What would you think of a clubby organization that piggybacks on Charro Days, SombreroFest, uses public facilities for free, has a self-appointed and propagating board of directors and doesn't have to account to anyone for the nearly $500,000 it has collected and spent in the last six years?
No, we're not talking about United Brownsville.We're talking about that party bunch over at the Mr. Amigo Association. During the past six years, this 13-member board and its executive board who take turns as president to take a turn at the blank checkbook, mostly fattened by sponsor donation drives and events held in public facilities.
In between there are feel-good events like the Celebration of Friendship, Despedida-Bienvenida Income, the President's Ball and Banquet, Taste of La Frontera, and ticket sales to all these events.
This year, believe it or not, the group raised a total of $105,000 in cash through donations, ticket sales and in-kind contributions and blew all but $5,800 on a week-long binge of wining, dining and international travel to Mexico City to invite the 2013 Mr. Amigo – Eduardo Yanez, the Mexican soap-opera actor – to spend a week living in the lap of luxury in Brownsville. True to form, the Amigos chronically brought their guest late to most events and kept the public and honored guests waiting while they bungled with the itinerary.
How does this group – whose members are self-appointed – get to rely on the largess of the City of Brownsville, its business community, the general public, and its public resources such as police and public security? And more importantly, how can it see itself outside the parameters of accountability to the city and to the people of the city?
The Mr. Amigo Association was incorporated in early 1964. The first Mr. Amigo celebration was held on October 12, 1964 at the Fort Brown Memorial Center and honored former President of Mexico, Lic. Miguel Aleman.
For a small period to time, the Mr. Amigo chosenwas an important citizen of Mexico, but laltely, that bar has been dramatically lowered so that pop stars, soap opera actors and the like are now the common fare.
And even though its current members – especially officers Yesenia Patiño, Sylvia Perez, Eddie Hernandez and David Morales insist that Mr. Amigo is apart and separate from Charro Days and SombreroFest, their website belies that assertion.
In fact, unless you're willing to pay-to-play at their costume balls exclusive festivities, the average citizen will not get to see Mr. Amigo unless they're huddled along the Charro Days parade routes. At some events such as the Taste of La Frontera, The President's Ball and Banquet, etc., the location of the event has been provided this semi-autonomous group compliments of the very public it excludes from its invitation-only or ticket sales ($25 per person to Taste of La Frontera), the Mr. Amigo Awards ceremonies, City Awards ceremony, etc., Ft. Brown Auditorium and the Brownsville Public Events Center are the main venues for these events.
And even though its current members – especially officers Yesenia Patiño, Sylvia Perez, Eddie Hernandez and David Morales insist that Mr. Amigo is apart and separate from Charro Days and SombreroFest, their website belies that assertion.
"The Mr. Amigo Association realized that the Charro Days Fiesta, with the various parades, costume balls and large crowds provided the proper atmosphere to promote and recognize the Mr. Amigo honoree," it reads.
Mr. Amigo at one time was under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce, but the association with that business group cramped their freewheeling style.
In fact, unless you're willing to pay-to-play at their costume balls exclusive festivities, the average citizen will not get to see Mr. Amigo unless they're huddled along the Charro Days parade routes. At some events such as the Taste of La Frontera, The President's Ball and Banquet, etc., the location of the event has been provided this semi-autonomous group compliments of the very public it excludes from its invitation-only or ticket sales ($25 per person to Taste of La Frontera), the Mr. Amigo Awards ceremonies, City Awards ceremony, etc., Ft. Brown Auditorium and the Brownsville Public Events Center are the main venues for these events.
The weird thing about it is that the association is not a non-profit corporation. We have searched the IRS site for ti and find no trace of its 501c3 status. In fact, if any of the donors try to claim tax-exemptions for their donations, they might have a hard time getting the IRS to buy it.
Among some of the big-ticket events that fund the organization are included the Despedida with a $6,000 in-kind income return, $21,120 from ticket sales at the President's Ball and Banquet, another $39,600 from sponsors donations, $7,570 in program book sales, and $17,340 in ticket sales to Taste of La Frontera.
This income funds expenditures such as the $1,146 for the charter bus for the Mexico City trip, another $3,016 attributed (but not itemized) to "president's expenses, and the reception there. The total spent on the trip by the organization not including cost to individuals who must pay their way was $5,666.
