She didn't call them illegal and said that she believed that the continued employment and payments made to her husband Dave and son Jeff for two years after she became a board member of the Brownsville Independent School District in 2018 were "legal and proper."
Allowed to read a prepared statement after the last item on the board agenda and before the announcements at the end of Tuesday's board meeting, BISD board member Drue Brown said that during the last two years until February 2020, district financial printouts showed that her husband Dave had been paid $700 for broadcasting swim meets at the Margaret Clark Aquatic Center and son Jeff another $200 for "rendering services" as a swim meet official.
She did not indicate whether the money would be returned.
She said that her husband Dave Brown had started broadcasting the swim meets at the aquatic center since 2009 when her son Jeff was a Hanna High School varsity swim team and that both continued working and getting paid until February 2020.
She said she had "self-disclosed" the alleged Conflict Of Interest (COI) violations on August 2020 and that she had also filed the appropriate CIS disclosure forms with the district. She also said that she had contacted board counsel O'Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo on the matter.
Although she did not mention who had questioned the propriety of a board member's family doing business with the district, this blog filed an information request February 22 on payments made to her husband Dave and another request that included information on BISD payments to her son Jeff on March 1.
This blog has not yet received the response that has to be made available after 10 working days.
However, she claimed that she believed that her husband and her son's employment and payments were "proper and legal" and that their employment had been "grandfathered in" because it was a continuation of their previous services.
This is disingenuous at best. Brown has worked for the BISD all her professional life and retired from the BISD after holding the position of Public Information Officer since 1992 in the first Dr. Esperanza Zendejas administration. Brown held the PIO position for 25 years before her retirement in June 2017. She ran for the board the next year and was elected.
Zendejas appointed Brown to the position after snagging her from her post as Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) director, a position that encompasses all data requested and received by the Texas Education Agency about public education, including student demographic and academic performance, personnel, financial, and organizational information.
You'd think that after seeing numerous cases involving COI cases during the three decades of serving as the PIO at the BISD she'd have some idea that close relatives of board members could not be employed by the district.
But Brown said that if anything had been done wrong she would take full responsibility for the "oversight."
"At no time was it called to my attention that (having them serve the district) was unacceptable," she told the board. "I apologize for being a distraction and distress (to the board)...At no time was it disclosed to me that their services were not allowed. However, when it was brought to my attention in the last few days that (it) was not acceptable, I immediately contacted our board legal counsel for his opinion. I know now that my husband and son should not have served..."
Brown said she will be handing her prepared statement to the board secretary for inclusion in the record and thanked President Eddie Garcia and the board members for allowing her the time to make her statement on the issues.
But it's not over.
Garcia directed the board secretary that a copy of the statement also be given to attorneys O'Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo and that the board attorneys issue and opinion and advice the board on how to proceed on the issue.
27 comments:
What's good for the browns is good for the whites. Sent all of them to JAIL...
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bye bye socka, go to jail and don't come back.
The Brownsville/Matamoros CISD...a cesspool of humanity, a reflection of the toilet bowl known as Brownsville...what an appropriate name. Maybe we should change the name to TURDVILLE!
The guy is a broadcaster and was broadcasting for the school district. He's a pro. What - did you want heavily-accented Montoya to do it?
ha ha ha ha
How is this different from what happened with the Lopez trustee? Voting on something for her dad….? Not hating, just wondering.
Trump wanted to become a dictator. His followers wanted him to be a dictator.
They wanted to overthrow the government.
This was not a prank.
And she is the one that likes to call the kettle black. What goes around comes around and it is now her time to be disclosed as the backstabber that she is.
She pretends to be so innocent and sweet but hides behind a real mask, even before the COVID ones. Howdy-Doddy is one of those who joined that board member who in now on time-out in some federal hotel. We are still waiting on the outcome of Minnie-Winnie's case, so who knows how far this will drag down those who tried to mess up someone's life.
Stick to the topic Pendejo! No where in the story is Trump mentioned y sales con tus mamadas de Trump. MAMASELA YA!!!
Doesn't matter how many comments about the Republicans you make people are still voting, and switching to Republican, cause your Democrats are fucking up everything. Wake up and smell the shit estupido!
CONflict of interest? why YES, juan how come she doesnt resign immediately? Or is it selective enforcement only? just wondering? .
