For the last 14 years, Eddie Lucio III has been the District 38 Texas State Representative, covering the southwestern portion of Cameron County in the Texas Legislature.
As the son of District 27 Texas Senator Eddie Lucio, who in turn has has held that position for the last 28year, he had been considered the position as a family heirloom and a stepping stone to his father's senate seat.
Even after a combined four decades in their respective House of Representatives and Texas Senate seats, the area remains mired in dismal socioeconomic levels while they continually draw the support of state and national Political Actions Committees and interests outside their jurisdictions.
They have morphed before our eyes from public representatives to well-paid "consultants" looking out for their own private benefit.
Now it appears that the III has drawn at least one challenger before the filing deadline Tuesday. Sources close to the Gamez law firm have indicated that Erin Gamez - daughter of prominent attorney Ernesto Gamez - will file against Lucio III for the District 38 Texas State Representative seat. She has represented defendants in several high-profile cases and has been prominent in representing them in the local courts.
And before the deadline window closes, others say that Brownsville Independent School Board member Erasmo Castro will also be jumping in the same race.
Why the sudden interest in the District 38 race? Lucio III's name was one of several members of the staff at Ruben Gallegos' (Sr. and Jr.) International Educational Services whose federal contract to shelter unaccompanied migrants was withdrawn amid charges of fraud and a continuing investigation into questionable use of those funds.
As far back as 2014, Lucio III told the Brownsville Herald that the since IES didn't do business with the state he was not bound by the state standard that says, “no state officer or state employee should accept other employment or compensation which could reasonably be expected to impair his independence of judgment in the performance of his official duties.”
Insofar as IES, Lucio said, “it doesn’t have any issues in front of the state. It is federally funded and regulated. They haven’t had any issues in the time I have been there.” “They really have zero issues with the state. I have never had to recuse myself.”
He said his work with IES involved typical contract law, human resource matters, leases and “meat and potato issues.” Although at the time he identified himself as vice president of external affairs of he declined to say how much IES paid him. However, the statement for IES's IRS report as a non-profit identifies him as its legal counsel at $125,000 a year.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement Administration for Children & Families notified the IES nonprofit that its grant funding was coming to an end listed several reasons why it was putting it out of business.
The nonprofit, which was formed in 1985, aimed to provide physical and educational care for unaccompanied migrant children entrusted to its care by immigration officials who detained the children.
IES closed on March 31 and terminated the jobs of hundreds of employees.As legal counsel for the IES, Lucio III, a lawyer, should have known that the salaries for both Gallegos were excessive and should have never been paid. If he didn't provide them with legal advice to keep them out of trouble, what exactly was Lucio III getting paid for?
Lucio III's relationship with Gallegos Jr. goes way back to 2010 when the Brownsville Herald reported that he was contracted by the Regional Mobility Authority. Ruben Gallegos is a director on the CCRMA.
It's not really the legislative acumen of either Lucio that has made them rich, is it? More and more it has become evident that it is the selling of influence from the public offices they hold that they have used to fill their pockets.
Gallegos and Gallegos Jr. (and perhaps Lucio III) are not out of the woods yet. Many more shoes have yet to fall.
19 comments:
El marrano de monte is trying to keep secret until the very last minute of his true intentions. So much for the school district.
Lucio 111 was also involved in the private prison arena. He has got shit all over himself.
Find candidates whose names do not end with a vowel or the last two letters - ez and Brownsville will improve greatly!
Fuera con los Lucios.... repito..... FUERA CON LA BASURA!
alright, let the races begin, good job erin gamez, dale gas, im voting for you time for a change
Its about time, we need change every where lets start right here than the city than the port than BISD and get rid of all the boards. Than we can name all the streets with mexican-american heros!!!
Or name them all for fruits and vegetable but in espanol like cacahuates, la cebolla, El Nopal, Ajo St. El Platano etc.
The AP reports that there was an open microphone when Trump talked to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Trump was over heard saying how do you want us to cover this shooting up. My family and I will do whatever it takes to help you as long as you help me and my family personally.
Trump is cutting some $5 billion from food stamps program.
I know people in Brownsville on SNAP. Some of them are lazy or living large off the government. The average SNAP benefit is worth only about $3,000/year. SNAP benefits can be used to get food only from authorized grocery stores. Most of the people on SNAP have real challenges, and would much prefer to be working. Here are just some of the challenges I’ve personally seen them face:
1) lack of physical stamina to work what are usually grueling minimum wage jobs
2) inability to stand for 8 hours at a time because of various otherwise non-debilitating injuries
3) serious emotional depression, diagnosed or undiagnosed, that may not officially qualify as a handicap
4) moderate challenges with alcohol or drugs that may not officially qualify for rehabilitation but hamper the ability to do well in a job
5) no driver’s license and/or no private vehicle
6) unreliable bus service to get to many jobs
7) unable to live close to many jobs because of lack of affordable housing
8) discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and/or age
9) discrimination based on past criminal record
10) the need to care for family members at home
11) being homeless or living in your car or not having a permanent address
City celebrates Arbor Day with the community
Let's celebrate pothole day, No bus shelters day, Traffic Jam day, Flooding day and of course Corruption Day a city wide festival of utmost important, with the community.
I will vote for Castro just to get him out of the BISD coalition of crap.
Let the slow bleeding start. The Lucio's can't stand opponents. They have the money to spend and so does Erin Gamez. The Lucios should be worried. The Gamez aren't used to losing and this time E3 has a real candidate in his district. Now he doesn't have the financial backing from IES aka Ruben Gallegos nor can they enforce their employees to vote for him, since they don't have anymore employees and their ex employees don't like them. Ex Employees from IES probably will vote for Erin Gamez after being laid off by the Gallegos And Lucio's just to teach them a lesson of humility.
This election can't be bought by the Lucios as they were used to doing
La Liona de Brownsville
Unleashed...
One year ago it was prophecy
She would run for office..
Oops here it is.
@8:29 that is extremely racist.
Jamie Barrera lució, sucks. We all know that all to well.
GIRL POWER!
TOMA UN DESCANSO, LARGATE RASCA NALGAS JR., TIENES CHICLE EN TU CALZÓN. Y NALGAS DE ASPIRINA (FLAT ASS WITH A CRACK DOWN THE MIDDLE.
LUCIÓ SUCIOS. JR AND EDDIE III LUCIO
lucio III where did his wife work?
WOW now I know what nalgas de aspirina means lol I agree...
Huh, didn't this erin gamez have issues in the past? Oh well, we just cannot have a good candidate to vote for?
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