By Juan Montoya
At one time, the Andres Cueto Building was a bustling center of commerce.
Historical documents say it was a fine example of late 19th Century South Texas commercial architecture.
The marker outside further states that "this building was constructed in 1893 to house the expanding grocery and mercantile, retail and wholesale business of Don Andres Cueto (1862-1927), a native of Spain.
"La Nueva Libertad," as the business was known, included a retail store, storerooms, a carriage house, and domed brick bakery ovens. Prominent features of the building include its corbelled brick cornice and parapet.
Today, however, it houses no commercially active tenants. Instead, it has been taken over by the City of Brownsville and Hizzoner Da Mayor Tony Martinez now occupies the most prominent office there. Down the hallway, the director and staff of the freeloader organization known as United Brownsville with no accountability to anyone in elected office occupies the other spaces.
The Lord of the Manor of United Brownsville is none other than IBC President Fred Rusteberg, who alighted from Mount Sinai, tablets in hand and announced that:
"United Brownsville will focus on a set of strategies and actions that will make sure the Brownsville Borderplex and the Brownsville area we imagined together is built to last, built to last for our children, our children's children. When we agreed to lead Imagine Brownsville, it was never meant to be a plan that would sit on the shelf when it was completed. Plans demand action and that's what United Brownsville is about. We are excited to begin the implementation phase of the plan."
The good banker that he is, Rusteberg's financial institution has not contributed one thin dime to this project. Rather, the public is being led by the nose on its own nickel.
One of the people on the payroll is "board facilitator and communications director" Brian Godinez. Another is Mike Gonzalez, the former mayor of Kyle and a conservative Republican, who was handpicked by Rusteberg as the United Brownsville's director at $85,000 a year.
The lobbying firm of Patton Boggs LLP was paid $75,000 for three months of work. The work-product? A blustery, economic development-catch-all phrase document that lacks any type of codification or ordinance authority that future city commissions do not have to adhere to. In other words, a con.
Now remember, this is your money.
In fact, it's all of our money.
With an annual budget of $381,000, the The City of Brownsville pays $25,000 annually as does the PUB, the Port of Brownsville, the BISD, UTB/TSC, the BEDC, GBIC, etx.
Did you have anything to say about this?
Can you remove Rusteberg from the board, or for that matter Godinez or Gonzalez? Can you fire Patton Boggs LLP? If you have a gripe with any of them, who do you talk to?
You might have to make a pilgrimage to the Cueto Building to talk to Martinez if he's back from his jaunt to Colombia with the BEDC's Jason Hilts if he will give you the time of day.
7 comments:
Remember BROWNSVILLE yui voted for MARTINEZ!
The above post was written by Pat Ahumada.
Beto El Boticario
United Brownsville should be abolished.... It's the biggest crock of shit ever invented to make Carlos Marin rich. Rusteberg would never lend one IBC dime to a business that had the financials or track record that Imagine Brownsville has....
Do away with all the fuckers on that board!
Sell it to Juliet and UTB ! !
@September 17, 2012 3:02 PM
WTF? Who is yui and when did we vote for him? Enlighten me with your high intellect, please.
Perry Menso, Esquire
why cant state rep rene or sentator eddy do this in austin ?
Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, who was instrumental in securing state funding for services at the new hospital, did not address the bond payments in a statement to the American-Statesman. Instead, he said he continues to support the hospital's mission.
"Montgomery County's privatized forensic psychiatric facility is beneficial to taxpayers all over Southeast Texas," he said. "The facility frees up county jail space for other inmates, avoids costly and time consuming transfers to remote state facilities and provides more appropriate incarceration and treatment for inmates with forensic psychiatric needs."
Plans for a psychiatric hospital in Montgomery County emerged three years ago, when Texas legislators approved the idea to accommodate the growing number of forensic patients waiting in jails to be transferred to a state hospital. A special budget provision specifically designed for Montgomery County allowed State Health Services to enter into a contract "to provide mental health services ... at a facility newly constructed by a county for the purpose of providing contracted mental health services."
Reimbursements were always part of the deal with State Health Services, Chance said. In fact, a financial report attached to a 2010 county bond document reads: "Montgomery County entered into a contract with the Texas Department of State Health Services to construct a mental health treatment facility. ... At this time, the county expects that funds to retire this debt will come from a special appropriation approved by the state."
Montgomery County built the 100-bed facility, which opened in early 2011. Geo Care, a private company that runs jails and psychiatric hospitals, operates it.
On its face, the state's contract with Montgomery County seems to prohibit any payments on the facility. "Department funds must not be used to purchase buildings or real property," the contract states. "Any costs related to the initial acquisition of buildings or real property are not allowable."
State Health Services, however, says interest payments are acceptable because they are considered an ongoing expense of the facility.
"It's much like any other ongoing cost of doing business, like paying for a lease, security and air conditioning," Carrie Williams said.
Earlier this year, Montgomery County commissioners discussed the idea of selling the building to Geo Care, whose work running hospitals has drawn criticism over quality of care. County commissioners say they put that idea on the table as a routine part of an annual assessment of all county properties.
But Montgomery County Judge Alan Sadler has said he has spoken to Geo representatives, who indicated they might be willing to pay $50 million or more for the facility.
In one corner we have corruptors like Ernie Hernandez and the members of the Democratic Party of Cameron County who are open corruptors. In the other corner we have Tony Martinez, Fred Rusteberg, Juliet Garcia, et al, who seek, by controlling tax dollars, to make decisions without public participation. This Kardenas Klan manipulation of tax dollars is dispicable and their actions seek only to serve their individual egos. Tony's first priority is himself and his family under the Obama administration...an ambassadorship, a Vatican posting for his son, etc. Juliet's allegiance is also to herself..and she has sided with Tony (an old friend) to exchange support....mutual enhancement...like mutual masterbation. Add Fred Rusteberg, another "old" friend who seeks to avoid federal investigation at IBC and will use his financial whip to do anything Juliet and Tony agree to. These guys may think their degrees and letters after their names make them smart, but they are just a corrupt as Ernie Hernandez and his "Baby girl". Degrees don't make an honest person and we are being smoozed by those who want us to think them honest.
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