By Juan Montoya
Just as Shakespeare put it in his famous play, Rebecca Gomez, who made a run for Cameron County Judge the last go round now says she wants to put an end to the gravy
train for local contract lawyers and stop the run on the PUB treasury by the city commission.Gomez, 57, a self-employed businesswoman, has announced her candidacy for mayor. In the past she described herself as a community activist and strong advocate for human rights.
She will be running against at least five other candidates including incumbent Pat Ahumada, Eduardo Camarillo, Tony Martinez, Mike Garza, Viro Cardenas, among others.
Gomez said she wants to offer voters and taxpayers the opportunity for a change that "includes putting people first with reasonable and accurate taxation and more representation, transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility."
In her political announcement held Tuesday at Captain Bob's Restaurant No. 2 on Price Road with restaurant chain owner Robert Sanchez present, she said that the public was tired of the city commission raiding the PUB $3 million annually (and raising the rates) to offset the mismanagement of the city's finances.
She said that she would also like to end the privatization of delinquent tax collection and to issue tax statements earlier in the year to allow taxpayers more time to pay taxes before they become delinquent.
But more importantly, she said that the amount of money paid one attorney, contract lawyer Mark Sossi, was enough to provide for three families at a comfortable level.
"We're paying this lawyer more than $120,000," she said. "That could provide enough income to support three families in my neighborhood."
Given the opportunity, Gomez said she would serve the city with transparency, integrity and responsibility, putting the interests of the people first."
23 comments:
Gomez said "she would serve the city with transparency, integrity and responsibility, putting the interests of the people first." How original. The psycho woman herself.
Chichous Crais!!!!!!
I thought her and captain Bob were sworn enemies? Or did they smoke the peace pipe? Or snort the I forgive/forget line?
Self employed businesswoman? WTF! She's a crazy, old vieja living off the government tit.
Pardon me, but as "to living off the government tit" totally wrong, in fact, I am just an average citizen with no public assistance, who knows what it means to count the items in the grocery cart to make ends meet, not to mention, now all citizens in Brownsville Texas are burdened with having to purchase our own bags, as if food prices were not enough so not only, do Catholics have a right to forgive and forget, but we have a right as the community to question a budget of over $300,000.00 for the City Attorney and his expensive staff, paid out of taxpayers pockets.
Brownsville Citizens, have a right to vote into office somebody who will give the people the right to speak out as a community and who will not curtail or cut short the right to free speech as Mark Sossi did when Mr. Sossi, grossly abused his power and stopped public opinion by those concerned citizens with the right to ask questions, or didn't Mr. Sossi change the rules when it became evident the community was not afraid to ask questions of a City Commission and Mayor who burdened our city with the ban having our groceries sacked after we pay for them?
What was the City Commission and the Mayor thinking when they picked on an issue that has created a financial burden on people who have to count their items in the shopping cart and who do not qualify for public assistance? Or are there some people out there that think all women who are concerned about our communities are "viejas?" Vieja la luna, y ya es tiempo, de ponerle un alto a la corrupcion en nuestra ciudad cuando el abogado de la ciudad tiene un salario de mas de cien mil dolares por ano, y le cuesta a la ciudadanilla mas de 300 mil dolares anuales, o no es cierto que Mark Sossi hace mas de $180.000,00 cuanto contamos todas las mordidotas?
Of course its true, and its time to put and end to the City hall corruption that keeps dipping their hands into PUB every time City staff gets too expensive and in turn, PUB has to raise their rates to meet the shortfalls at City hall now is that a way to run a City? I don't think so which is why I decided to run for Mayor, porque I am tired of as a taxpayer paying Mark Sossi the gross salary abuses by his office and I want to give the people of this City an opportunity to speak up on this subject, or what are the problems with our City that require a City attorney with staff and salary over $300,000.00 dollars a year? I can think of a few families that can live off the salary of Mark Sossi and immediately put on the City agenda, an item to either find a more reasonable cheaper legal counsel for the City in this troubling economic times, or reduce the gross amounts being paid to all these vultures, who have for too long exploited their power over a wimp City Commission and Mayor, who hired this expensive Sossi, living off the City
"tit," and excuse me Anonymous, but if anybody has lived off the "tit" it has been Mark Sossi and one of my first items on the agenda will be to find an end to this City hall corruption.
