For a while, it was the most elusive check that has been issued in the history of Cameron County.
No one seemed to know where it was. No one seemed to remember signing off on it.
Yet, everyone knew it was there.
And then, just as suddenly as it disappeared, the check(s) appeared after persistent public information request made it impossible to claim it never existed anymore.
And it conveniently turned out to be a voided check(s).
The public official bonds are routinely paid each year by the county as do other public entities. Each year insurance companies and agents file responses for Requests For Proposals to provide the service.
For as long as anyone sitting on the commissioners court can remember, Flood, Public Official Bonds and Law Enforcement life insurance had been awarded – after Requests For Proposals were issued, evaluated and awarded – to Johnny Cavazos Insurance.
Following Cavazos' death October 2012, his widow notified the county on that she was closing the office and that she would no longer be servicing the policies after Oct. 31. The RFP which gave Cavazos the contract for insurance would have expired August 22, 2013. She told the court that the policies had been issued by Western Casualty Insurance and they could go there for inquiries.
On Nov. 5, 2012, Cavazos' longtime associate Sandra Tamez offered to continue providing the service.
Mrs. Cavazos notice and Tamez's offer forced the county to issue RFPs for the service which were sent out, received, and evaluated with the recommendation that the polices be awarded to Tamez's Legacy Insurance during the court's Dec. 6, 2012 meeting. The motion passed unanimously, including Commissioner Ernie Hernandez himself voting to approve the contract.
But that window of opportunity – between Oct. 31 and Dec. 6 when Legacy's RFP was approved – was not to be wasted.
Newly-voted Justice of the Peace 2-2 Erin Hernandez Garcia (Ernie and Norma's daughter) took office to fulfill the unexpired term of Tony Torres on November 20. Instead of turning toward Tamez's Legacy Insurance, she turned to another vendor.
Wouldn't you know it? That vendor turned out to be none other than her brother, owner of CNA Surety, with its agent of record Ernie J. Hernandez, doing business out of 1425 FM 802, Ste. R, in Brownsville. In case you missed the connection, that's the commissioner's son and the justice of the peace's brother. Not only did she choose her brother's company, but apparently others – including Pct. 2 Constable Abel Gomez did as well. Deputy Emergency Management employee Charles David Hoskins, with the county judge's office, had gone with a company from Olmito.
Curiously, 11 out of the 16 elected officials ranging from DA Luis Saenz to precinct constables went with Legacy when they signed their bonds in 2012.
And so we came to the new Public Official Bonds for 2013-2014.
Apparently, after the checks were issued, someone realized that they were bypassing the county's purchasing process and moved to quickly void the checks and, in the JP's case, pay her brother out of her own pocket. It is unknown whether the other two county employees did the same or whether they chose to follow the county purchasing process.
What we do know now is that those county officials who at first denied knowing anything about the checks being made, or whether they were issued at all, can now see that they did sign them after all.
In the end, not only did the county void Erin Garcia-Hernandez's $50 check was voided, so was Gamez's check for $177.50 and Hoskins' for another $50.
The public official bonds are routinely paid each year by the county as do other public entities. Each year insurance companies and agents file responses for Requests For Proposals to provide the service.
For as long as anyone sitting on the commissioners court can remember, Flood, Public Official Bonds and Law Enforcement life insurance had been awarded – after Requests For Proposals were issued, evaluated and awarded – to Johnny Cavazos Insurance.
Following Cavazos' death October 2012, his widow notified the county on that she was closing the office and that she would no longer be servicing the policies after Oct. 31. The RFP which gave Cavazos the contract for insurance would have expired August 22, 2013. She told the court that the policies had been issued by Western Casualty Insurance and they could go there for inquiries.
On Nov. 5, 2012, Cavazos' longtime associate Sandra Tamez offered to continue providing the service.
Mrs. Cavazos notice and Tamez's offer forced the county to issue RFPs for the service which were sent out, received, and evaluated with the recommendation that the polices be awarded to Tamez's Legacy Insurance during the court's Dec. 6, 2012 meeting. The motion passed unanimously, including Commissioner Ernie Hernandez himself voting to approve the contract.But that window of opportunity – between Oct. 31 and Dec. 6 when Legacy's RFP was approved – was not to be wasted.
Newly-voted Justice of the Peace 2-2 Erin Hernandez Garcia (Ernie and Norma's daughter) took office to fulfill the unexpired term of Tony Torres on November 20. Instead of turning toward Tamez's Legacy Insurance, she turned to another vendor.Wouldn't you know it? That vendor turned out to be none other than her brother, owner of CNA Surety, with its agent of record Ernie J. Hernandez, doing business out of 1425 FM 802, Ste. R, in Brownsville. In case you missed the connection, that's the commissioner's son and the justice of the peace's brother. Not only did she choose her brother's company, but apparently others – including Pct. 2 Constable Abel Gomez did as well. Deputy Emergency Management employee Charles David Hoskins, with the county judge's office, had gone with a company from Olmito.
Curiously, 11 out of the 16 elected officials ranging from DA Luis Saenz to precinct constables went with Legacy when they signed their bonds in 2012.
And so we came to the new Public Official Bonds for 2013-2014.
Apparently, after the checks were issued, someone realized that they were bypassing the county's purchasing process and moved to quickly void the checks and, in the JP's case, pay her brother out of her own pocket. It is unknown whether the other two county employees did the same or whether they chose to follow the county purchasing process.
What we do know now is that those county officials who at first denied knowing anything about the checks being made, or whether they were issued at all, can now see that they did sign them after all.
In the end, not only did the county void Erin Garcia-Hernandez's $50 check was voided, so was Gamez's check for $177.50 and Hoskins' for another $50.
8 comments:
que fea sonrisa presenta esta vieja
LOW INFORMATION VOTERS KEEP VOTING FOR DUMBOCRATS LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
JMon, where ever do you get these photos of the dazzling Erin?
Where does it say void? Did you see the back, do you know it was not endorsed and cashed?
I hope they send the ugly pig to prison.
SR.MONTOYA...deveras ya ni la chinga.no pudo encontrar otra foto de la senora.esta foto manda a la chingada el BLOG...ESPANTA ESTA MUY FEA LA VIEJA
my understanding is that ernie Jr is a farmers insurance agent. or at least he was. CNA surety is an insurance company, and a rather large one. CNA is not the name of Ernie Jr's business.
And again, Bobby comes to the rescue of his CUSTOMERS!! But dont blame him people, He needed the money so he could fix his pool and also needs to buy christmas gifts for his adopted child!!
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