UTB-FUELED RUMOR CAMPAIGN WAGED AGAINST TREY MENDEZ

By Juan Montoya

Word has reached us that some people associated with the University of Texas are disparaging Texas Southmost College trustee extraordinaire Trey Mendez and the college's attempt to acquire real estate next to La Estancia Apartments now being bought by the UTB.

The rumors hint darkly about alleged improprieties regarding the acquisition by the TSC board of about eight acres of real estate next to the apartments that belong to Mendez's former law partner. The implication behind the rumors are that Mendez has some kind of personal financial interest in the purchase by the college district.

Knowing Mendez as we do, we were skeptical and suspicious of the lead, coming as it did from sources identified closely with the UTB administration. So we asked Mendez, who during the separation of UTB and TSC was threatened with professional (if not spiritual) destruction by rabid supporters of the Juliet Garcia administration.

Here's the real story.
While the UTB has been actively seeking the purchase of La Estancia Apartments, the college district has long been interested (even before Mendez was a TSC trustee) in acquiring some lots next to the apartments and adjacent to student housing. However, in inquiring about the selling price, the owners, including a corporation and local attorney Dennis Sanchez, were asking for millions for the land, a somewhat pricey proposition that the district didn't think it could afford.

After Sanchez and the others gave a presentation to the board, he was told by the board's majority that it was not within its price range and he was asked to come back with some other creative proposal that the district might consider.

The real estate owners did come back and proposed that he could swap the lot in question for some exiting real estate that the district owned in the city. There are numerous properties and buildings owned by the college that are costing the district good money to upkeep and maintain. One of these is the Cueto Building, currently housing the UTB's Center for Civic Engagement, as well as a number of other smaller properties.

Most were bought during a ral-estate buying binge by Garcia that netted the owners and real estate brokers a pretty penny. An example is the former bank building currently housing the city's municipal court on 10th and Levee. After two years, the college found out it was costing them about $20,000 in utilitys a month to maintain and sold it to the city.

This time the board, before agreeing to any kind of swap with Sanchez or the other owners, decided to get an appraisal to make sure the deal would benefit the college. And that's where the matter stands now.
The root of the rumors against Mendez is that years ago he and Sanchez were partners in the same law firm. That partnership ended more than a year ago, but apparently it's enough for the trustee's detractors to hang the rumors on that rather slim hook.
"I'm going to do everything I can to benefit the district," Mendez told us. "I have absolutely no personal financial interest in this transaction. I would ask that you consider the source of this rumor. Obviously, some of the university administration supporters are still upset abut the separation (of UTB and TSC). That's their problem."