LUCIO "OUTRAGED" AT SOLIS CORRUPTION: LA ZORRA NO SE VE LA COLA

By Juan Montoya
Why do people who live in glass houses insist on casting stones?
This thought recently came to mind after hearing that State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, had filed a bill to remove the name of former state representative Jim Solis from the Rio Grande State Center building.
Solis, the corrupt attorney and former state representative pleaded guilty April 29 to aiding extortion in connection with the federal racketeering case against former state District Judge Abel Limas.
Lucio’s bill has been voted out of a state Senate committee and could become eligible for consideration as early as this week or next.
The paragon of virtue said it "pained" him to file the bill, SB 1926, stripping Solis’ name from the building that is scheduled to be dedicated this summer but said he would be praying for Solis and his family.
Lucio’s son, state Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-San Benito, filed the original legislation to name the medical center for former Harlingen Mayor Bill Card and Solis.
Lucio III succeeded Solis as state representative for the area. Solis was a state representative from
"My heart goes out to his family," Lucio III chimed in. "He’s taking responsibility (by pleading guilty) so he will pay his debt to society."
Well, now, there is a stretch of Farm to Market Road 511 or FM 511 that runs from U.S. Highways 77 and 83 in Olmito to the southern sections of Brownsville. The highway forms an outer loop/bypass of the main portion of Brownsville. This highway is known locally and is signed as the Senator Eddie Lucio Jr. Highway.
The road is the direct thoroughfare from U.S. 77-83 to the Port of Brownsville.
If you remember, the Port at one time considered building a truck-rail bridge to handle cargo from Mexico. The port commissioners had retained Brown&Root Engineers to design and eventually build the bridge with a price tag of $21 million to be paid by tax-serviced bonds.
In steps Eddie in his role as a high-paid consultant and convinced them to change their minds and hire Dannenbaum Engineering instead. Over the next 10 to 12 years, the pigs had their run of the trough. In a short time, not only was there no bridge built, by mopre than $15 million in payments to Dannenbaum were found not to have been justified by the work product the company provided the port.
All that time, our own Eddie was receiving "consultant" fees in the $100,000s from Dannebaum. After the feeding frenzy, and after his constituents were left holding the bag and having to pay off the bonds for the next 15 or 20 years, Eddie washed his hands of the scandal and walked away scot-free and laughing all the way to the bank.
And it's a good thing that they didn't name a stretch of U.S. 77-83 that runs past the prisons in Willacy County after Eddie, although it might have been appropriate if they had.
Our little Eddie also convinced the commissioners in that county to hire companies that paid him obscene amounts of money as a "consultant" to build them. Then, when some county commissioners were convicted of accepting bribes from some of these fine folks that Eddie introduced them to, he walked away unscathed pocketing handsome consultant fees.
As a sop to appease his adoring electorate, Eddie said he was "temporarily" giving up the consultant role. Now, as the dust has cleared, our boy is at it again.
Now, will someone please introduce a bill to erase the name of Eddie Lucio Jr. from FM 511?