IF YOU KNEW THIS CESAR LOPEZ, LIKE WE KNOW CESAR...

Special to EL Rrun-Rrun

To the ANONY asking the questions : "Cesar Lopez the ex-board (Brownsville Independent School Board) president? Please clarify or confirm" Oct 27, at 06:24 pm 

TWO DIFFERENT CESAR LOPEZ BUT BOTH RATAS DE DOS PATAS!!

Cesar Lopez RATA 1 described by El Rrun-Rrun https://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2021/10/bisd-enbonogate-scandal-smears.html 

"Maintenance Department Administrator Cesar Gustavo Lopez and Maintenance Dept. Grounds Supervisor Jaime Mata – formed companies to, in effect, sell fertilizer to themselves. Lopez commands an $89,2650 salary and Mata is paid $45,622 a year."

Cesar Lopez RATA2 is described by Brownsville observer http://brownsvilleobserver.blogspot.com/2021/10/brownsville-city-commission-strains.html 

"The "swallowed camel" came in the form of one Cesar Lopez, who was appointed unanimously to fulfill the remaining months of Neece's tenure with the BCIC. Cesar Lopez is the best this city commission can come up with to replace Ben Neece on the BCIC? Really? 

Lopez, first appointed to BISD's procurement department by the late Enrique Escobedo, later served on the Board of Trustees as a board member and president. His BISD service is marked by scandal, alleged "bid rigging" and self-enrichment from an obvious conflict of interest. 

As a BISD board member, Lopez accompanied young procurement officer Silverio Capistran into Mexico to purchase barbacoa from Valco Foods, two separate orders totaling $973,208. When a scandal arose over much of the barbacoa being rotten, unsuitable for human consumption, young Mr. Capistran (like Escobedo before him) committed suicide. 

The incident was water off a duck's back to Lopez, who continued to serve on the Board of Trustees without shame. 

Yet, the barbacoa scandal was not the only bit of unseemliness touching Cesar Lopez. In the infamous audiotape, released by former Fire Chief Carlos Elizondo, the tape that recorded a former city commissioner using a racial slur, he was prominently featured. The former commissioner is heard complaining that he was charged $1,500 for campaign signs from Grafik Spot, a political sign company owned by Cesar Lopez. 

In the tape the former commissioner is adamant that Grafik Spot owner Cesar Lopez – through Elizondo – promised him $1,500 worth of campaign signs for free. "I'm not paying the $1,500," he is heard to say. It's not as if the $1,500 would make or break Cesar Lopez, who reportedly did $1,399,515 worth of business with BISD while serving on the BISD Board of Trustees. 

Unfortunately, Cesar Lopez, like the late Joe Rodriguez, used BISD for their personal enrichment. 

Another brouhaha involving Cesar Lopez involved Lopez endeavoring to ram approval of Ziwa Contracting past the board in awarding BISD construction contracts, despite FOUR firms having a lower bid. Cesar Lopez wanted to award $4,050,000 to Ziwa anyway.

Board member Phil Cowen smelled "bid-rigging" and walked out of the vote, as did Sylvia Atkinson, who said she thought there would not be a vote. Lopez, along with Laura Perez-Reyes and Joe Rodriguez supported the award to Ziwa with Minerva Pena the lone "no" vote.(Only one honest board member?) 

One would think with all of this baggage, alleged "bid-rigging" and, at the very least, very poor procurement practices, Cesar Lopez would not be the first name to roll off the tongues of our city commissioners to replace Neece. 

Yet, he was nominated and the commission (by new commissioner Pedro Cardenas, did he know?), I'm told, voted for him unanimously. Honestly, the Brownsville City Commission is not qualified to make appointments to any city board."