Special to El Rrun-Rrun
Today, the City of Brownsville Commission will throw a lifeline to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2035 (VFW) by allowing it to sublease its city-owned property and allow the veterans to execute a subordination agreement of of $550,000 promissory loan that will be assumed by the Brownsville Elks Lodge # 2876.
The item is on the agenda for today's city commission meeting at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall / Federal Building, 1001 E Elizabeth Street. When the VFW sold their building at the corner of Paredes Line Road and Los Ebanos Blvd., they were able to acquire a 100-year lease on December 18, 2006 of a city-owned 2.96-acre property where they were to build a new post.
The terms were generous to the non-profit. The city's lease on the land was $1 a year for 100 years. The post commander then, Luis Lucio and the post's executive board looked around for financing and local International Bank of Commerce made a loan in the amount of $550,000 dated June 27, 2008, that is secured by a Deed of Trust lien covering the Leasehold Estate.
It didn't hurt that IBC founding CEO was himself a veteran, and that Lucio's cousin just happened to be Texas senator Eddie Lucio Jr.
The 2.96 acres is situated off of E. Price Road is adjacent to the former Hygeia Dairy Company. The VFW's lease with the city was set to expire in 2106.
Many veterans thought the new building was extravagant and called it Lucio's castle and thought that the post should have kept its wholly-owned property and building at Paredes and Los Ebanos.
Once the post building was constructed and its officers took over its operation, things went south.
Audits performed on its books discovered that Lucio and some of the post officers paid themselves $250 monthly salaries which was against VFW rules, that contracts were handed over to friends, that non-qualifying veterans were admitted to inflate its membership, and that numerous stolen valor cases including Lucio claiming he had been awarded a Purple Heart were winked at, and that improvements (like the parking lot) were built using shoddy materials, yet charged as premium prices.
When the post could not keep up its payments, numerous re-financings on the IBC note were executed to allow the post to continue operations, and by now, according to some veterans, the post still owes some $350,000 to IBC.
The VFW is assigning its loan and leasehold interest to the local chapter of the Elks Lodge another non-profit. The City Commission will allow the transfer of the lease to the Elks and allow subordination of the loan note to the City's interests. The city owns property, but the tenant owns the improvements or – in this case – obtained a mortgage to repair the improvements.
Upon expiration of the lease, title to the improvements made by VFW, and assumed by Elks Lodge, will transfer to the City in accordance with the terms of the original agreement.
VFW officers have been tight-lipped on the extent of the relationship with the Elks, but sources say that they will be able to have a meting place, hold fundraising events, but that the operations of the building will be exclusively under the control of the new tenants.
13 comments:
fucking drunks.
do something, poo-tohs!
Lucio claiming he has a PURPLE HEART, post it. He probably has an INDICTMENT for all the corruption he and his son have done, nothing close to a purple heart. While we are on the subject of thieves and corruption why not introduce the Indictments of Henry Cuellar and his conflict-of-interest wife Imelda Cuellar? It's all over the news so why the hush hush in Cameron County? Filemon Vela should be about getting ready to shit a huge brick by now. Let's not forget Vicente Gonzalez playing possum. This is my opinion.
BRING IN THE FBI AND SENT ALL THE RATAS TO PRISON. DO IT NOW!!! SALUD!!! this is my drunk statement hic hic.
OK, WHAT ELSE OR WHO ELSE IS A RATA IN THIS HERE TOWN? hic, hic.
"otro round and charge it to the city. hic hic"....
Let the staff sergeant run this organization.
Do not let outsiders decide for you.
This mess that VFW got into has been in works for years. Everyone was getting into the cookie jar of beer money. It's a shame that a can of beer cost 2 dollars, hell no, how about 5 dollars and the ladies of the night took care of veterans money too.
Now showing on GRIT a shoot out at the okbrowntown. Los indios patasrajadas v themselves hahahahaha!
idrivea really really big truck and section 8 pays my rent. I have a fake store and got a 250k grant and I don't have to pay it back and I spent 100 bucks a month fir winnies and sparkin' watta....
pendejos property taxpayers hahahahaha!!!
Though some statements are true, the late Mr. Lucio did do some good while he was commander. There were others that contributed to the downfall of the VFW, Oscar Tullos, Juan Hurtado, David Hernandez so don't put the blame on one person. Other factors that contributed were decisions made by the officers without the members approval,if you wanted information on expenditures, they would tell you that was not on the agenda for discussion so they just kept everybody in the dark. Also,if they saw you as a troublemaker they would ban you from the post. So there were many things that helped with the demise. One final thing,there were never any ladies of the night. Remember what the VFW stands for Very Few Women
The Vets fcked themselves. Que triste😔
Medusa (RCowen) was one of the three del southmost y la Gorda, daughters of Sofia and F. Sauceda, sisters of Beto, Salinas y Helena - all dreadful and fearsome beasts. Are ready to defend the heros of this browntown. Live by la escoba die by la escoba, is their fearsome motto....
Worse darn chicken plates ever.
Prepared there at $10 a plate.
The only large item was the Jalapeno.
The way I understand this is that the VFW no longer exists except for meetings and to plan fundraising events, it's unfortunate but the post has lost all credibility in the community. They have really never helped the local community,yes they assist in providing funeral services but they do it very badly. The best thing for them to do is slowly fade away.
Self funding cantina does not work
A haven for drunks is a money pit
LEAVE THE VETS BE THEY ARE OUR LOCAL HEROS THEY DEFENDED YOUR WAY OF LIFE AND THIS COUNTRY YOUR COUNTRY, WHILE YOU WERE SUCKING ON A JALAPENO CHICKEN SHIT. I GO THERE FOR FREE BEER AND HAVE TO LISTEN TO ALL OF THEIR STORIES.
DEJENLOS
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