ESPY'S HONEYMOON OVER; ONLY SUITORS CHIRINOS, RODRIGUEZ, AND PERHAPS TRAGAHUMOS ELIZONDO

By Juan Montoya
Well, the Ides of March will soon be upon us in a few months as the political spiral toward the 2016 elections starts to wind up.
As the saying goes, you live by the politics and die by them.
If anyone knows that story it's Brownsville Independent School District Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas.
For the better part of her professional career, Espy has maneuvered her way through a handful of school districts and the drill was always the same: Come in with a board majority, do their bidding, try to keep the majority intact, and if that's not possible, then negotiate a buyout that will give you a couple of years at your $150,000 salary before you seek the next flower.
Well, the nectar from the BISD flower is rapidly losing its flavor for Zendejas. We hear that now the only trustees who back her up after she did their bidding is Joe Rodriguez, Hector Chirinos and Carlos Elizondo.
That the power and influence of the super is on the wane was said to be evidenced when an area administrator (Haynes?) brought forth a grievance against HR Superintendent Carlos Guerra and Zendejas and Senior Assistant Superintendent Bertha Peña – after hearing the evidence – ruled against the administration.
Now, we're talking about the BISD, where decisions in favor of the superintendent and the administration were rubber stamps to be handed out against BISD employees.
Guerra, who likes to be referred to as the Lion from the Wizard of Oz through the district, is now absent the courage and everything else. Genitally challenged, perhaps?
Zendejas is said to walk the corridors of the Glass Palace at the BISD continually looking over her shoulder because – as she is said to have told Rodriguez – "I cannot trust anyone."
But now that the Tax Ratification Election has passed and BISD employees are not under the gun to display their loyalty to the BISD or its administration, there is talk of gathering petitions for a "no confidence" vote against her. About the only cocks of the walk are the coaches who have Rodriguez as their benefactor.
Even Elizondo – who claimed to be the champion of the little people – has kept his criticism under wraps, some say in part because of his hope that his better half will be promoted up the ranks to the top of the Counseling Dept. Even his chances at Brownsville Fire Dept. chief are none to slim at this point.
Chirinos's future looks just as dim. If his loyalty to Zendejas (and Rodriguez and Elizondo) were tempered by the future at the district for his son and his protection of the Ayala clan, they may prove to be crumbs on the BISD plate.
Minerva Peña – whose eyes for power as board president proved bigger than her gumption – now realizes she was duped by Rodriguez with the presidential carrot to oust Otis Powers from that position. Now Minnie can't get past the super's receptionist and anywhere near Zendejas. But people say Peña is a Brownsville politician of the old mold and will hunker her growing girth and bid her time until she can escort Espy out the BISD doors on Price Road. It's only 12 months to the BISD election, after all. What's a year to someone who's waited a lifetime for a place at the head of the parade as drum major instead of waving those silly pom-poms?
Cesar Lopez – as supervisor of the regional office of the Texas Association of School Business Officials – needs the district to do business. But with Rodriguez hogging the trough, it's going to be hard for  him to muzzle in for a bit of gravy. Anyway, Catalina Presas-Garcia is watching him like a hawk. The worst thing for him to do is to get reckless and come under the scrutiny of the federal guys. Now, no one wants to be the first guy to go before a grand jury.
Powers, on the other hand, is practicing his Gomer Pyle smile before a mirror in preparation to launching his trademark ferocious campaign attacks against those who done him wrong. The Powers, Tolman and Atkinson clans take no political prisoners in the trenches.
The Zendejas bootlicks – the Whittenmore bros – may be proving to be more liability than Zendejas is willing to carry. Already, there is talk of a probe to ascertain vile rumors related to unauthorized alleged fraternization with female subordinates and possible time-clock manipulation to cover up the tracks.
Kent Whittenmore's tenure at Warehousing is said to be another source of scrutiny and there is even talk of a Kenneth Lieck reassignment to ???

(P.S. Did you hear that when Zendejas went to visit Art Rendon at Transportation and relieve him of his duties and gaev him his hairnet for Food Service, she made several discreet inquiries about whether he had any relatives working under him or for the district? It wasn't until later that she discovered that he was now a Texas Southmost College trustee and that she might need to be in his good graces since he is part of a majority on that board? Who's on first, Espy?)  

More BISD scuttlebutt later.