By Juan Montoya
We hear John Wood (who's currently Precinct 2 commissioner despite what the Herald tells us) and Sofie Benavides, the actual commissioner for Precinct 1, are livid.
During last Thursday's meeting, an agenda item placed by Cameron County Judge
Carlos Cascos effectively ended their political outreach activities at two county parks.
Apparently, two staffers on the commissioners' staff had been providing free notary public services to residents living near Browne Park in Precinct 1 and at county facilities at Cameron Park . These included land transactions, car title transfers, and just about every function that a notary public does for pay.
The volume of paperwork generated by this practice (which had been going on for years) astounded county staffers.
"When they went through the computers at these sites they encountered hundreds, if not thousands of cases where these two women had been using county resources while working on county time to provide a service that local notary public provide for a fee," said one. "The justification was that they had been doing it for years and saw nothing wrong with it."
The issue came about as an agenda item toward the end of the meeting asking the court to allow the legal counsel Dylbia Jeffries to advise Parks Director Javier Mendez on the legal status of operations at the parks.
But some staffers say that county personnel grew suspicious when residents from these areas would visit downtown county offices asking for free notary services and seeking out the two women.
The two workers were Patty Matamoros (from Benavides' Precicnt 1 office) and Maggie Carranza, from John Wood's Precinct 2.
With the race for county judge in full swing and with Benavides publicly supporting Wood against Cascos, the political implication of providing the free services to potential voters was not lost on observers.
"You can almost imagine them telling the people not to forget who to look for in November," said one. "Using county time, county workers and county materials for even our political purposes is not an appropriate function of taxpayers' money."
Carranza was a former Emergency Management Department staffer under former county judge Gilbert Hinojosa. Matamoros seamlessly made the transition from being the secretary for former commissioner Lucino Rosenbaum to being Benavides' office manager. Both have notary public licenses.
Parks director Mendez was directed to collaborate with Jeffries to implement a uniform policy that would end the practice of county staffers using the park system facilities to provide the free services. More importantly, perhaps, than the actual provision of free services, was the liability risk to which the county would be exposed if a transaction or notarized document was challenged in the courts.
"If someone lied about a piece of property or the ownership of a car, we would be caught in the middle," said a county administrator. "This is something that local notaries do for a living. The county doesn't have any business providing this. And you can't discount the political brownie points that Wood and Sofie were making while saying they were helping the people. I scratch your back and you remember who helped you in November."
We hear John Wood (who's currently Precinct 2 commissioner despite what the Herald tells us) and Sofie Benavides, the actual commissioner for Precinct 1, are livid.
During last Thursday's meeting, an agenda item placed by Cameron County Judge
Carlos Cascos effectively ended their political outreach activities at two county parks.Apparently, two staffers on the commissioners' staff had been providing free notary public services to residents living near Browne Park in Precinct 1 and at county facilities at Cameron Park . These included land transactions, car title transfers, and just about every function that a notary public does for pay.
The volume of paperwork generated by this practice (which had been going on for years) astounded county staffers.
"When they went through the computers at these sites they encountered hundreds, if not thousands of cases where these two women had been using county resources while working on county time to provide a service that local notary public provide for a fee," said one. "The justification was that they had been doing it for years and saw nothing wrong with it."
The issue came about as an agenda item toward the end of the meeting asking the court to allow the legal counsel Dylbia Jeffries to advise Parks Director Javier Mendez on the legal status of operations at the parks.
But some staffers say that county personnel grew suspicious when residents from these areas would visit downtown county offices asking for free notary services and seeking out the two women.
The two workers were Patty Matamoros (from Benavides' Precicnt 1 office) and Maggie Carranza, from John Wood's Precinct 2.
With the race for county judge in full swing and with Benavides publicly supporting Wood against Cascos, the political implication of providing the free services to potential voters was not lost on observers.
"You can almost imagine them telling the people not to forget who to look for in November," said one. "Using county time, county workers and county materials for even our political purposes is not an appropriate function of taxpayers' money."
Carranza was a former Emergency Management Department staffer under former county judge Gilbert Hinojosa. Matamoros seamlessly made the transition from being the secretary for former commissioner Lucino Rosenbaum to being Benavides' office manager. Both have notary public licenses.
Parks director Mendez was directed to collaborate with Jeffries to implement a uniform policy that would end the practice of county staffers using the park system facilities to provide the free services. More importantly, perhaps, than the actual provision of free services, was the liability risk to which the county would be exposed if a transaction or notarized document was challenged in the courts.
"If someone lied about a piece of property or the ownership of a car, we would be caught in the middle," said a county administrator. "This is something that local notaries do for a living. The county doesn't have any business providing this. And you can't discount the political brownie points that Wood and Sofie were making while saying they were helping the people. I scratch your back and you remember who helped you in November."
13 comments:
Wood and Benavidez are livid? For what? Because the court asked them to stop illegal activities? MOrons.
Again, Juan, great work exposing what the taxpayers need to know. Thanks.
It is tough economic times for everyone. I am glad that Wood was giving free notary services. He is helping the community.
Wood should have been taking care of the streets in his precinct - Salida de Luna -for example. Let us hope that no school bus ever gets in an accident on that "so-called" street. Whether the notary services were free or not, is it legal? Oh, well, who cares if it is legal or not, right? Not in Brownsville!
uhhh...Wood should know better. 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.
Free services to community? Well then let the County just set up a "free notary service" at all County buildings so that everyone can benefit, not just colonia residents.
And I guess that because it's tough economic times for everyone the county will start paving people's driveways, doing all inspections for free, waiving all court costs, fees, penalties,don't charge for going into Isla Blanca Park or crossing the bridges, hell, might as well forgive property taxes (oh yea, Wood doesn't pay property taxes) a bunch of idiots.
Ya basta! I cannot swallow anymore of these illicet tactics used by politicians in all entities. When is this ever going to stop? I guess the only way to not find out about all these shenenigans I will have to stop visiting all these blog stations. I can't decide if what I am reading is actually true or just the opinion of the person writing the piece. What is going to become of us if we don't put a stop to this "ching-d-r-s"? Why can't we run everything without board members, commissioners, etc? Let the employees do the job.
It is tough economic times for everyone. I am glad that Wood was giving free notary services. He is helping the community.
IN EXCHANGE FOR VOTES!
IS ABUSE OF COUNTY RESOURCES A MISDEMEANOR OR A FELONY?
WOOD AND BENAVIDES TYPICAL "MAMONES." THAT'S ONE WAY OF "BUYING VOTES" ON OUR DIME!!!!!!!
What a bunch of crooked losers!
While Wood and Benevides were sponsoring the services the County taxpayer was ultimately paying and in particular the residents of the districts being represented by the dynamic duo. The resources designated for benefit of the two districts went to help individuals there. It would seem that those residents should express their views as to the use of their resources. Perhaps not strictly legal but obviously needed and certainly benefiting the bosses.
Legally Wrong but if you have a socialist bent to you're thinking it moves resources to those who appear to have the least. Just a sign of government getting bigger and reassigning resources.
Woods is a liar!!! They are livid because they know that now they can't continue with their so-called generosity towards the community...in my opinion, if you rely on giving out freeservices to people for your vote then why run in the first place. People will vote for you for the changes you are making or have made, not for the free services they bribe people with. C' mon woods and sofia, you want to be county judge and your already screwing with or tax payers money. What will we expect of you if you do win the election? Which I believe you won't. All I have heard these past months is all the wrong things woods has done, I have not heard one illegal mistake Carlos Cascos has made. Seems to me we already know who the true County Judge is. This election is non- sense, CASCOS IS THE REAL WINNER!!!
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