The last time the issue of the contract for Paragon Sports Constructors came around for the installation of artificial turf on four high school fields, the measure failed 3-3 with one abstention.
Tonight, the administration pushed hard by trustee Joe Rodriguez, will try to ram the ball over the bottom line. Rodriguez,also a vendor of sports equipment on file with the district, told his fellow board members at their last meeting that Paragon Sports was "the best in the world."At the time of the original vote, trustees Dr. Sylvia Atkinson, Minerva Peña, and Phil Cowen voted "nay."
Rodriguez was joined by Laura Perez-Reyes and Carlos Elizondo to approve the measure.
Abstaining because of his employment with the Buy Board – of which Paragon Sports is a fee-paying member – was Cesar Lopez, the board chair.
For months now, many residents and district administrators have questioned Elizondo's continuing presence on the BISD board given the City of Brownsville's personnel policy manual prohibition against a city employee holding an elective office in the same jurisdiction.
The city's personnel policy manual's Section 702: Political Activity states that:
"B. Specifically, City Employees may not engage in the following activities:
4. Hold an elective City office or hold an elective or appointive office in any other jurisdiction where service would constitute a direct conflict of interest with City employment, with or without remuneration. Upon assuming such office, an Employee shall resign or shall be dismissed for cause upon failure to do so."
The former city attorney Mark Sossi ignored letters from residents questioning why no one called the city on the issue. And city commissioners seem to be content to allow the question to fester.City Manager Charlie Cabler has ignored advice from his legal department calling on him to suspend the former chief pending resolution of a complaint against him for taking more than $8,000 from the firefighters' PAC account through numerous ATM withdrawals while he was union president.
The Cameron County District Attorney is currently investigating the case as well as Elizondo's role in a local ambulance service as well as other irregularities in the fire department operations while he was chief.
Tonight, Elizondo's questionable vote will probably decide the issue if Cowen does a turn around and joins his pal Rodriguez and gives the $3.7 million contract to Paragon, Super Esperanza Zendejas' favorite company. She has said she discovered Paragon "over coffee" with her fellow superintendents and then and there made up her mind she would spend the millions (if the $3.7 million is approved, Paragon's take will be close to $7 million by now) on them based on her coffee klatch's recommendations.
If the city and the school district had insisted on following the law, Rodriguez and Zendejas would be a vote short even with Cowen providing his support.
22 comments:
This vote, if passed, will provide a good payday to BISD Board members...a payday Elizondo is surely waiting for. If Coach Joe assures a bigger payday than before...the board will pass this sham of a contract. This project should be investigated!!!! Probably all of BISD contracts should be investigated for kick-backs, fraud, waste and not following the bid process.
If Cabler is going to ignore his legal advise - hope he does. I hope he ignores A LOT of legal advise so he can further dig himself into a hole and eventually be fired and thrown in jail.
I will be watching how long the commission takes to fire him - As far as I know, the comissioners are accessories to a crime at this point, at the least accessory to incompetence.
Thats a good question for a legal scholar - Is the Commission an accessory to a crime if they know that the City Manager knowingly and willingly does not act when a City employee is committing an offense and the Commission does not remove the City Manager?
BILA DE JOTOS! RAZA, NO SE CIEREN LOS PINCHES OJOS! RATAS Y GATAS. AHUUUUUAAAAA. MAMONES Y JAMBONES POR TODOS LADOS. FUERA CULEROS. Y VAYANSE A LA CHINGADA, JOTINGUES. HIJO S ELA PINCHE PUTA MADRE YA ME CANSO DE GANSO SIN ARROZ!!!! CULOS YA NO CHINGEN!!!
Fix the sound system at Sam's stadium!! You can't hear the announcer much less the referees. For 7 dollars a ticket and 4 games a week, you should be making at least 30,000 a weeo in ticket revenue plus concessions. invest some money back into the stadium who cares about turf on practice fields!!! Fix the speakers at Sam's stadium, obviously school board is out of touch and do not attend the games at Sam's stadium. Getvtge announcer keeps the kings nd wishing them happy birthday (zendejas) Hahahaha what a joke
Anonymous at 11:49 Shut the fuck up, Cris Valadez ! You're the same kind of scum as the school board , just more vulgar. Hope the feds are paying attention and start investigating all these questionable contracts. Laura turned out to be just as greedy and despicable as Joe, Carlos , Cowen etc......sad.
The state should do an Audit investigation on all contracts in the past 4 yrs.
Why are you inserting the pictures of la snake, la Sylvia with Laura. What does that have to do with the article. I guess Sylvia feels left out because you run more of Dr. Z's pictures, o no? I do hope that Sylvia has not managed to finagle another vote towards her way of voting. Have you noticed all the texting that goes on at the board meetings when it gets time to vote. I wonder if Minnie Winnee, Philip and Laura are being ordered how to vote?
Mr. Robert Rodriguez should be nominated to replace Elizondo if the trustee should resign. He was the candidate opposing Elizondo during the election for trustees. Mr. Rodriguez is an honest individual who will serve the community to the best of his abilities.
There has been rumors that Otis Powers would be nominated by the board to replace Elizondo if the trustee should resign. Do we want the same type of individual on the BISD board of trustees? Let's move forward. The community deserve the services of Robert Rodriguez as their board of trustees representative.
I am curious... all of you who put a reply, you do it anonymously... why? If you believe in what you say. Don't be shy.. show some balls and show who you are
Anonymous 2:51 apparently doesn't have balls. The comment was posted anonymous.
......and you are posting anonymously because.....
Agreed. Fix that horrible sound system. There seems to be enough money for all the other bullshit projects and to line Escobedo'$ pockets with sweet security deals.
So it's a female?
Those two broads would make a train take a dirt road! Bless their hearts...
BISD and the city should hire Erin Hernandez as their attorney. They deserve illegal experience!
Otis would cause more disruption on the board than would help out, since he and his so-called sister-in-law are always at each others throats and each with their own agenda. I do not know Mr. Rodriguez well enough to make any recommendations, but maybe someone needs to look into this and give us some background on him so when the time comes we will be ready to push for his selection. Maybe the RrunRrun could run a "Request for Information" from his 7 readers to give us some background on Mr. Rodriguez that guarantees that he will not fall into the same rut with all the other politicians. I bet Sylvia already has someone in mind that will allow her to pull the strings and manipulate people like she always wants to do and actually does it. Let us hear from Mr. Rodriguez.
So they suspended the changes acording to the brownsbil herald
I would think that with all the information provided on the Brownsville blogs, people would've voted out all the city, county and school commissioners out. But no, they keep voting for the same cess pool and then they demand changes. Until changes are made the drama will continue.
This is why they voted to increase taxes. They need more money to spend on their buddies and fill their pockets! So disgusting bunch of corrupt thieves! Stop abusing the system!
LMAO
Ay, very simple they are on the take like the Brownsville residents. Board members take money we take it dry up the arse.
How in the world do residents allow Roach Joe Ratriguez to be on the Board and represent a vendor that BISD does business with. Are we so far south that you are not familiar with conflict of interest. Check to see who is the favored vendor and who gets the business. Dumb. Oh, but you cant disclose his crookedness cuz of fear that he'll expose yours. Spooning?
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