Fresh from his defeat at the hands of Republicans here and in Austin in last year's general elections, Texas Democratic Chairman Gilbert Hinojosa has latched on to the position of city attorney at Port Isabel.
The Port Isabel-South Padre Press reported May 22 that Port Isabel City Attorney Robert Collins and City Manager Ed Meza were voted out by the city commission during a special meeting which was filled to capacity with local residents.
The commission previously had voted to remove commissioners Juan Jose “J.J.” Zamora and Martin C. Cantu from office, but a court-ordered decision allowed them to participate and vote on the session’s items.The narrow 3 to 2 vote effectively terminated the legal services between Robert Collins and the City of Port Isabel.
Cantu, Zamora and newly elected commissioner, Jeffery D. Martinez voted in favor of the motion while Mayor Joe E. Vega and Commissioner Maria de Jesus Garza voted against.
Hinojosa, who represented Cantu and Zamora during last month’s court proceedings, was appointed as the replacement city attorney. Collins was not present at the meeting.
Meza was then quickly replaced by former county judge assistant and acting county Democratic chair Jared Hockema as an interim.
Hockema has always been a good Democratic Party soldier under Hinojosa. He was county vice chair from 2007 to 2012, treasurer of the party from 2004 to 2012, and has been precinct 52 chair fromMeza was then quickly replaced by former county judge assistant and acting county Democratic chair Jared Hockema as an interim.
2002 to the present.
Once in office, Hockema and Hinojosa have moved fast. At the May 26 meeting, several items leap off the page.
First, there is the item replacing the delinquent tax collecting firm. Item 3 on the first meeting was "Discussion and possible action to issue notice of termination to E. Pena and Associates, PC for the current month-to-month contract for delinquent tax collection services, and to utilize the delinquent tax collection services contracted by Cameron County."
Now, that wold be none other that Linebarger Goggan Blair and Sampson LLP, a firm that has been more than generous to Hinojosa over the years.
Item 6 on the agenda was placed there by Hinojosa and it reads: Discussion and possible action to rescind any severance policy for the city manager, effective July 6, 2010. That fits in nicely with an item that was discussed in closed session. That was "2. Deliberation regarding claim or potential claim of Mr. Edward Pro Meza, former employee (city manager), pursuant to Texas Government Code, 551.074, personnel.
Things, we imagine, are not boding well for old Ed.
The meeting also saw the appointment or reappointment of four members of the Port Isabel Economic Development Board, four members of the Port Isabel Board of Adjustments, and an item by Hockema for "10. Discussion and possible action on the compensation of the city attorney," which would be his former boss Gilbert Hinojosa.
Now, ain't that neat?
Hinojosa apparently has isolated Mayor Joe Vega, who coincidentally is also the Cameron County Parks Director. With the blessing of the Ochoa clan, he has taken over Port Isabel. With his other former assistant Remi Garza as the county interim elections administrator, the pieces are all falling into place for his gradual reentry into the heart of county politics now that Carlos Cascos, his nemesis, is gone.
Do you hear the gnawing?
6 comments:
For me, one of the truly pressing questions is: What does the government of the United States want? What is really its objective? To end drug production in Mexico? To destroy the drug cartels? Or to control them and administer the business? I’ve found, for example, that in the case of the Sinaloa cartel, there have been agreements between the DEA [U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency] and the Sinaloa cartel where they gave the cartel immunity -- You guys traffic what you want, and in exchange, give me the names of the leaders of your enemy cartels. And that was how the DEA and the Mexican government went about capturing many of Chapo Guzmán’s enemies during the Felipe Calderón administration.
That’s one issue. On the other hand, I don’t understand what the objective is behind the Merida Initiative [a U.S. drug war military assistance plan launched in 2007]. The U.S. government gave about $1 billion to the Felipe Calderón government and continues to give money to the Enrique Peña Nieto government, along with arms and technology to equip and train the Mexican navy, the army, the federal police, as well as municipal and state police. But the army, the navy, the federal police and the local and state police have been infiltrated by the cartels. What the U.S. government did indirectly was to make the cartels more powerful.
It's about jobs. They are all intra-connected; the money.
Port Isabel should be run by shrimpers, not pelado Mexicans. They are the only people who work in the entire pueblo.
Bennie Ochoa and Gilbert are one in the same. What is next....Bennie Ochoa's brother the convict for I police chief?
Gilberto Hinojosa is the disease that has plagued Cameron county for decades. I'm guessing this has something to do with the incoming LNG plants. Only time will prove what his motives are.
Keep up the investigation. JJ and Martin appointed their family members to several boards instead of reapoointing the good citizens that served on this boards. Help us stop this Juan. Continue ur write up
Post a Comment