In the end, in the wee hours of the morning, Brownsville Independent School District general counsel Baltazar Salazar was able to convince a majority of the board members that he had saved the district $100,000s through his legal acumen and heavy lifting in litigation.
The trustee, through a 5-1 vote, approved a $24,000 raise, almost identical to the $25,000 raise he received just one year ago last June.
Even though the district is mired in lawsuits that have been generated against the district partially as a result of his bad legal advice to them on various issues – mainly personnel – the trustees disregarded these topics and made the decision to give him the raise.
The topic of Salazar's raise came toward the end of the marathon meeting, when most of the audience had departed and when those watching on the school cable channel had dropped off to snooze.
The voting – as far as we can gather today – was board president Cesar Lopez, Phil Cowen, Minerva Peña, Laura Perez-Reyes and Dr,. Sylvia Atkinson "aye." Only trustee Joe Rodriguez, who knew the item would pass, strategically voted "no." Trustee – and Brownsville Fire Department Chief – Carlos Elizondo, was absent.
Elizondo had to be present at the meeting of the commission of the city of Brownsville and could not attend the BISD meeting being held on the same day at the same time.
Lopez initially wanted to give Salazar a $36,000 hike, but was unable to convince the rest of the majority to go along with the generous increase.
We commiserate with poor Balty. It's hard for a lawyer to made do with a paltry $264,000 when you are representing the poorest community in the United States.
And we empathize with the sensitivity of the school board members who held the line at $24,000. After all, a $36,000 raise would have mean they would have given him a raise above the median income for a household in Cameron County at $26,155 over $8,000 more than the median income for a family at $27,853.
But, hey, you reap what you sow and Salazar has made sure that whenever there's an election, the right amount of money goes into the right candidate's pocket so he can have his bought-and-paid-for board reward him for his labor and generosity.
13 comments:
Worthless article. You ARE a Salazar hater, so we now that. Be objective!
This message if for the prior Anonymous article at 11:54 a.m. August 2, 2017.
Look you Idiot!! You must like to get screwed without lubricant, I'm a tax payer and an investor with Real Estate, Baltazar is worthless piece of SHIT!! I recall when he presented to the Board Members and he was not the most qualified.. He was not an Attorney for School Law, he begged Board Members sand played them probably even paid for their lunch before he got hired.. He is the biggest MISTAKE FOR BISD and the current Board Members they are the WORST they are a bunch of TWO FACE MF HYPOCRITES... It's not about BISD students they play games and screw the community over.. Why don't they VOTE on giving our staff and teachers a raise like they did with the IDIOT.. The reason is teachers don't kiss anyone's ASS nor they play politics, teachers make it happen .. The Board, Superintendent, Attorney and Administration are Corrupt and WORTHLESS PIECES OF SHIT !!
Yea lets be objective let see he allegedly from others makes large contributions to certain board members campaigns then they vote on his pay raise wouldn't that be considered a conflict of interest.FBI?????
The teachers and retired teachers cannot get a pay raise, but this asshole (Salazar) gets a huge raise for the last two years. This kind of inequitable distribution of tax dollars is a misuse of tax dollars and is a reflection of the corruption, fraud and deceit in BISD and in other school districts. If local citizens railed about this corruption as they do about problems in Washington.....perhaps the problem could be resolve and save the tax payers some money; and even get teachers a pay raise.
The BISD Board of Trustees is aware that teachers and employees of BISD are mostly from this area, want to remain in this area and are not likely to move, even for more money. BISD can therefore keep salaries low. Teachers can yell, scream and protest, but in the end they are not likely to move to get more pay. This allows the BISD Board of Trustees to save money for projects on which they get a "kickback". The "mordida" reigns here.
Salazar gives Looez kickbacks everyone knows that and Lopez brags about it.
He is the WORST ATTORNEY hired by Dumb Ass Board Members..
They all belong in jail.
As I tax payer and property owner I want answers and expect for this community to start paying attention who they Vote For..
Don't Vote for individuals who are corrupt and play for pay. This raise for the Board Attorney should be a big red flag when November 2018 School Board Elections take place. The following is the fact and
it's an abuse of TAX PAYERS DOLLARS!!!
If the Board Attorney Baltazar Salazar gets paid $288,000.00 a year and attends 1 School Board Meeting A Month that equals to $24,000.00 divide that into minimum 8 hours a meeting it equals to $3,000.00 an hour!!!!!! That is what you call ABUSE OF MY TAX DOLLARS AND THIS DUMB ASS IS A CORRUPT SON OF A BITCH THAT IS A WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT... THIS IS BLATANT ABUSE OF POWER FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS WHO TOOK MONEY FROM THEIR OWN BOARD ATTORNEY WHILE RUNNING FOR SCHOOL BOARD!!!
I'M HAPPY THESE WEREN'T THE BOARD MEMBERS I SUPPORTED, I VOTE FOR PEOPLE WHO RESPECT THE LAW STAND UP FOR WHAT'S RIGHT AND FIGHTS FOR OUR BISD STUDENTS,STAFF AND CITIZENS. THE CURRENT BOARD SHOWS DISRESPECT TO OUR TEACHERS WHEN IT COMES TO GIVING THEM A PAY INCREASE.. BOARD MEMBERS WHY NOT PAY OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF BETTER SALARIES? IS IT BECAUSE THEY DON'T KISS YOUR ASS?
I too have seen his work in real estate. Not an attorney I would use.
Figate, si te suben las taxas, hechas pedos. Sin no le
suben el salario a las maestras, hechas mas pedos. De adonde quieres que sacen el dinero si el estado no les da a
las escuelas pero si les da a todos los bueys que no trabajan porque le dan estampillas. Mucha gente habla por
hablar sin ver las cosas como son de verdad. Si hay mucho
corrupcion en todos las posesions electas, pero eso es la
culpa de uno que con un taco de barbacoa se cree de todos.
Si la escuela esta hacienda algo mal, en donde esta el FBI?
Callense el osico, bola de mejicanos pendejos!
DR.Z, BOARD MEMBERS AND THE BISD ATTORNEY NO RESPECT YOU VATOS ARE MILKING BISD BIG TIME .
WHERE IS OUR AG .
Remember to vote Cesar Lopez, Joe Rodriquez, and Carlos Elizondo out! This is the only way you'll get this crook Balthazar out and stop all the corruption!
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