COWEN ATTEMPTS TO REVISE RECENT BISD HISTORY

By Juan Montoya
Some friends tell us (and we do have friends despite what some people think) that Brownsville Independent School District member Phil Cowen is disputing that he wanted to hire a list of attorneys for any other reason than to fight bad ol' Tenaska and help out the "little people."

He is claiming he was misunderstood, poor thing.

Well, if we just look at the agenda items he has posted before for board consideration, you might get a different idea.

As recently as Nov. 7, Cowen placed this on the BISD board agenda.

Item 2 of the board members' request: "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)."

The "board member intimidation" concerned the ongoing criminal investigation into former Brownsville Fire Department Chief Carlos Elizondo, since fired from that position. Apparently, Cowen thought his colleague was getting a bad shake from members of the City of Brownsville Commission's Audit and Oversight committee who uncovered a massive transfer of EMS business to an ambulance company linked to Elizondo.

That investigation is ongoing, and Elizondo was instead indicted by a grand jury for stealing money from the firefighters' union PAC fund. He is scheduled to go to trial in early 2018.

Now he wants to divert the attention of the public to focus in on the Tenaska/PUB issue that has cost ratepayers (and the BISD is the biggest PUB customer) a 35 percent increase in electricity since 2013. The hikes were supposed to fund the construction of a 800 MW natural gas-powered electric generating plant that was supposed to be finished and in operation this year.

So far, close to $100 million in cash has been charged to the city's ratepayers with no plant in sight. It's actually not a bad idea for BISD to sue PUB and Tenaska as has been discussed previously by the board members. But to say that the Tenaska/PUB boondoggle that has destroyed any gains made by the energy conservation efforts of the district was the only reason Phil placed the item on the agenda is to deny the obvious.

Cowen has a way of twisting things around to fit his concept of reality. Remember when he ran for office and boasted to the Association of Brownsville Educators that "while on the board (in 1992) I was instrumental in setting up many of the programs currently in place, and building half of the schools we currently have. (All without a bond issue)."

Well, gee, thanks. If a bond issue had been passed, it would have been added to the debt service to be paid over time without any taxes raised on properties within the district.

But aren't you the same Phil Cowen who as early as the April 29, 2017 meeting, he placed the very first item on the agenda of the Facilities Committee to "Discuss bond issue and raising taxes now."

Cooler heads prevailed and Cowen withdrew the agenda and cancelled the meeting when they convinced him to cease and desist.

He had his chance to vote for the higher taxes (an 11-cent increase through board vote without consulting the voters who will have to pay for them) in the board's June meeting. Fortunately for him, he can still claim he did did it without a bond issue as he had posted on that committee's agenda, political promises notwithstanding.

The board  approved the 11.35 cent increase on property taxes that will see the tax rate go from $1.265000 to $1.1525000 cents per $100 valuation on the average residence in the district.

The motion to pass the increase was made by trustee his buddy Elizondo and seconded by Phil Cowen.  The only trustees who voted against the rate hike were Dr. Sylvia Atkinson and Minerva Peña. Joe Rodriguez and Cesar Lopez joined the two to make it four. Laura Perez-Reyes was absent.

With one vote from his magic pen, Phil voted to increase taxes on taxpayers without their consent by the 11.35 cents, or a 8.972 percent increase, a much higher figure than a bond issue would have cost them. But then, the taxpayers would have had a chance to vote, and Phil and his Four Horsemen of the the financial apocalypse could not take their chance of having the $125 million they wanted to borrow for their lucrative construction projects vanish at the polls.

"Oh, Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood."