicants are wondering whether the fact that her father was a college trustee had any bearing on Eddie's girl being chosen for the position. And they also wondered whether they had been the object of a cruel hoax when insiders already knew who would eventually get chosen.
"It's discouraging to see that someone with lesser credentials than some of the other applicants was chosen over them," said one who had listed extensive public-service experience and a bona fide master's degree. "If they knew who they wanted, why make us go though all this? Was the granting of this position some kind of quid pro quo for Eddie's services to Juliet?"
By now we all know that the incestuous employment between local institutions and governmental bodies is widespread.
Whether it's the offspring of county heavyweights such as Aurora De La Garza, Tony Yzaguirre or others, it remains true that it's really not what you know, but rather, who you know to get our foot in the door to a cushy job.
Many have commented on the fact that UTB-TSC president Juliet Garcia's son-in-law German Rico landed his gig as a director of business development at the Port of Brownsville not because of his successful stint on a Fortune 500 corporation, but rather because of who his relations were.
The same applies to countless space fillers who count on their relations and political connections to land a job somewhere. And if there's no job there, why we'll create one for them.
Remember Abel Perez, who lost the runoff for sheriff to Omar Lucio after he won the recount against luckless Conrado Cantu? Perez, who quit his job as constable to run against Lucio, had no place to go after his defeat.
The county, then under Gilbert Hinojosa, came up with a novel position: Constable Liaison with the commissioners court. Never mind that the constables are elected officials and need no one to speak for them. They
just had to make a place for Abel to earn his nickel while something else opened up.But when a position is given to a job applicant whose credentials don't equal other applicants', questions arise.
Take, for example, the case of TSC trustee Eddie Campirano. Campirano, who has smooth-talked his way from city planner to utilities assistant manager, and then on to port director, is in with the powers that be. Eddie goes along and gets along despite the fallout from his going along on the local taxpayer.
When a position opened up for director of alumni relations in the office of Institutional Advancement at UTB, many qualified candidates applied. Many had master's degrees and had experience supervising and directing entire departments. It just so happened that Eddie's daughter Marisa also applied.
But, alas, Marisa, who is enrolled in the master of public policy and management degree program at UTB/TSC, only holds a bachelor's degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown and did not have the sheepskin yet.
Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the circus.
To begin with, the interviews – in fairness to those applicants who had applied from out of town – were performed over the phone. And when the applicants found out who had been selected by the UTB, they didn't find out about it though a phone call, but rather, through a notice on the alumni postings.
Can you guess who was selected, even though her academic qualifications and experience didn't rate as well as other applicants?
That's right, Campirano's little girl Marisa.
Some of the applicants are wondering whether the fact that her father was a college trustee had any bearing on Eddie's girl being chosen for the position. And they also wondered whether they had been the object of a cruel hoax when insiders already knew who would eventually get chosen.
"It's discouraging to see that someone with lesser credentials than some of the other applicants was chosen over them," said one who had listed extensive public-service experience and a bona fide master's degree. "If they knew who they wanted, why make us go though all this? Was the granting of this position some kind of quid pro quo for Eddie's services to Juliet?"
8 comments:
For a minute I thought this story was about BISD! lol
If BISD does it all the time, why shouldn't UTB/TSC? You are right that it is who you know and not what you know. Interviews are just a dog and pony show to cover up. Now they have come up with the excuse that the board member abstained from voting when his wife was appointed vice-principal at an elem. school. (One example)
He was..........
Bureaucratic
Incest
School
District
The ones that get the jobs and get promoted are compadres and comadres.
It's nepotism.
What happens if the BISD HR Asst superintendent doesn't follow interviewing procedures? Who checks on her? Is it the board or the supt?
My God, so when is this type of crap going to stop??? It is politics, at is finest.
No one thats why they do wha they want. Either, that or someone takes over the duties untill the choose the person they want.
The supt should be the one checking on her, but what if the board is the one that is telling the supt to look the other way or the "way" will be out? Interviews are only held for legal reasons, for by the time the interviews are conducted, 20 in 2 hours, they already know who they are going to pick. I was offered a position I did not even apply for just because they did not like the ones who had applied. That is when I lost all respect for those that are doing the hiring.
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