Valley Morning Star
A review of public records on the employment of County Clerk-elect Sylvia Garza-Perez as a chief deputy or deputy clerk by outgoing County Clerk Joe Rivera shows a series of discrepancies regarding the hiring process.
Garza-Perez has been in the limelight because as county clerk-elect she has been unable to secure a $500,000 bond that the elective office requires. She is unable to take the oath of office until she secures the required bond. The efforts continued into Friday, and options were being explored.
Garza-Perez was unopposed in the Nov. 4 General Election. Rivera, the Democratic Party nominee for county judge, faced incumbent Republican Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos who was re-elected.
More than a month before, Rivera hired Garza-Perez.
Garza-Perez is a part-time employee who, according to County Auditor Martha Galarza, is considered “extra help,” has no set hours, and is paid $20 an hour.
Cameron County public records from the Human Resources Department regarding her hiring reveal several inconsistencies regarding her date of hire, the date she was considered an employee, the job title, and hourly pay.
Some documents dated Sept. 26 identify her as an employee. These documents include her decision on the disclosure of information, IRS Form W-4, her acknowledgment regarding health care, receipt for employee handbooks, waiver of confidentiality, authorization for direct deposit, payroll enrollment verification form, and the employment eligibility verification form.
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2 comments:
Sylvia left the Dumbokratic Party of Cameron County in debt and disorganized. How is it that the same party supports her efforts to get bonded for a new job. Will she leave the county in the same dire straits that she left the party?????
FBI, here is a classic example of public corruption in the Valley. Let me spell it out for you so you can expedite the indictments. Commissioners Court, you might want to pay attention, as well.
Sylvia Garza-Perez, the hand-picked successor of Gilberto Hinojosa to be CC Democratic Chair, announced herself as candidate for County Judge, going so far as to print advertising for her run for judge.
Joe Rivera, the County Clerk of 36 years and Gilberto Hinojosa's longtime compadre, decides he wants to be County Judge. Miraculously, after Garza-Perez prints advertising, Rivera is running for County Judge and Garza-Perez for County Clerk.
No big deal, you say, as it appears to be just a simple case of party jockeying to put forth the strongest candidate to unseat the Republican candidate. Happens all the time, you say. Follow along, FBI.
Now we learn that Rivera, in his official capacity as County Clerk, hires Garza-Perez with county funds to be his part-time "Chief Deputy Clerk," with a pay rate of $20/hour. The only problem with that is the "in house" job postings for three positions offered only one part-time position at $9/hr., not $20/hr. The $20 rate is commensurate with the posting for Chief Deputy, which was posted as a full-time position and which Rivera did not have sole discretion to hire. Factor in the other discrepancies uncovered by the reporter and it's clear that Rivera circumvented county hiring policies.
Also consider that the three job postings were "in house" and not open to the general public, per se, and since Garza-Perez was not an employee of the Clerk’s office at the time – not even sure she was a county employee – should not have been considered for any of these “in house” positions – most of all Chief Deputy. This is another example of circumventing county hiring practices, with a probable violation of EEOC policies and discrimination of all county and clerk department employees.
Taking into account Rivera’s backroom deal with Garza-Perez to switch candidacies for public office; Rivera’s blatant disregard for county hiring practices and Federal fair hiring policies; the hiring of the inexperienced Garza-Perez as Chief Deputy over long tenured employees of the clerk’s department, I believe a case can be made that County Clerk Joe Rivera misused his public office and public funds to reward Garza-Perez for a private deal. Bear in mind that this was all done more than a month before the election, while the race for County Judge was still in doubt.
County Commissioners, based on these facts and the very public bonding issue, I implore you to terminate the employment of Sylvia Garza-Perez immediately.
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