B'VILLE COUNTRY CLUB PROJECT HIDES ROLE OF FISHER, DAUGHTER ADAMI; WHAT OF IT DEBBIE PORTILLO?

By Juan Montoya

You can't blame the city commissioners for thinking that they had a standing-room only crowd for their August 20 presentation of a proclamation to the Brownsville Cubs, a T-ball team, for having an undefeated season.

Mayor Tony Martinez called for the South Texas CUBS Team and its coaches to step forward to accept a proclamation in recognition of the successful season and asked Commissioner Jessica Tetreau to make the presentation.

But the crowd wasn't really there to honor the team. What they were really there was to receive the a $50 gift card compliments of UAH Property Management, a Dallas-based firm that manages several housing complexes throughout Brownsville.

It was the item labeled: 14. Consideration and ACTION on Resolution Number 2013-046 to authorize a Unit of Local Government (UGLG) Loan to Texas Cameron Apartments, L.P. or their designee (applicant) compliant with the requirements of Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA).  (Ramiro Gonzalez – Planning)   

UAH was representing the developer Texas Cameron Apartments who wants to build the 120-unit apartment complex on San Marcelo in the Brownsville Country Club.
But what most people at the meeting didn't realize was that the principals behind Texas Cameron Apartments were none other than Dallas developer Bill Fisher and his daughter Melissa Renee Fisher Adami – also officers of Naples Investment Company – the same company that gave $4,500 to commissioner Debbie Portillo in the last city election and runoff.  

And while the complex won't classify as a low-income project, Michael Clark, the president of the UAH management company, said that the complex would appeal to the "working poor."

Clark said there would be no direct subsidies for prospective residents at the new 120-unit apartment complex, but that the developer would receive  tax credits from the TDHCA. an in turn sell to investors and use as leverage to acquire funding to build.
The tax credit program was created in 1986 to provide tax incentives as a way to generate private capital for the construction or rehabilitation of affordable rental housing for qualified low- and moderate-income households.
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs awards credits annually to applicants seeking to develop affordable housing around the state based on an aggregate score that includes neighborhood acceptance of the project.
Those developers who receive tax credit awards sell those credits to generate cash to help fund their development activity. The investors can then use their credits to reduce their tax liability as long as the development continues to meet the requirements of the program
UAH manages Bowie Garden Apartments, at 4650 Bowie Road, Candlewick Homes, 1155 Paredes Line Road, Citrus Gardens, 2100 Grapefruit Street, and list as uncompleted Champion Homes at Creek Canyon, 1701 Canyon Circle.
.“These are not the projects,” Clark said. “In order to live in this community, you have to have an income. You have to be working.”

So while some commissioners, most notably commissioner Tetreau, who was asked by Martinez to issue the proclamation, was pleasantly surprised by the turnout – ostensibly for the T-ball team – the real story was that the crowd of some 200 had come out for the $50 promised to low-income housing residents by the property management firm instead to convince the commission to approve the TDCHA loan, and boost the chances of Fisher and daughter Adami to make a killing.

So what was so important about the city commission's (unanimous) approval of the project's loan application to the TDCHA?
The project (Villas Mayorca, TDHCA # 13-068) ) has been challenged by the Brownsville Country Club Neighborhoods Association for the issuance of the tax credits that will fund the $11 million construction project to Texas Cameron Apartments. When the TDHCA reviewed the application and found that the neighborhood association was challenging the issuance of the tax credits, they deducted 10 points from their scoring.
Undaunted that at least 63 residents had stated their opposition to the project, Texas Cameron Apartments decided to go to the city commission for their approval. The $50 gift cards to project residents by the UAH guaranteed that a "standing-room only" crowd would show up. In the end, Clark spent $7,100 to guarantee a unanimous approval vote from the commissioners.
Texas Cameron Apartments LP, however, is just a front name. The real officers behind the Limited Partnership corporation are Fisher and his daughter Melissa Adami Fisher. This is the same Bill Fisher whose cooperation in an FBI investigation in Dallas involving corruption in the building of low-income housing resulted in lengthy prison sentences for at least nine people in Dallas.
Fisher and his daughter are also the principals in corporations dealing with low-income tax-credit funded housing such as the Somona Housing Advisors,  Odyssey Residential Housing, Odyssey Residential Construction, Oddysey Residential Acquisitions I, II, Slade Construction, etc.
However, neither Fisher nor daughter Adami own the land on which their Texas Cameron Apartments LP wants to build Villa Mayorca. They merely purchased an option to buy through their ORC Acquisition #2 LLC from the Barrosa Family Ltd. Partnership for a down $2,500 payment. Jimmy Barnard and Coastal Realty are representing the Barrosa family's interests for a commission on the eventual sale.
Even though Adami and Fisher are contesting the neighborhood association's challenge claiming they were not timely in filing their objection and that the association was formed for the sole purpose of opposing low-income housing, their attorney Luis Sorola asserted that the organization has existed since 1996. Furthermore, Sorola says that Adami and Fisher should know because their legal representative in Brownsville – Ernesto Gamez – was the BCCNA's pro bono attorney when it organized some 16 years ago.
There is more to this.
Odyssey Investments has its offices at 5430 Lyndon B. Johnson Fwy, Ste. 1355, also in Dallas.
Another firm headed by Fisher and listing his daughter as an officer is Naples Investment Company Inc., with offices at 5430 Lyndon B. Johnson Fwy, Ste. 1200, also in Dallas.
According to city elections contributions and expenditures reports, on June 12, Naples Investments Co. gave Portillo $1,000.
Since she was in a runoff, on June 21, one day before the runoff election, Portillo received another $3,500 contribution from Fisher and Adami, records show.
So, are we to believe that if someone gives you $1,000 and then another $3,500 – both times one day before the election – you wouldn't make it a point to know who it is or what interests they represent?
And even if that was so, are you as an elected official of the people in your district willing to overlook their opposition to the project to be built on your neighborhood for a measly $4,500?
Debbie, we hardly knew ye.