SURE OF HIS WAY, SOROLA FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT FOR US

By Juan Montoya
On March 2007, after years of hearing city residents complain about how the commissioners of the city were illegally receiving benefits, a group called the Brownsville Good Government League filed a lawsuit against the City of Brownsville and its commissioners charging the benefits they received were contrary to the City Charter.

Since seven years before the lawsuit was filed, in 2000, more than $300,000 in taxpayer money had funded the perks for past and present elected officials in Brownsville. Local accountant Moses Sorola, along with William de la O, Eddie Padron, and then-Brownsville Public Utilities Board member Robert Sanchez formed the group and then filed the lawsuit against the city and officials to stop the benefits.

Sorola, the group's president, said that they had formed the group after then-Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos had said that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s opinion on the legality of the benefits was vague and the court was the only place where the issue could be resolved. Villalobos had not taken action on the matter.

A slew of city commissioners since Henry Gonzalez was city mayor in 2000 had accepted health and life insurance benefits and then in 2004-2005, when Treviño became mayor, they started receiving auto allowances as well.

Treviño and former commissioners Carlos Cisneros, Sally Miniel Arroyo, Longoria and Ernie Hernandez, were receiving about $90,000 combined in compensation per fiscal year, the group noted. 

Sorola at the time noted that Brownsville voters rejected the commission’s proposal in November 2005 to amend the City Charter in order to allow them to set their pay. The charter only provides for monthly stipends not exceeding $50 for attending meetings.

“They ignored the voters and continued to pay themselves,” Sorola told the reporter of the local daily.

The amount, Sorola pointed out, did not include medical claims that the city has paid for them and some of their family members.

Sorola and the group's action drew outrage from at least one commissioner, Rick Longoria.

The Good Government League can “do whatever they want,” he said.

“They want to make a damn show out of everything.”
Longoria, who represents district 1, said at the time that he had “no choice” but to accept health insurance and other benefits from the city.

On May 7 of that year, District Judge Janet Leal rejected Longoria's indignation and agreed with the GGL and city officials were made to end the benefits, even though it took them a full month after the court had issued its order.

And even though the court ruled that the payments should never have been made, the city never moved to recover the monies paid out in direct contradiction to the charter, something that rankled Sorola to no end.

If city officials though they had heard the last of Sorola, they had another thing coming.

On October 2010, Sorola and others sued the city to try to prevent the city commission from issuing $11 million in Certificates of Obligation without approval from the city taxpayer who would foot the bill in the long run.

In a surprising turn of events, attorneys for the city sued all city taxpayers and residents, and also Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, in a state district court in Austin.
The city filed the lawsuit seeking a declaration from the court that the city can issue certificates of obligation without voter approval.

City Attorney Mark E. Sossi and the law firm of Willette and Guerra LLP represented the city and officials in the lawsuit in the local courts, and the city hired outside counsel to represent it in Austin. 

Sorola and his confederates would eventually lose that fight, with the Austin court agreeing that according to the Texas Certificate of Obligation Act of 1979, it can issue certificates of obligation without voter approval.

But the hiring of Willette and Guerra LLP at the recommendation of Sossi drew the GGL's attention and digging a little bit, Sorola found out that Sossi had taken money that didn't belong to him from that firm while he was under their employ and that he had inked an agreement in a district court to repay them.
 Willette and Guerra brought a lawsuit against Sossi in 2002 that ended in a settlement in favor of the law firm and against Sossi in 2004 in the sum of $167, 363.00.
The court documents filed by the firm confirm that took money from the firm. The settlement was still on record as of March 2009.
Agelia Miller, a member of the GGL, wrote city manager Charlie Cabler and pointed out that in 2010, contracts to Willette and Guerra by the city have been in excess of $37,000.00. It seems odd, Miller wrote, "that some one who filed a law suit against you and still has a judgment against you, would now be receiving favorable treatment in obtaining contracts with the City of Brownsville. Is this odd or a good way to reduce what you owe?"
Miller and Sorola's question on the Sossi-Willette arrangement were never fully answered and the game of fleecing the taxpayer  continues at City Hall. But now, instead of Treviño, we have mayor Tony Martinez who rules by edict and continues to use Sossi as his legal muscle to push his agenda and those of the powerful financial interests behind him.
Sossi and Martinez will no longer have Moses Sorola to deal with anymore. After a month's-long battle with spinal cancer, Moses succumbed at home surrounded by his loved ones on Christmas Day. Those of us who want to fight the good fight will now have to do it without him. We cannot thank him enough.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 27, 2013 at Lord of  Divine Mercy Parish, 650 E. Alton Gloor Blvd. in Brownsville. See you there.