PAST MR. AMIGO PRES. MALDONADO: SAY NO TO MEXICANS

 By Juan Montoya                                               

A past president of the Mr. Amigo Association still active with the organization whose stated mission is "to promote the international friendship and goodwill...between the United States of America and the Republic of Mexico...on international endeavors of culture, commerce, entertainment and other meaningful bi-national dialogue," is urging the board to oust members from Matamoros.

In an email to board members and past presidents, Leo Maldonado says that the board has members "who exhibit no leadership abilities" and were nominated merely because "they have severed (served?) on the board the previous year."

"Presently, there are several on the board that exhibit no leadership abilities and are taking up space," wrote Maldonado – whose wife Elizabeth "Liz" Maldonado is also a past president – and said "we have entirely too much 'dead wood'".

But going even further, Maldonado wrote board members and MAA supporters that "We should be able to find qualified people from our own country to served (serve?). Why are we recruiting from another country to lead this organization?" he asked. "They have fine organizations in Mexico the can join."

The revelations come in the heels of the resignation of Arturo Trevino who cited differences in opinion with some members of the board and its supporters for his departure.

This chauvinistic, perhaps even a shade racist, tirade against Mexican members from Matamoros comes from a past president of the MAA. Recently, emails between other past presidents – including Bob Torres and Ralph Cowen – showed that they played leading roles in the recruitment of 2019 Mr. Amigo Julio Cesar Chavez for this year's Charro Days festivities.

Chavez reportedly at first declined the honor, but after his conditions were met – for him and his family to be flow in on a private plane with a $26,000 price tag, an alleged $22,000 honorarium, and a limited number of public appearances – he relented and met with current MAA president Artemio Alvarez, Treviño, Cowen and his son Michael Cowen, a San Antonio attorney, in a San Antonio hotel.


The younger Cowen, not a MAA member, denied that Chavez was paid the $22,000 and said the champ stated his dislike of private charter planes despite Torres' email to the contrary. (See graphic at right.)

Other board members have complained that past presidents – besides reaping the benefits of their positions with choice sitting and free passes to the paid events ($100 to see Chavez and $800 per table) – do not enlist sponsors or pay for anything.

One member said that Ralph Cowen does not permit the members from soliciting a sponsorship from hs son Michael, but demands prominent seating and free entry to the events.

Such is the case, states a board source, with the Maldonados who include their son Michael among the selected guest lists.

"Leo an Liz not only do not bring anything to the association – no sponsors, don't sell tickets,...yet are the first ones and last ones to leave all the events. Now they are trying to control board nominations and demanding to attend all events for free. Past presidents (like Torres and Cowen and now the Maldonados) are trying to control the nomination of Mr. Amigoand putting down the people from Mexico who serve on the board."