WE STAND CORRECTED: SOROLA LAUNCHES PETITION, NOT LAWSUIT

By Juan Montoya
The day after we posted that Moses Sorola and son Luis would mount a legal challenge to the Brownsville City Commission's plan to issue millions ($11.8 million or $9.4?) without voter approval, we were schooled by none other than the Brownsville Herald's Emma Perez-Treviño that – unlike their last challenge – it would not be a lawsuit, but a petition drive instead.
It's almost a pleasure to be corrected by Emma, and we will take our medicine.
Nonetheless, Moses and Luis are using a mechanism within the Texas Certificate of Obligation Act that contains the petition provision for citizens to overturn the commission's free hand and force them to place the issue befor ethe voters.
We know Moses and are indebted to him for his 2007 challenge through the aegis of the Brownsville Good Government League along with fellow taxpayers William De La O, Eddie Padron and Robert Sanchez who successfully sued the City of Brownsville to stop health care and other city-funded benefits to city commissioners.
Emma reported during that during that fiasco taxpayers had spent more than $300,000 in insurance premiums since 2000 – not including medical claim payments – to cover those officials and their families.
In this case, the commissioners plan two issuances totalling $9.4 million, including $3.3 million for Charlie Atkinson's sports park, and another $6.4 million for the relocation of rail lines, landfill site improvements, library roof repairs and the purchase of right-of-ways, patrol vehicles and traffic control equipment.
The city published the notice of intent to issue the certificates June 18, will do so again June 25, and will authorize them July 20.
Under the petition provision Sorola and his supporters need a total of 3,800 signatures – 5 percent of the city's 75,828 registered voters – to stop the issuances and force an election.
If you want to support the petition, Sorola ca be reached at (956) 542-1050 or 2355 Barnard St.