Brownsville Citizens and taxpayers have a right to a transparent City Hall and seriously, the City Attorney is just too expensive furthermore, the more I dig the more I find and it is very troubling to find City Hall under Mark Sossi as City Attorney, doing business with a lawfirm which has profited monetarily from the City in spite of the fact Mr. Sossi owes this lawfirm a settlement amount over a legal matter, and that raises a lot of questions, especially, after Mr. Sossi flatly in total disregard to the right of public opinion, restricts the voice of public opinion at the podium where our concerns are heard.
Is Mr. Sossi getting so big at City Hall that he intimidated the City Commission and the Mayor into paying him a salary comparable to a member of Congress? Add to that the City budget shortfalls constantly milking PUB and in turn us as taxpayers paying the price, and it makes us wonder, if we put all of Mr. Sossi's expensive cost of staff salary together which comes close to $350,000.00 and which City Hall approved, when is the taxpayer getting relief from PUB, who has to raise the rates to meet the times City hall dips into PUB for the millions they have taken to pay Mark Sossi's salary?
All this abuse by attorneys at City Hall will end if Brownsville, Texas give Rebecca Gomez the opportunity to stop this close to fraud system, and I will not endorse a ban on an item used by businesses to serve their customers, because directly, the ban on plastic bags, has placed a burden on everyone who now has to buy their own bag or carry out their items without a bag in many cases and indirectly, the draconian manner in which this was done, was not right and City Hall should find other more important matters to place on the agenda instead of meddling into the way grocery stores sack the groceries for their customers, I thought democracy meant grocery stores could sack their customer's groceries without the intrusion of city government, don't they have anything better to do?
Can you say run on sentence, Ms. Gomez ? You have a better chance at straightening your kids out than winning the mayoral race.
Pinche vieja loca.
Children, parents and Families depend on an honest body of our local government to do for our City what is in the best interest of the people, yet in Brownsville, Texas for some reason, concerned community members who try to voice their opinion, are not allowed to filter to the public watching the maneuvers at City Hall, and air community concerns because we have a City Attorney who decided limiting public opinion was in the best interest of parents, families and their children.
So no, its not a "run on sentence," its time for the people of this city to hear it every way it has to be told so the truth can be exposed which is what some people hate, and why wouldn't they hate to hear the truth, when they have been exploiting the fruits of the monies of the taxpayers pockets, with their expensive salaries? or should'nt the people of Brownsville, Texas, parents families and children have the right to know why our PUB rates keep fluctuating to meet the paws been dipped into PUB by City Hall?
Yo se que la verdad les duele, y que los incomoda pero como vamos a pagarle al abogado de la ciudad una cantidad tan injustamente alta, cuando con arriba de trescientos mil dolares pueden comer varias familias? Or is it not true that several families can live off of the over three hundred thousand dollar salary by the City Attorney and his staff?
And whats so wrong about finding out as the concerned community that in fact, lawyers Mark Sossi has pending legal matters with, have profited by doing business with the City? I seriously think that if indeed Mr. Sossi as City Attorney was present during the time the Brownsville City Commission dealt with lawyers he has pending legal matters with and these lawyers received monetary compensation in whatever manner, from the City, then this raises a big red flag of conflict of interest, not to mention from where does Mark Sossi walk out of City Hall with over $170,000 a year when $120,000.00 comes from our tax payers pockets?
And so "Anonymous," I undertand your frustration and your suggestion of my chances of "winning the mayoral race," but its not up to the cheerleaders for Mark Sossi and those who allowed his excessive and abusive salary, to make the decisions in this City, its up to the people who feel we have had just about enough of a City Commission who mismanages our tax dollars and then expecting we the people of this City, to pay the high rates PUB has to charge in order to meet the demands at City Hall, and when you have a lawyer for the City that is more like a paper sack with no bottom its time for our community to take action and that is what I intend to do by giving the City of Brownsville, a voice who will be their voice and somebody who will put the necessary items on the agenda instead of the other way around.
I smell a Mark Sossi crush.
People, address the issues she brings up and please do refrain from ad hominem attacks.
Christian
Pinche Vieja Loca!!!
Christian again displays a remarkably breathtaking, intellectual capacity to lecture others. "Address the issues"....?? Here is a concept. You first.
Actually what you "smell," are the dirty rags at City Hall, being pulled out to the sun.
I think Gomez hits some strong points, this race will be a tight one, and to all you close minded fools, grab a book and actually learn some politics and then try to insult , because I will tell you that you all sound like a bunch of uneducated fools.
