MARTINEZ BANNERGATE CONTINUES WITHOUT QUESTIONS

By Juan Montoya
 
How long will the saga of an obviously illegal contract that Mayor Tony Martinez inked with a salesman from New York committing the city to a three-year "agreement" while at a mayor's conference in Orlando, Fla., go unquestioned by the city commissioners?
Even though a thorough search of the city's agendas for the past six months has failed to show that the one-page agreement between the City of Brownsville and Community Showcase Banners, of Chicago, Illinois, the company is doing business at the invitation of the mayor.
The company also has a website that states its offices are in Warsaw, N.Y.
The agreement indicates that it was signed by Martinez June 15, 2012, while at the mayors' conference and commits the city to a three-year period when the company can do business selling advertising banners to local businesses that will include the city logo on top and an ad from buyers on the lower third of the banner.
The agreement states that the company headed by CEO David McCarthy will be responsible for designing, marketing, production, printing and distribution "at no cost to the City of Brownsville."
It also commits the city to furnish the company with "preferred pole locations" for it to place the banners it sells.
Already, several small business owners have been approached by Community Showcase Banner representatives and urged to purchase space on the banners for their business.
The salesmen carry a letter of introduction from City Manager Charlie Cabler bearing the city letterhead as per the agreement. The agreement also calls for the city to provide Community Showcase Banners "all necessary brackets, hardware, installation and maintenance of the banners.The city also agreed to give the right to use organization's name in connection with the representation, production, and marketing of the program...
The agreement also calls for the city to provide "identification of, and access to the preferred pole sites for proper banner placement, monitoring and maintenance of banners as needed throughout their display and installation of replacement banners as needed (and hand scribbled) "and no cost to the City of Brownsville."
Soon, we at El Rrun-Rrun and other blogs began to hear of the approach of local businesses by Mountain Man McCarthy, who sported a Super Bowl ring and told business owners he had played as backup quarterback to Jim Plunkett when he was with the Raiders. Working in tandem with McCarthy was Itza Peña, a local beauty with close ties to City Attorney Mark Sossi.
According to the account in MeanMisterBrownsville.blogspot, a local businessman whose wife is employed by the city, was approached by McCarthy and Pena. McCarthy represented himself as a close friend of Mayor Martinez, saying "he and Tony went way back."
He told the businessman that "Tony needed him." When the businessman looked over the selection of packages, he said he might be able to spring for the $600 offering since cash flow was a problem. He was told that package was only for churches and non-profits and was pushed toward the $4,000 selection. Perplexed, the business owner said the only way he could go the four grand would be with a post-dated check. McCarthy at first rejected that offer, but seeing it was the only way he could make the sale, he accepted a post-dated check for the amount.
When the business owner called his wife to tell her about the purchase of promotional materials with a post-dated check, she paid City Manager Charlie Cabler a visit to ask what was going on. While in Cabler's office, she noticed some Community Showcase Banners paperwork and spotted the name of Ms. Pena whom she recognized as having close ties to Sossi.
"Does Sossi have anything to do with this?" the city employee asked Cabler. "I don't know. Call him." was Cabler's response.
"My name was NOT EVER to be used on this! NOT EVER!" Sossi could be heard to say on the other end.
So what's going on here? Was Martinez hoodwinked into doing the company's bidding by McCarthy in Orlando and then got Cabler to send a letter or introduction/recommendation to local business owners misrepresenting that the company had been approved by an act of the city commission?
Do Martinez and Cabler (and Sossi, apparently) know that they have bypassed every requirement for contracts and agreements between vendors and the city in violation of every law and regulation?
Why were there no call Requests For Proposals to give local advertising agencies (are you listening Melissa?) a chance at the business?
Was the Public Utilities Board ever told that a private company was going to use its electric poles for advertising? Does the mayor know about our sign ordinances?
Now, Hizzoner Da Mayor Tony Martinez did attend the 80th Annual Conference of Mayors in Orlando June 13-16 where this great once-in-a-lifetime prestigious "award" was said to have been made. But try as we might, we can find nothing on the city agendas since that the city commission had "accepted" the award.
The agreement indicates that it was signed a day before the conference ended in Orlando. Does Martinez know that he cannot commit the city to any contract or agreement unless it is vetted by the different departments (legal included, Sossi)? And how did Sossi get involved in this subterfuge?
All these questions need to be answered to assure the residents of Brownsville that everything done with this company that commits the city to a three-year agreement was not just Martinez's temporary letdown of his guard and signing off at the whim of the moment?
Where is the rest of the commission?