By Ricardo Longoria Jr.
City Commissioner District 1
How can I be against unions if I am a union member myself?
City Commissioner District 1
How can I be against unions if I am a union member myself?
My union and BUC (Brownsville Unity Council) at the decision of the Firemen's Union voted not to endorse me. Hell they didn't even invite me to the forum. They and they alone decided that they would not endorse me for their own reasons. They didn't even ask to speak to me.
Why? Because they are asking for ridiculous figures. I have played this game long enough to know that if given to the firemen, BPOA has a legitimate and legal right to ME TOO. You want the facts; I have them all on paper come by and have a real conversation with me.
You don't know me; all you know is what you hear. Let any of them come and want to deny my facts. I have every single document to prove anything I say. When I first ran in 2003 my father's brother Marco Longoria told me, "We like you, but one of our own is running against you. We don't turn on our own."(Ex- fire fighter Joe Torres was my opponent.) Still, once I took office they got their raise.
In 2007 Marco Longoria, Rigo Bocanegra, Jorge Lerma and Mario Guerrero met with
me usually at a bar where they were hanging out at to talk about negotiations. They
endorsed me. They were given their raises.
me usually at a bar where they were hanging out at to talk about negotiations. They
endorsed me. They were given their raises.
Two months into office Rigo Bocanegra comes up to me at Shenanigan’s and tells me, "no te dejas querer," we're here for you; just get rid of the chief (Lenny Perez)."
This Juan is not about my not wanting to support them. I've supported them twice and when my re-election bid came up they don't even have the courtesy to invite me to speak before BUC. They came in and said the fire fighters are endorsing Roman Perez.
Wait a minute, I'm a Brownsville Educator, paid member of AOBE, and a BUC Member am I not one of their own. So what happened to supporting one of their own?
I have for the record never said that I do not believe in unions or collective bargaining. I firmly believe in the process. I do not support or endorse the abuse of collective bargaining by its members.
Fire fighters have made it very clear to me and to my family that I am not their man. I was their man before; until I stopped giving them everything they wanted. They made their choice in endorsing my last opponent without speaking to me.
I was re-elected.
Why should I have to give them the time of day?
Why should Tony?
They went against him too. They have gone to speak with Tony yet no one has called to speak to me. All of their actions and comments against me are because these employees know that I will not be bullied by them or their tactics. We share a past; the newly elected officials don't. BPOA endorsed me and there is an open line of communication with them always.
I have done nothing wrong to fire fighters or their families. They make very good wages, and some have second jobs or businesses that they tend to on their 48 hours of rest thus adding to their income.
I am a teacher and know how much I get paid and accept the fact that I will never make more than $50,000 a year before taxes. That's why I moonlight as a DJ and thanks to the people of Brownsville and the Valley am successful. I don't complain about my salary I go out and make the rest, honorably through my work to buy the things I can't afford on a teacher’s salary.
I am not against somebody making more money than me as has been falsely stated in the past. I am not angry at the fact that my brother and father's brother have high school diplomas and
make more money than I do.
make more money than I do.
I'm happy for them because it provides a better life for their families. What I am mad at is the fact that people are assuming they know what I think and that I am out for revenge. I don't have time for those types of things. The fire fighters supported and endorsed Roman Perez because they did not want to listen to me state the obvious.
They want too much money and if given to them Me Too Claims will be filed and the city is going to lose more money in the process. I was elected by the citizens of District 1 to represent them and the people of Brownsville. I have not voted for a tax increase in eight years and the city has done well.
If given what they are currently asking for in court we will have absolutely no choice but to raise taxes. If they want this particular raise have them make their demands public and let the people decide through an election if they want their taxes raised because we cannot afford what they are asking for. (I can not disclose the percentages because they were given to us in executive session), but once this hearing passes you are very welcome to come and look over all of my documentation.
14 comments:
u tell 'em rick!
Mr. Longoria,
In life we all choose what we want to be you chose education. You were voted in to do a job as commissioner, so if it has to do with balancing the budget, you chose to run, stop crying about how firefighters make more. You putting up your own side shows to get more money then do it.
If you need to show show everyone all the documentation of what you supposedly done, then do it, If those guys wanted to meet with you over a drink as you claim, then you should have gotten up and walked away. Thats when you began to get out of line.
Why dont you ask the firefighters how many times they been in danger, how many cases they have responded to where not only their firefighters skills were required but their the implementation of their medical skills. Why dont you offer those to our public, I beleive that, these facts would out weigh the other.
Mr. Longoria just because they didnt endorse you doenst mean much, but you mention other entities that also, I guess did not endorse you. I beleive that its time for you to get a career change all the way through because crying over an endorsement you didnt get really makes you look like the loser.
You are promising supposed documentation u supposedly had have, watch out for an audit because I know for a fact that when too much documentation is presented,there are flaws, problems like this may discredit your arguement which is already questionable.
