SAN BENE EMBARRASSED OVER POWER PLANT FIASCO; SB NEWS BROKE STORY, BEAT VALLEY MORNING STAR

By Juan Montoya
There were promises by a Las Vegas, Nev. group of building a $215 million power plant in the new dynamic Resaca City.
More than 195 high-paying jobs were to be created. San Benito would be able to sell excess electric power generated by the 750 MW gas-powered power plant.
Now city officials are pointing the finger at the San Benito Economic Development Corporation for what they say was their failure to do their due diligence saying that the Development Group had misrepresented itself.
Mayor Joe Hernandez quickly issued a press release blaming the SBEDC for the snafu that makes the city and the BEDC look like chumps with egg on their faces.
And the Telemark Development Group called off plans to build the much-ballyhooed plant and warehousing center at the city’s 170-acre old airport property off Business 77, officials said.
And a Valley Morning Star report that stated that "City officials conducted a probe that found Telemark Development Group had superimposed its logo on a Las Vegas building that it represented as housing its offices, Garza said. Garza said the probe traced Telemark Development Group’s address to a Post Office box at a United Parcel Service building in Las Vegas."
Hernandez came down with both feet on the EDC for what he said was their failure to conduct a background check on the company and gave the credit for the discovery to his staff and distanced himself from the EDC.
But EDC President Pete Claudio said the city was behind the project.
That drew a quick retort from a leading social media website who said that neither the VMS reporter Fernando del Valle, the city staff nor the EDC deserved the credit for uncovering the scam. They wrote:

Reforming San Benito: Star-Fernando del Valle, get your facts straight! It wasn't the city manager and city attorney who broke this story. It was Managing Editor Michael Scott Rodriguez of the SB News, whose investigation assisted by others, revealed what we now know about Telemark and its highly questionable and suspect activities. If you want to do an investigative story of your own, find out how much money the city spent on attorney fees for the city attorney to allegedly investigate what the commission and EDC should have done for free as part of their elected and appointed duties. Tell us what this cost us taxpayers to cover their incompetence. That's a story worth writing, Fernando!

This was followed by another post which stated:
"Wait a second Mayor Hernandez, YOU alone appointed the EDC Board that you are now throwing under the bus. In 2011, as part of your scheme of retaliation, you removed former Commissioners Celeste Sanchez and Bill Elliott, along with savvy business-minded Frederico Garza, and replaced them with your compadres Victor Garza, Pete Claudio and Rene Garcia. What makes matters worse is that a member of your own commission, Commissioner J.D. Penny, sits on the EDC board with your blessing. If the EDC is to be blamed for failure to do its due diligence, then you are to be blamed, Mayor Hernandez, for putting these friends of yours in positions for which they are unqualified. It's a disgraceful display of leadership and loyalty that, as mayor and friend, you are shifting the blame and trying to distance yourself from the very friends you appointed. You are as much to blame for any of this Mayor Hernandez, as anyone."

Scott Rodriguez then confirmed that the San Benito News alerted city and EDS officials to the story:

Michael Scott Rodriguez, Managing Editor: San Benito News:

"City officials" conducted a probe??? The Star's a week late running a story the San Benito News broke based on an investigation we conducted and attributes the efforts to the city, citing Victor Garza as the source? I highly doubt Victor made such a statement, especially since it's not true. I also know Victor wouldn't say such a thing, especially since it was a PowerCom International photo that was Photoshopped, not Telemark's. You care to explain this to me, Star-Fernando del Valle?

One Martin Limon, a local businessman, threw in his take on the city leadership:

"The mayor has no idea on how to deal with this situation. Business minded people know that nothing is to good to be true. These guys all they want to do is look good, If it blows up in their face which usually does they don't know who to blame but each other. All these screw ups do not need to be running the city. But the voters are so naïve and gullible they keep voting them in. The city has not moved forward in the last 8 years. Every city has grown here in the valley. We need to attract new business that will generate city revenue and tourism. There was a rumor that the city only lures scammers and con artists. And that real business is scared away by the city leaders due to their lack of crass and initiative. In other words that they do not know how to run a city or conduct them selves. Sad.