@8:18 AM....words of a MORON! And probably a MEXICAN!
Drue,
You have become such a disappointment. As a co-worker, you were respected for many years someone who did her job well and never really got involved with politics. My oh my how things have changed! Your morality compass is certainly broken. You tell us you support our employees and then you take steps to twist a knife in our backs when we’re not looking.
You had an opportunity to come clean on this issue when you were elected and you didn’t. Why? Do you need the money that bad? Do you and the hubby not make enough of a retirement check?
People forget, but we haven’t. You had the opportunity to lower the cost of our employee health insurance by cutting out the broker’s commissions. You were told in a public meeting over two years ago that the broker really served no purpose because everything they did could be done for free by Blue Cross. Yet, you argued to continue paying him. The amount was well over $500,000. Imagine if you would have spread that money over all the employees paying for coverage for themselves or their families. Why would you do that? Is it because the broker, Joe Salazar, and his cronies all contributed thousands to your campaign? That just couldn’t be the reason, could it?
How about when you voted on that computer contract or that lighting contract? Did you disclose that you got paid handsomely by those vendors as well?
It’s time for you to exit Drue! If you leave the scene now maybe you can avoid prosecution. That would be a real black eye on your family after Dave spent so many years building it up.
At one time Drue was the beacon of professionalism and ethical conduct at BISD. Everyone respected her and knew that she would call it like it was regardless of Board politics or cliques among the upper echelon Administration. Then a cold, evil wind blew into the Glass Palace named Sylvia Atkinson. Drue became possessed. The evil spirit dominated her and her head started spinning and spewing forth green vomit. We were all hoping that the exorcism of the Demon to Federal prison would return Drue to the benevolent, kind human being she once was. Apparently the damage to her soul is permanent.
Why did Minerva get charged then?
March 3, 2022 at 7:40 AM
WE? BABOSO IDIOTA. Change your name pendejetes to el gran cuacho (big turd).
Caga palo idiota.
Again…how is this difference from the LOPEZ vote ?
She was a spokesperson, who never spoke. Just got paid for title.
BISD is a cesspool that continues to grow and it all comes down to the school board trustees, the rats are everywhere in the BISD and that includes the teachers staff members, you name it, it continues in the BISD and it will never ends. It's all about money.
Drue speaks from both sides of her mouth. Just tell the truth and don't cover for yourself. You told many employees that you were a one-term board member. I hope you keep your word as your presence has made BISD worst than when you became board member. You fired folks, you paid consultants, your supported your friend Sylvia and you don't seem to understand the real role of the Board. I am sorry that I voted for you and know that many of my friends feel the same way. Call it quits Drue.
Seriously, the stink is about $900.00? Conflict of interest for a person calling swim meets? Then a person who was an official at a meet? Did either of these interest have to come before the board for approval or denial? I wonder if any other relatives performed the same type of duty or much less employed with the district? There is no way that there aren't relatives employed with the district? Look at the county, every freaking relative of an elected official or someone in administration have a relative working! Just an example!
This stink obviously has the smell of politics, not surprising in the BISD. Solving the problem is simple, have Mrs. Brown pay back the $900.00 and its over! That' the way things are done in Cameron County! But the cry baby who brought this issue up better check the whole BISD school district and see whose relatives is making a buck? Only fair and color of skin has nothing to do with it!
March 3, 2022 at 7:40 AM
Whitecuachaville texas 414141 idiota hillbilly coco wanna be white RATA
What would you expect from a person who stabbed her own commadre in the back and exchanged her for the 'demon at the federal hotel?" I, too, am so very
disappointed in how she has become but like everyone knows, money is the root of all evil.
March 3, 2022 at 9:23 PM
Arrest her, sent her to jail along with her friend. Oooooh she's white they are exempt from any and all prosecution. Only meskins go to jail. Y el DA que?
pinche mamon DO SOMETHING DON'T JUST ARREST MESKIN DRUNK DRIVERS, PINCHE GUEY.
Oh please! Look at former board member and tax cheater, Ruben Cortez, who got his wife, the other tax cheater Sandy Cortez, a job as principal in BISD!
BISD = BROTHERS INFANTS SISTERS DAUGHTERS any questions.
are you jealous? joto
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