Mr. Longoria I hope you are not sleeping in the same bed with Ernie Hernandez, because you sure are starting to cry wolf like he does. One more thing, Brownsville PD does not open there door to anyone not even you. Dont try to get on their bad side look a what happened to Pat. Do you see Gus Reyna ever getting arrested for DWI? Hell no. What I am trying to say Mr. Longoria, is that this is not bad blood but now that you have pointed out half the story this reveals what you are really after more money in your pocket. You are no good to us, the society that elected you.
2012 is coming soon and there are going to be new viable candidates that will take office becuase everyone is tired of people like Aurora De la Garza, Joke Rivera, Ernie Hernandez who wont even extend his short hands accross his desk to say hi. Why do you think he was kicked out of the city commission of Brownsville?
Greed and theft, he has just never been convicted but he is going to have to pay extra to his politiquers to get elected because soem real credible individuals who will take care of the people no themselves. Mr. Longoria you need to quit while you are ahead cause your type of crying will not work anymore...
With all the overtime the fire fighters get some of the old ones are pocketing up to $ 80,000 - $ 90,000 with all the overtime they get. My first job was as an EMT and both they and the fire fighters are spoiled. How about this for a deal every fire fighter gets a 10% raise to their assessed salary (see here) but you become salaried employees. Watch the firefighters never agree to it. BTW, why don't we adopt a system with the police to where we have well paid, salaried police respond to 911 calls and traffic cops making $ 10.00 an hour ($20,000 a year) writing tickets. Any trained monkey can write a ticket we don't need to pay them $ 35,000 a year to do something so simple.
"I am not against somebody making more money than me as has been falsely stated in the past. I am not angry at the fact that my brother and father's brother have high school diplomas and make more money than I do.
I'm happy for them because it provides a better life for their families."
How can we believe you are truthfully happy when you refuse to call your your "father's brother" your Uncle Marco Longoria? You got issues, Ricky.
It is good to hear the other side of the story,
Would you like some cheez with that whine?
a TRUE UNION MAN at least knows that it is the Brownsville Unions Coalition....idiota
Pleasdo not take this the wrong way but I think the firefighters should be compensated for ALL the good they do for us----however some of them have a reputation for hard drinking and risky behavior.
Some of them dress like thugs and are always shown drinking on FB. I think public appearance is very important and they should ALWAYS comport themselves in a professional manner so that they may be taken seriously.
Mr. Longoria,
You sound like the little BULLY that did not get invited to the party because your behavior is sooo unpredictable. Just grow up already and begin a clean slate withuot ALL the hate.
Wish everybody a wonderful long weekend.
The bpoa contract forbids their ability to me too if the firefighters receive a pay raise before october 1st. If they get a raise afterwards, then the police can me too. It's convenient for Ricky to say the police will me too knowing that the commission is in litigation with the firefighters and their eventual raise will not occur before the prohibition period ends in less than a month. Way to go there Nostradamus.
We don't need SCUM like this man running our city .Ever since his younger brother got away with the wife beating I never like this Longoria character.I smell pulled strings here to avoid jail.STOP THE COMPADRERISMO AND THE BUDDY BUDDY SYSTEM IT WILL GET US NOWHERE!!
I had heard a rumor that Longoria wrote some crap I couldn't believe. Now I see it. Now why do I specifically remember the same Rick Longoria resigning his union membership over the BUC endorsement in the last election? My feeling was best expressed by the character "Mugatu" in "Zoolander".
"I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here!"
Why is he running so scared? He got the last election bought fair and square and as long as he votes with Martinez without question, he is safe, so why the letter? More importantly, why the lies?
RECALL. November 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRbqwmJacZg&feature=youtube_gdata_player
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.
Why not give the firemen and police officers what they want? Hell while you're at it give every swinging city, county (JPs), state and federal employee what they want. After all, we can always raise taxes to cover these expenses. The rich won't have to worry about paying any taxes, they'll just pass on their cost to the consumer. The lower income class won't have to worry about paying any taxes either since they are barely surviving. Once more that leaves the middle class to pick up the tab. Too bad this class does not qualify for the earned income credit nor can they pass down their tax burden to the consumer. Never fails, we get screwed once more. Just look at the current economic climate and ask yourself...can we afford to raise taxes to keep public service employees happy?
Rick Longoria is an arrogant idiot who does as he's told by those that pay for his services. Anyone who witnessed his performance during the Fly Frontera fiasco can attest to this fact. His performance during the Board of Realtors Candidates Forum was also telling of this fact when he stated that, "You can't misspend GBIC money!!" Roman Perez should rightfully be sitting in the Commissioner's seat but this clown, R.L., had the politiqueras on the payroll, knowing that was the only way he could "win".
Post a Comment