FORMER P.I.CITY MANAGER FILES IN FEDERAL COURT

By Daniel Goldberg
Attorney
August 5, 2016
Port Isabel’s former City Manager, Edward Meza, filed suit against the City of Port Isabel and two of its City Commissioners, Juan Jose Zamora and Martin Cantu Sr. this past month in the Southern Federal District Court of Texas.
The suit details Zamora and Cantu’s flagrant corruption and abuse of power – a situation all too common in the Valley over the past few years.
When exposed by Meza, the Commissioners immediately voted to terminate Meza, stripped him of his severance package, and then engaged in a campaign of public disparagement.
Among other acts of self-dealing, Cantu and Zamora are accused of instructing various city departments to service city vehicles at auto-repair shops respectively owned by the two Commissioners.
The long serving City Manager, Meza, who was at that position since 2008, repeatedly warned the two errant Commissioners, as well as others within the City’s administration, of the illegality and impropriety of their conduct. The suit then discusses the stunning reversal of Meza’s fortunes as the two named Defendant Commissioners – Cantu and Zamora – orchestrated a political coup against Meza and his allies within the City, including former City Attorney, Robert Collins, Mayor Joe E. Vega, former Commissioner Guillermo Torres, and sitting Commissioner Maria de Jesus Garza.
After ignoring votes against them, the Defendants immediately terminated Meza and then Collins, thus silencing any attempt to stop the two Commissioners’ various alleged corrupt and banned practices.
As further punishment for his role in exposing their conduct, the defendants voted to strip Meza of his long promised severance package, which the City approved five years before. As a final assurance, the Defendants are accused of coordinating a campaign to disparage Meza individually and his term as City Manager publically, to include through advertising, news stories, and at City Hall meetings.
Meza alleges in his suit that the Defendant’s conduct amounted to an improper and banned attempt to deprive him of his first amendment rights, such as that to free speech and to petition the government.
Further, Meza alleges that the City breached the terms of the severance package agreement, which mandated a specified amount of compensation and benefits regardless of the reasons for termination.
The case is styled Edward Meza v. City of Port Isabel, Jose Zamora and Martin Cantu and is listed under Cause No. 1:16:CV-137 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

(Daniel Goldberg is representing Edward Meza in federal court. He can be reached at (713) 942-0600.)