And Patiño and Perez were just getting started. They paid $536 for Mr. Amigo's liquor while he was in Brownsville. They plunked down another $1,236 for "other," $586 for basketry, and $4,836 for rooms and food. Total for Yanez to hang out here? $7,199.
And it hasn't been unusual to hear that the association's expenditures end up going to the private businesses of some of the members or their associates. Kind of like all in the family.
And it hasn't been unusual to hear that the association's expenditures end up going to the private businesses of some of the members or their associates. Kind of like all in the family.
That's not all. Yanez required a private jet to jaunt over to the Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport. That was $13,218. Plaques and name tags another $3,800. Well, you get it.
Then there is still the small matter of the 50 to 60 in the Mr. Amigo party who ventured out to the restricted tarmac by Southmost Aviation as they partied and waited for Yanez to alight and who were cited by the FAA for venturing in restricted space. It's not a trivial thing. Remember luckless commissioner Charlie Atkinson when he tried to get a badge to be in a restricted area at the airport? Multiply that by 60 on the tarmac partying up a storm. We still haven't heard the last of that. If the airport is fined (at $10,000 a pop), who will pay?
In fact, all the photos posted on the association's website and on the Brownsville Raza site were removed once it was realized that posting them carried a faily expensive liability.
No doubt about it. The exclusive Mr. Amigo club has been piggybacking on city festivities, free city resources, free city facilities, and free city personnel to carry out its week of international merryment and debauchery. No wonder Patiño said at the end of the 2013 party:
"The Mr. Amigo festivities would not be possible without the special cooperation of the City of Brownsville.
The city’s continued and long-term support of our celebration is essential to its ongoing success. The
Brownsville Police Department is also deserving of special thanks for the commitment to protect our honored guest, Eduardo Yañez."
How long is this self-appointed bunch going to continue to milk the city's resources for their week-long binge?
24 comments:
Thanks to all who contribute to the Charro Days and Mr. Amigo programs. It is a special time and has become part of the local culture....it is our Mardi Gras.
A mardi Gra only to the privileged at the expense of the poor and the taxpayers.
What do you expect from ratas who feel entitled to rub shoulders with "celebrities"/ These "celebrities won't even spit on them or care that they exist.
Just look at who these people are--puros muertos de hambre---always.
Toda su vida se la pasan como millonarios con el dinero ajeno.
I don't give a shit about the responses that will defend these scoundrels----you are probably the same way. (o puros lambiscones)
Remember birds of a feather stick together.
Bola de culeros cabrones.
Thank you Jmon for bringing this to our attention. Blessings!
So what, Juan?
Write a post on CASA of Cameron & Willacy Counties Board. There some dirt there. All you have to do is dig.
juan this has been going on for over 50 years, but no one questions it so its not a big thing ask joe rivera the county clerkm he has been on this amigo club since the early 1970s when he came to brownsville from corpus with florshem shoes, you member joe?
The police escorts are dangerous. it has been the same boring crap "entertainment" for years. Just what brownsville deserves. Only an idiot from brownsville would consider charro days "culture". Drug murders, poor education, corrupt politicians and unqualified leadership is YOUR culture.
If memory serves me correctly, there was once a Mr. Amigo named Daniela Romo, a lithe, dark-skinned, long-haired "actress" who used part of her 15 minutes of fame here. The word at the time was that her entourage (huge by any standard) bankrupted the Mr. Amigo Assn. by its extravagant spending and lifestyle at the old Fort Brown Hotel. Anyone who is really interested in combing out this mess should contact the IRS and hope the agents themselves aren't out of town on some magnificent soiree.
The purpose of Mr. Amigo and the original Charro Days is/was to celebrate the intertwined cultures of the two border cities. This has since fallen apart because neither city currently has a culture one would want to recognize much less celebrate.
And, things will only get much worse as Mexico is running out of oil. When that happens, you don't want to be within a thousand miles of the border.
If "the group raised a total of $105,000 in cash through donations, ticket sales and in-kind contributions," who cares what they use it on? I don't see how taxpayers are getting hosed with any of this. Why should they be accountable to the city? Did I miss something?
