Thursday, April 14, 2016

INTERIM IS AS INTERIM DOES: JUDGE, EMERGENCY COORDINATOR

By Juan Montoya
For more than a year Pete Sepulveda has been an "interim" Cameron County Judge.
When the commissioners court appointed him there from his position as county administrator, he also appointed his assistant David Garcia as "interim" administrator. He has held both positions since he was appointed in March 2015.
As executive director of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, Sepulveda draws a $220,000 salary. Sepulveda, says the county's legal staff, does not get paid by the county to be its judge. The judge pays only $70,000. so why should he even consider taking that as a full-time job?
Later, the court named Remi Garza as "interim" administrator at $185,000.
In time, Garza and Garcia were removed as "interim" officials and – after a perfunctory search for applicants, were made permanent staff members.
Now we have the news that the City of Los Indios is establishing its own police department.
So what did they do?
They appointed Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Hushen, as...you guessed it!, "interim" police chief.
They figured since Hushen – who owns his own emergency management company – helped get the police station started up seven months ago, they may as well make him chief.
Now the same question that popped up when Sepulveda, Garza and Garcia were named "interim" this or the other. "When does "interim" end and where does "double dipping" begin?

5 comments:

County Employee said...

Don't forget Montoya! Tom Hushen is double dipping as Emergency Coordinator and Interim Police Chief in Los Indios!

Anonymous said...

That's what the post says.......read much?

Anonymous said...

check his cell county issued cell phone records, how call calls does he make to Los Indios during working county time!!

Anonymous said...

Tom Hushed is a county employee how can the commissioners court be allowing this? He's not elected he is a full time employee of the county. Omg !!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a VIOLATION OF THE LAW. Not only that but a VIOLATION OF THE COUNTY CODE OF ETHICS.

rita