For two weeks now, the receptionists at City Planning in the Aziz Building have wondered where the city's chief City Planner could be.
"We haven't seen him for the last two weeks," said a city employee who was asked for Medina's whereabouts. "The only person who could know would be city manager Charlie Cabler."
The employees at the planning department offices in the building that also housed the Community Development Corporation said they had not been told anything by the city administration about whether Medina would be back or whether he was gone for good.
Meanwhile, loose lips at the city say that ever since Mayor Tony Martinez took over the city's helm it had become obvious that Medina's days were numbered. Aside from the public controversy that erupted when HUD cited problems with the city management of its HOME housing purchase assistance program, they say that the administration had started to remove responsibilities from Medina's office and removing programs to the city's offices on Levee Street."Basically they had taken a lot of the programs that Ben was overseeing and had someone look over his shoulder all the time," said one. "It was like when they had an auditor looking over Robert Luna, the city's purchasing officer, on any purchase he made."
“Lack of oversight,” was the main problem that Housing and Urban Development Field Office Director Richard L. Lopez cited in the the expenditure and management of the funds by the subrecipient organization, the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville, in a August 2010 letter to City Manager Charlie Cabler with a copy to Medina.
The local daily reported then that HUD found that "some funds were used to assist ineligible homebuyers, some units were sold to ineligible homebuyers, some units do not meet HOME affordability and income requirements, and assistance was provided to some non-HOME income eligible households."
The HOME program was under the direction of Medina at the time.
Still, with a new administration on the city commission, many felt that it would only be a matter of time before Medina was forced out of the city.
"This is like a death foretold," said a city employee. "It was just a matter of time."
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Pertinent articles here:
7/14/05 - HUD revokes citys HOME funds
9/19/10 - HUD questions affordable housing outlays
12/8/10 - Weatherization program temporarily halted
2/15/11 - Spending frozen on weatherization project
A fish stinks from its head....and Charlie Cabler is the City Manager, responsible for all those programs. While Medina and Luna may be ill equipped to deal with the complexities of HUD.....everyone in the city has had a hand out or under the table to benefit from HUD programs and the construction packages for public housing. Pat Ahumada and Pat "15%" had regular breakfast trists with contractors trying to get housing projects. Oversight of public housing has been nil, except by HUD. If Medina and Luna leave, so should Charlie Cabler. It is time Brownsville had a "real" city manager; not just an ex-cop who knows nothing.
ya marcho? what a way to go? y el city manager? Charlie? he is not accountable? y los asst city managers? tampoco o nemos?
Hes been spotted at the library computer room.
I agree, we need a top quality city manager to move our city in the right direction.
brownsvilles needs a Real city manager when will that take place in October when the new budget starts? yea right.
What about all the employees that were laid off because of BEN medina and charlie cabler erroneous managment and the fact that they also put people that are not qualified in charge
you should check on the relationship between the city manager and the director of the office of grant managment ,
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