Ostensibly, the item on the agenda placed by Brownsville Independent School District board member Phil Cowen was to address a number of vexing issues facing the district.
Under the board member request section, Cowen had submitted this:
2. Attorney Consultation regarding potential litigation regarding TENASKA/PUB; VALCO; Graphic Spot and Board Member intimidation and action to hire attorney to represent district and Board Member(s) interest. (Board Member Request - PC)
BISD is already under an active investigation by the federal government for the purchase of barbacoa from the now-bankrupt company Valco which sold Region One districts – including the BISD – meat that had been processed in Mexico. When a bad batch was discovered, it triggered an investigation by the federal government over the use of USDA funds to purchase meat processed in a foreign country that some said partly triggered the suicide of then-Food and Nutrition Service director Silverio Capistran.
The investigation of the FNS also opened up a probe into Grafik Spot, an ad and sign company which sold numerous goods to the FNS. That probe is not yet complete.
On the other hand, the potential litigation between Tenaska/PUB and the BISD has been discussed because the district – the PUB's largest customer shelling out about $8 million in utilities annually – has been trying to implement energy-saving measures. However, the 40 percent hike in electric rates since 2012 has wracked havoc on those efforts. The plant was supposed to have been completed in Summer 2017, but the glut of electricity on the grid have scuttled that plan and it has been delayed indefinitely.
Now there is a general consensus in the BISD that only a lawsuit against the city and PUB will get the district any relief.
It is the part of Cowen's agenda item that states the case that the board needs an attorney to counter "Board Member intimidation and action to hire attorney to represent district and Board Member(s) interest."This has been understood as a veiled reference to the legal travails facing fellow board member Carlos Elizondo who was demoted as Brownsville Fire Chief and later suspended without pay after he was indicted on a charge for theft by a public official and violation of his fiduciary duties as a treasurer of the firefighters' union.
Elizondo is also named in a city commission audit and oversight committee report which charged that he had personally ordered dispatchers to steer lucrative ambulance patient transfers to a private company which cost the city at least $62,000.
He is due to be arraigned on the theft charges Wednesday at the 107th District Court.
Board members Cesar Lopez, Minerva Peña, Laura Perez-Reyes and Dr. Sylvia Atkinson apparently did not agree with Elizondo, Joe Rodriguez and Cowen that the district would benefit in any way by providing legal assistance to the former fire chief and viewed it as a purely personal problem.
Sources say the three members in the minority were angered that their fellows emerged from executive session and voted to take no action on the matter, as Cowen, Rodriguez and Elizondo had urged.
14 comments:
Cesar voted to not help Elozondo. Too little too late. Indict him too.
JAIL TIME..
Why should BISD defend Elizondo? What is the connection with food service relates to one of the other board members also. Is he now going to request lawyer's assistance from the board?
What if they open the indictment for one board member? Is she going to get assistance from BISD? If one got assistance from the fire dept to help recount ballots, why don't they try to help one out - oops, he screwed them also. So you see, how can anyone point fingers at the others when they are just as bad as the other. The 2nd oldest guy on the board says he is a lawyer and has experience, but his comments on the board are totally ignored cause he takes so much time to try to explain something and forgets what in the middle of the sentence. The other old man does make sense, but he also has some skeletons he had locked in this closet and is regarded as non-trustworthy. So what now? And the same scenario is found in the city, seems to be jumping to the county and PUB and now only the Navigation district is clear - is Arambula still there? He was absent from the board meeting last night without notifying anyone he would not be there to answer possible questions.. Is there any connection here. I wonder if he had a written excuse for his absence or AWOL from last's night meeting. Bet he had to pay a visit to the 3rd floor this morning.
But afterall, it all starts at the top level with the Baby Boy Presient who has no idea what he got into. His wife was suppose to get involved in bullying issues and nothing has been heard about that. You see, the macho man told her to shut up her mouth.
Quiere llorar, quiere llorar...
Andale Carlos Elizondo, no que Cesar Lopez era tu amigo. Pa pendejo no se estudia verdad Elizondo. Siempre fuiste un inepto Carlangas.
This a crack of shit, to think I voted and assisted in his campaign. why seek out attorney when the district has a top paid attorney already on the payroll.
I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY ATTORNEY MICHAEL COWEN WOULD VOTE FOR THIS PROPOSAL TO DEFEND ELIZONDO ON PERSONAL MATTERS (FIREMEN'S FUND AND AMBULANCE FEES). I CAN UNDERSTAND JOE (C0MMISSIONS KICKBACK)RODRIGUEZ VOTING FOR THIS REQUEST BECAUSE JOE NEEDS ELIZONDO'S SUPPORT THAT WILL PLEASE JOE WITH BIG CONTRACTS/DEALS COMMING UP VERY SOON. BUT I GUESS ATTORNEY MICHAEL IS NOT THERE FOR THE CHILDREN'S INTEREST AND CANNOT BE CONSIDERED TO BE PERSONALLY OR PROFESSIONALLY "ETHICAL". I KNOW THE COWEN BROTHERS WILL BE DISAPPOINTED WITH MICHAEL'S SUPPORTING THE "COACH" AND THE INDICTED FELLOW MEMBER. THIS "POLITICAL TRIO" HAS TO GO ON THE NEXT ELECTION. ! BASTA !
You get what you vote for so stop whining bunch of idiots
The Board member is NOT Michael Cowen. It is his uncle, Philip Cowen, you dumb shit. Michael Cowen doesn't even live in Brownsville, or the Valley. Maybe you are pissed that Michael Cowen is the one that published the Ad in the herald asking that the racist City Commissioner, Cesar DeLeon.resign!
How did Coach Joe, Paul Cowen and Elizondo become such good buddies. Is it because they hope to control the construction contracts and building that BISD is about to make decisions on. Lots of money under the table and these guys will by under the table groveling for their share. BISD is a cesspool of corruption and no one seems to have oversight. What's the old saying, "A fish stinks from its head.", well there is a heavy stench coming from BISD Headquarters.
Jail time for ELIZONDO..He deserves it for being a thieve. The backstabbing motherfucker deserves to be locked-up. Any normal citizen would be given jail time but, Elizondo thinks he's immune to the Rules of Law. The Department of Counseling and Guidance should also look into his wife's activities and duties as a Counselor because she doesn't do shit and treats people with no respect. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She just isn't human. What a poor lost soul she is. One thing for sure, the DEVIL is on their side. Which is why nobody wants any part of them. What sad lives they have, no lives.
SI SE PARECE A MEMIN PINGUIN
Please save some of that dirt money for Escobedo and his security company. He needs to pay his bills and employees.
THIS "POLITICAL TRIO" HAS TO GO ON THE NEXT ELECTION.
THIS "POLITICAL TRIO" HAS TO GO ON THE NEXT ELECTION.
THIS "POLITICAL TRIO" HAS TO GO ON THE NEXT ELECTION.
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