COMMISSIONERS CREATE SLOT, HIRE SOSSI ON THE SPOT

MINUTES of a Special Meeting of the City Commission of the City of Brownsville, Texas, held in the Commission Chambers, on the Second Floor of the Brownsville City Hall – Old Federal Building, located at 1001 East Elizabeth Street, Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas, on Thursday, January 12, 2017, at 5:30 P.M. and 6:00 P.M.

ACTION ON ITEM DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION: A) Discussion and Possible Personnel ACTION to make City Attorney a City Employee. Commissioner Ricardo Longoria, Jr., moved to proceed as discussed in Executive Session to make City Attorney a City Employee. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Cesar de Leon and carried unanimously.

By Juan Montoya
And so, by virtual fiat, the City of Brownsville Commission directed the city administration to make up-to-now contract lawyer Mark Sossi a permanent city employee entitled to all the benefits.

Yet, Sossi was originally hired on contract as city attorney at $180,000 ($120,000 annual retainer and another $60,000 from the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, GBIC, to sit in one their meetings).
The one-page, five-paragraph contract was inked on July 2009 and specifically states that he "shall work as a contractor and not be entitled to any employment benefits including insurance and cell phones."

All that changed when Longoria made his motion and the unanimous commission voted to approve.

We have heard that Sossi's selling point in his quest to be a a full-time city employee with all the benefits (including health insurance for his child) was that he would work for the city exclusively and do no outside work for any other clients.

So within the space of less than a half hour, the city commissioners created a slot, and hired Sossi (presumably at the same salary) without the benefit of an employment application, didn;t give anyne else the opportunity to apply, and closed the deal with a simple vote.

We thought the City of Brownsville was an Equal Opportunity Employer and followed labor law guidelines. The law applies to all, except in the case when the city commission bends the rules and hires one of their own.