By Juan Montoya
A few years ago, during the tenure of the last three board of directors of the Brownsville Navigation District, at least that many attempts have been made to update the port's code of ethics to prohibit board members from doing business with the port.
In every case, a majority of the board rejected the move, saying the adoption of such a measure would unfairly affect their or their family's business interests.
As it now stands, the port still does not have any rules in place to stop board members from doing business with the port or from advancing the business interests of relatives doing business there.
In 2006, the issue came to a head when board member Luigi Cristiano provided the port with temporary workers through his business, a temporary employment agency which he put on the port's vendor list.
He did so at the time that former board member Peter Zavaletta lobbied the members for an ethics code that restricted commissioners from doing business with the port while they held office.
Cristiano was singularly egregious in his naughtiness.
In fact, he was removed as chairman of a bridge committee after it was found that he was negotiating secretly with the county to give them control of a proposed bridge from the port into Mexico they helped secure funding for the project.
He also chose not to tell other officials of a key meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Group on Bridges and Border Crossings in Arizona, although the bridge is one of the primary issues facing the BND today.
In January 2005, Zavaletta and Carl "Joe" Gayman voted to adopt a code that prohibited the board from receiving campaign contributions from consultants, and the board and staff from doing business with BND.
But Cristiano, Roy de los Santos and another former commissioner, Julius Collins, voted against the proposal.
De los Santos was a longshoreman official working not only for the union but also for a port stevedore, and Collins was a longtime shrimp boat owner. To vote for such a code would have affected their business directly.
Fast forward to today (2010).
BND chairman John Reed is closely related to Mark Hoskins, president of Gulf Stream Marine, one of the largest stevedore companies at the port. Gulf Stream Marine led the effort to pay non-union wages to longshoremen there when another Reed, W.W. Reed – John's father – on the board. That Reed was Hoskin's wife godfather.
Ralph Cowen, the board's vice-president, is the brother of Philip T. Cowen, an attorney and custom broker at the port. Cowen makes no bones about hustling business for his brother's firm. When foreign dignitaries visit, he is not shy about letting it be known that his brother's services are available, should they need them, of course.
Sergio "Tito" Lopez, the secretary of the board, has extensive trucking interests doing business at the port. He is so much into his business interests that rather than take his rightful turn in the line of succession for vice-president, he allowed the social climber Cowen to muscle his way in to the position ahead of his turn.
About the only two (a minority) who don't have any discernible business interests closely tied to the port are commissioners Martin C. Arambula and Carlos R Masso.
A few years ago, during the tenure of the last three board of directors of the Brownsville Navigation District, at least that many attempts have been made to update the port's code of ethics to prohibit board members from doing business with the port.
In every case, a majority of the board rejected the move, saying the adoption of such a measure would unfairly affect their or their family's business interests.
As it now stands, the port still does not have any rules in place to stop board members from doing business with the port or from advancing the business interests of relatives doing business there.
In 2006, the issue came to a head when board member Luigi Cristiano provided the port with temporary workers through his business, a temporary employment agency which he put on the port's vendor list.
He did so at the time that former board member Peter Zavaletta lobbied the members for an ethics code that restricted commissioners from doing business with the port while they held office.
Cristiano was singularly egregious in his naughtiness.
In fact, he was removed as chairman of a bridge committee after it was found that he was negotiating secretly with the county to give them control of a proposed bridge from the port into Mexico they helped secure funding for the project.
He also chose not to tell other officials of a key meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Group on Bridges and Border Crossings in Arizona, although the bridge is one of the primary issues facing the BND today.
In January 2005, Zavaletta and Carl "Joe" Gayman voted to adopt a code that prohibited the board from receiving campaign contributions from consultants, and the board and staff from doing business with BND.
But Cristiano, Roy de los Santos and another former commissioner, Julius Collins, voted against the proposal.
De los Santos was a longshoreman official working not only for the union but also for a port stevedore, and Collins was a longtime shrimp boat owner. To vote for such a code would have affected their business directly.
Fast forward to today (2010).
BND chairman John Reed is closely related to Mark Hoskins, president of Gulf Stream Marine, one of the largest stevedore companies at the port. Gulf Stream Marine led the effort to pay non-union wages to longshoremen there when another Reed, W.W. Reed – John's father – on the board. That Reed was Hoskin's wife godfather.
Ralph Cowen, the board's vice-president, is the brother of Philip T. Cowen, an attorney and custom broker at the port. Cowen makes no bones about hustling business for his brother's firm. When foreign dignitaries visit, he is not shy about letting it be known that his brother's services are available, should they need them, of course.
Sergio "Tito" Lopez, the secretary of the board, has extensive trucking interests doing business at the port. He is so much into his business interests that rather than take his rightful turn in the line of succession for vice-president, he allowed the social climber Cowen to muscle his way in to the position ahead of his turn.
About the only two (a minority) who don't have any discernible business interests closely tied to the port are commissioners Martin C. Arambula and Carlos R Masso.
Arambula is the administrator for records management of the Brownsville Independent School District and Masso is an attorney who was formerly with the Cameron County District Attorney's Office.
A Code of Ethics with teeth for the Port of Brownsville in the near future?
How long can you hold your breath in sea water?
3 comments:
son puros Snugglepups!
Ethics at the port? This is like wanting ethics in BISD board, City Commission, BGIC, etc in Brownsville. Ethics stands for "Each To His Individual Cronysism Shenenigans!"
SOSSI DUERME TARDE IS SE LE PASA EL TREN.
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