Gomez will do a great job as Mayor! My vote for Gomez!
Christian can take comfort in the knowledge he/she does not walk alone. Witness the Anony post on 2/10/11 @ 9:51. But of course, ALL differences of opinion can be attributed to another's perceived level of education. Thank God for enlightened people like the two of you, whose intellectual superiority is a beacon for us all.
Thats right, Gomez will open the doors of transparency and accountability at City Hall for the Citizens of Brownsville, Texas and put an end to the Compadrismo and Ineptness by a City Commission who tells grocery stores how to sack the groceries for their customers and this is why, if you as the City Commission and mayor thought we would forget how the ban on plastic bags has affected the community, just wait and watch the public retaliation for local government intrusion in business areas in the May election..........
Not to mention, questions the public has over the excessive salary to the City Attorney with his dictatorial style when it comes to the Community concerns we have a right to air and, which the Brownsville City Commission and Mayor approve of and why its time, to remove from office old regimes with the bad habits this City Commission turned out to be.
So now you have resorted to posting in third person, Ms. Gomez ? I guess Christian is having a hard time energizing your base.
Wow, whoever you are Anonymous person who posted on 2/11/11 at 11:06, you are obviously jealous, you obviously have no life or anything better to do than blog unrealted nonsense on a page for political opinions! Get with the program person! This is not Ms Gomez, Im a concerned citizen who is fed up with uneducated people like you who just get on here to attack and insult and ASSUME that some of us actually blogging opinions are Ms Gomez, lol seriously! Haha Hi Im Ms Gomez!! Not! Person, whoever you are, whatever rock you climbed out from under, please go back under it, your insignificant posts and self are ridiculous :) Peace :)
Gomez all about the people, Love it! You go girl!
Thank you for your support citizen, and for recognizing the need in our City to address issues important to the people who have their voices limited by the protocol of biased read tape at City Hall and the suppression of free speech and public opinion, which concerns me very much as a citizen, because when We, the taxpayers have no right to air the problems we see need attention by those we vote into office, then its time to replace elected officials who forget they were put there to serve the public, not the self interests of their pockets with excessive salaries draining the City budget and expecting taxpayers to foot the bill on the budget shortfalls through the rates at PUB.
Furthermore, and in regards to the ban on plastic bags, it would have been a better idea to place the ban on the stores, using the plastic bags, instead of making the consumer responsible for bagging his purchased groceries, because by enforcing the ban on the plastic bags, it was the grocery store, who had to provide an alternative, but the result has been catastrophic to the degree, some stores are abusing it and charging "$1.00 per plastic bag," because when you have a Commission and Mayor, pretending to be protecting the environment and trying to blame the antiquated broken down sewer system on "plastic bags clogging the drains," this is what happens.
Many people in our community who I have spoken too and asked their opinion on the plastic bag subject, are outraged that the customer is now responsible for the grocery store's job and so it makes matter worse when this City mandate on plastic bags, interferes with State law that states all alcoholic beverages have to be sacked before they leave the premises, yet stores where people are unable to purchase the bags, are allowing liquor to go unsacked out the door which If I am not mistaken is against TABC rules and policies and state law.
Not to mention, according to members of my community, " the hassle of carrying items in the hand simply for forgetting the bags at home and having to buy bags every on every trip to the store, which had the City Commission and Mayor, had more compassion for the voter than the business owner, in these hard economic times, on such a simple matter turned into a serious problem for a lot of people, we would not have to be touching on this subject wasting time on an issue which for all practical purposes, just as the business must supply the proper take out food in a proper plate, so must the grocery store supply the paper sack for the customer instead of trying to push recycled cloth style bags costly to the consumer.
So my concerns multiply when watching as a voter how easy it was to tag the consumer with the extra bagging cost, when it did not have to be like that at all and paper sacks are known to have been provided by grocery stores in the past before the plastic bag came into the picture, or what kind of sack did we have before the plastic bag? And did the consumer have to pay for the paper sack? No, nor for the plastic bag, Until this City Commission and Mayor decided to raise an issue to have an issue to vote on that would benefit the business at the expense of the consumer after, the grocery store already makes enough money, selling high food prices.
Would'nt it have been better for the City Commission and Mayor to have addressed the shortfalls of the City budget due to excessive salaries, when job creation would grow by cutting down the City Attorney's salary?
Gomez all about the people, Love it! You go girl!
By:
Rebecca Gomez, age 57
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