I think I understand now. You're referring to the city's resources like police, etc. You are correct there. The city should charge this or any other organization fo the use of police and other resources paid for by taxpayers. It's standard practice in other cities. You can't give a break to anyone because once you give a break to one, everyone will want a break. Be it religious organization, veteran's organization, or private organization, charge them the permit and fees. No one is exempt.
What would I think? I would think that you were talking about the bspa! That guy is poison for Brownsville. You should do a story about how a private business owner from out of town pretty much runs all of the top officials in town from the mayor to city manager to downtown! That guy is very bad news for our way of life. I had the displeasure of meeting him while he was drunk and he spilled the beans on everything from how he feels about locals to all of his future plans to 'fix' Brownsville, which btw, are coming to fruition, i.e., all of the privatization plans for our municipal services, taxpayer funds being used without regard for public trust. You all can keep concentrating on the little fish in the pond like the mayor and city manager...this millionaire is a dirty rat. I hope that you guys will get to the bottom of this guy's ideas and means.
Yesenia Patino acted like a dog in heat with Eduardo Yanez. I feel sorry for her husband Miguel Patino having to see her wife dance for Mr. Amigo and she LITERALLY Danced and put her ass on Eduardo crotch. She never let Eduardo out of her sight and if any other woman/man got close to him she would attack him. It was rumored by his entourage that he wanted to leave because she was sooo possesive. He said "This is why I divorced my first wife because she tried to control me and now I have this ugly broom stick trying to control me... she is ruining my image...Please get this dog in heat away from me. There is not one picture of Eduardo Yanez by himself.. there is always the bruja Yesenia next to him
son puros ratas. comesando con esas idiotas Yesenia Patino y Sylvia Perez. La estan cagando para todos de Mr. Amigo. Los van a ruinar. Ponganse truchas son pura quemazon. Les apesta el osico tambien.
Yessie and Miguel are good hard working people. Why would ypu slander them just because they want to make their community better. Is there anything you MF's like. So piss off.
The Mr. Amigo website, Yesenia and Sylvia Perez give no credit to anyone in the organization but to the ignorant Yesenia .Didn't Sylvia Perez do enough damage to BISD everywhere she went, she got kicked out. Birds of the same flock.
Aaah y se me olvido comentarles que en el año del sr. Eliseo Davila (mr.amigo Arath de la torre) el señor llego tarde a todos los eventos ya que se la paso tomando dia y noche con sus amigos y su vieja la Monica Davila haciéndole grotescas escenas de celos!
Y como dijera Mr.Amigo Raul velasco aun hay mas del Eliseo Davila el y sus amigos fueron expulsados del hotel donde hospedaron a Mr.Amigo (Arath) por borrachos y consumir drogas, unos de sus "amigos" fue arrestado por manejar borracho y drogado! El cual fue rescatado por el papa de eliseo el Dentista Ernesto Davila.
Cool...
A Yesenia Patino le gusta el Pepino,....EJELE!!!!!!!!!!
Juan you are correct on them taking down the picture. Brownsville Raza, Mr. Amigo and the Maricon de Sergio Martinez UTB took down ALL the pictures of the arrival of Mr. Amigo this year. How sad that this organization that once represented unity between two countries is now just another well organized SCAM machine that only a few people benefit from the donations of hard working people and buisness. I heard the IRS is already looking into this organization because of Yesenia Patino spending spree on the Tax Payers ticket has alerted them to start an audit. Good luck getting a write off anymore.
We the tax payers have the right to know what is going and what is going to happen.
Everyone is held accountable.
No one is above the law.
It is sad that this organization came to be what it was this year.
All so that the ones who did wrong would disgrace it and get the highlights for all the wrong reasons.
Mr.Amigo Association, reconsider who you allow to return your board
especially who is your president and who gets involved.
JMon can someone provide the names of these scoundrels that bring celebrity trash to further varnish our beloved Charro Days?
They all want to act like blue-bloods with someone elses money.
Sylvia Perez? Oh-okay --that figures---used to squandering tax payers money at BISD. Esta bien quemada la fulana.
I was not aware that our men in blue are not paid by these charlatans. Let them pay for security during their shenanigans since no one else benefits from any of these.
YA BASTA RATAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
puros ratas grandes, and its always the same little group that controls all the time, they dont let anyone in except their own
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