WOOD, SOFIE: AIDING AND ABETTING ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR

By Juan Montoya
At least one reader of this blog has defended the practice of Cameron County commissioners John Wood and Sofia Benavies of sending staffers to provide free public notary services to their constituents at two county parks.
"It is tough economic times for everyone. I am glad that Wood was giving free notary services. He is helping the community," wrote the lone Wood supporter of the 10 or so comments to the post.
The rest were not s charitable.
They say the move by the two commissioners to endear themselves to the poor are coldly calculated political moves that have no altruistic motive other than to curry political favor with colonia dwellers.
"Uhhh...Wood should know better," replied another. "Yes, it is tough economic times for everyone, including small business, which is what Wood should be supporting since they pay taxes that helps support the County."
Guess what?
Not only is the second writer correct, but apparently the practice is in violation of the Texas Administrative Code (Title 1, Part 4, Chapter 87, Subchapter D, Rule 87.30). That rule clearly states that a person employed as a public employee is prohibited from performing these services.
"A notary who is employed by a governmental body shall not perform notarial services that interfere with the notary's discharge of the notary's duties as a public employee," reads the rule.
If this is the case, then Wood and Benavides have been in violation of the administrative code (the law) for the last seven years that they have engaged in this practice.
Will there be any enforcement of the code by the appropriate authorities?
They used to call John Gotti the "Teflon Don," and in this case, the name would fit Wood, since even when he was presented with evidence that his precinct supervisor Carlos Cisneros was at home in his skivvies and still claiming in county time sheets that he was working, John went right ahead and authorized his pay.
He managed to convince Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos (also his employee) that it was just a "bookkeeping" error and the matter was forgotten. So the taxpayers were stuck paying Cisneros for not working. In the current case involving his staff member Maggie Carranza who has been providing the services at the Cameron Park community facility, it is documented that she has been going there every Wednesday for the last seven years.
We're sure the grateful citizens of the colonia have been told who was making the freebies possible.
But if you didn't vote for Wood in the last two elections for county commissioner, how do you feel about paying that worker to curry favor for Wood on your nickel?
We can only wait patiently to see if this latest little "white" abuse goes by the wayside as did the Cisneros affair or if someone will feel strongly enough to file a complaint.