WILL TETREAU'S REELECTION BID SUCCEED WITHOUT CHARLIE?

By Juan Montoya
Four years ago, Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa emerged from nowhere to beat Charlie Atkinson, the proverbial bull in the china shop, with a historic write-in victory.
At the time, Atkinson had been in the spotlight with numerous run-ins with his bosses at Customs who thought a federal agent should not be a city commissioner, had gotten caught trying to get a clearance for restricted places inside the city airport, and was the driving force behind pumping million of dollars into the Brownsville Sports Park.

Let's face it, Charlie lacked some public relations skills and it cost him. Lucky for him that his sister had become the Human Resource go-to person at the Brownsville Independent School District and found him a nice out-of-the-way position as a coach at Faulk Intermediate.
The last thing the voters of Brownsville wanted was someone who embarrassed the city and were happy to move on with someone else.
After a brief controversy involving Atkinson's claim that she lived outside the district, Tetrteau went on to win the election and people though the worst was over.
What they never expected was for the new commissioner to be someone who was well known to the local cops as a feisty, sometimes combative, individual who had issues with her spouse. In fact, even after she was elected, the cops had to be called five times to settle the marital strife, getting to the point of charging her with Assault "A" Family Violence.

Just last week, 138th District Court Judge Arturo Cisneros Nelson granted her an expunction to through attorney Reynaldo (Trey) Garza (her brother-in-law).
The expunction order means that any record of the Sept. 9, 2011 arrest held by any law enforcement agencies, jail or other detention facilities (mug shots, booking, etc), courts, prosecuting attorneys, correctional facilities, central state depositories of criminal records, or other officials, agencies, entities, or political subdivisions "that may have records or files pertaining to the petitioner in connection with the arrest and/or alleged offense" will be ordered to expunge them.
The arrest was made by the Brownsville Police Dept. on Sept. 9, 2011 at her residence at 647 Greenfield Court.
That's why it was somewhat amusing to learn from her Facebook page that the now-happy couple went to see 50 Shades of Gray, a movie decried by woman rights advocates as glorifying rape, abuse and sexual abuse. One would think that this is hardly the sort of thing that she would be associated with and would try to avoid. Who is giving advice to this candidate for public office?
Then the commissioner, who lives a very public life on her Facebook page, was in the new again later when the car wash business she and her husband run was charged with wage and hour violations involving the workers there and had to pay fines to compensate them.

A federal jury found that three former employees of the Carwash Plus, 725 Paredes Line Road, in Brownsville, had exercised unfair labor practices in the treatment of its workers.
Jonathan Flores, Mark Kasick and Luis Villarreal sued the company owned by Arturo Kalifa, co-owner George Tetreau, and manager Rey Garcia and claimed that they and other workers at the car wash facility were not properly compensated during employment at the business.

The employees said in the suit that although they were expected to be at the facility for at least nine hours a day, they could only punch in the clock when they actually were washing cars.They said they were paid only for the hours spent actively washing cars.
The workers were represented by attorneys with Texas Legal Aid. The TRLA charged that the Carwash Plus practices violated the Fair Labor Standards Act on minimum wage, overtime, as well as the Texas Minimum Wage Act.
Katy Youker, who represented the employees, said the workers will receive their owed wages and additional damages. Youker said the case could set a precedent in the state.
“We think this case sets an important precedent,” she told the Brownsville Herald. She said the underpaying of workers there caused problems for other businesses creating an unfair advantage which competitors must deal with.
“It’s bad for business,” she said.
For someone who takes pride in bringing jobs and encouraging business to her district, the wage and hour violations didn't sit well with most city residents
Tetreau is running again and will hold a campaign function at Carwash Plus today at 3 p.m.
Unfortunately for the commish, there is no Charlie Atkinson to make her campaign any easier. She has an opponent in Sergio Zarate, who is said to have been actively campaigning for the spot.
This time the commissioner is going to find out that it won't be a cakewalk. Where is Charlie Atkinson when you need him?