THE NOEL BERNAL SYNDROME: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN...

 By Juan Montoya

Call it the Noel Bernal Syndrome.

As City of Brownsville manager, Bernal has presided over then bypassing of local talent and the hiring of outside professionals to fill well-paid positions from city attorney to Chief Financial Officer and Communications and Marketing. 

Victor Flores, for example, was picked by Bernal to replace Rene de Coss as city attorney at a $179,999 salary. And Cesar Garza, of Houston, was hired at a $144,999 salary and placed over acting CFO Lupe Granado, a Brownsville resident who is listed as Finance Director at $99,999.

Well, except for Flores, who is also said to be filing applications elsewhere, Garcia and self-described communications and marketing guru and Director Felipe "Flip" Romero III at a $100,000 salary, have flown the coop and left their department in shambles.

In fact, the only personnel remaining at Communications and Marketing is a skeleton crew to "enhance the city's message to its residents, but hasn't gotten beyond the usual buzzwords like "total alignment," etc.,

In Garza's case at Finance –  who came to the city in June 2021 – word is that he only commuted to Brownsville from two or three times a month and picked up his hefty check in absentia. In Mexico they call them "paracaidistas," ghost workers who show up on payday and disappear until the next payday.

In this case, the buzzwords are that the mission of the department were said to "tell Brownsville’s story through strategic forms of communication."

Well, the story that is emerging from Bernal's "total alignment" when it comes to hiring for important – and well-paid positions in the city – is that "Brownsvillians need not apply" because the city manager prefers to hire personnel that he met at the various management conferences and confabs and brought to the city overlooking the local professionals who have served the city loyally and competently.

Even the city manager's office is staffed – mostly by outsiders except for the lower-paid positions – by overpaid underachievers brought on board by Bernal, who obviously doesn't hesitate to be generous with the public dime.

 Which of these well-paid Bernal Syndrome cronies will fly the coop next? 

It's had to tell who will take the money and run next. Your guess is as good as ours.

And at Finance, who is running the department as he was before Bernal picked Garza and placed him as Chief Financial Officer over him? 

Would you believe it is Granado again, the Southmost-raised kid who will probably continue keeping the ship afloat – and be bypassed for the top job – while Bernal looks for another outside professional to come and be anointed by him for the plum position?