We’ve been called to the Rio Grande Valley to investigate another rogue government agency that’s supposed to be using tax dollars to bring more business to town. What we found were some folks who are drunk with power.
TRANSCRIPT:
“You can’t discuss anything about anything? When was that rule passed?” Asked Wayne Dolcefino.
“Can I tell you something? I don’t play games,” Dolcefino said.
“Neither do I. Do we need to call the police?” Asked David Favila.
“Go ahead. Call the police,” Dolcefino responded.
Meet my new buddy.
He’s the PR guy for the city of San Benito, Texas.
It’s a little town southeast of Harlingen, just twenty miles north of the Rio Grande, and the welcome mat is clearly not out.
“Smart ass,” Dolcefino said.
“Yeah, I’m the smart ass. You’re coming into my place of business,” Favila said.
Oh no! He’s going to call the cops on me! That’s never happened before.
“Yep, go ahead. Call the police,” Dolcefino said.
While we wait for the local law to show up to this city hall showdown, let me tell you about the crime I’m supposedly committing.
We had come to see city secretary, Ruth McGinnis.
For weeks, she was too chicken—I mean busy—to return any of our calls, so they trotted out this former local sports reporter to deal with us.
“Well she’s not available right now,” Favila said.
“OK. I’ll wait,” Dolcefino responded.
“Well, you are going to be waiting a while,” Favila said.
We simply wanted to look at campaign finance records of elected officials, and San Benito was illegally hiding them.
“The law says that any citizen can come into this office during any regular business day and look at election-related records. That’s the law,” Dolcefino said.
The law does not require to put the request in writing, and new Texas law says it should be online to make it even easier for everyone to see.
We had played nice with these folks for weeks, but it hadn’t worked.
“My suggestion to you is to make the request,” Favila said.
“We did,” Dolcefino answered.
“I do not believe you did, because she would have honored it,” Favila responded.
“You calling me a liar?” Dolcefino asked.
“I’m not calling you a liar,” Favila answered.
Don’t want facts to ruin a good government comedy show, but here is that request.
“Why are you calling the police? Really? You trying to hide stuff from the public?” Dolcefino asked.
And when the cops did come, they were cool.
And, they knew I was right.
“Even if I would try and force them, I can’t force him,” officer Valdez said.
“I didn’t call you, they did,” responded Dolcefino.
But, it wouldn’t be the last time that day that a San Benito public servant would try and sic the law on me.
“Chief?” Said Deborah Morales.
We had tried to talk to city commissioner, Deborah Morales, before the city council meeting had started.
“Is there a law against talking to her?” Dolcefino asked
“We’ll wait after the meeting, but if she doesn’t want to speak to you, sir…” said the police chief.
“That doesn’t mean I have to stop asking her questions, chief. No offense,” Dolcefino responded.
I was about to give the San Benito city council an earful over this illegally withholding of public records.
“I’ve been in the journalism investigative business for 50 years. Even in the most corrupt towns, they knew that campaign finance records are public records. I’ve authorized our attorneys and our staff to file a criminal complaint with the Cameron County district attorney’s office,” Dolcefino said.
To read the rest of the text, click on link: https://dolcefino.com/drunk-with-power/
18 comments:
This guy need to come to Brownsville and investigate all the corruption here.
If this is all true and accurate, San Benito may be pulling ahead of Brownsville in the race for the most corrupt city in the RGV. What a disgrace. Pura rata de dos patas por todo el RGV !!!
It is too hot.... people do not cooperate when it is too hot or when it is cold....
San Benito is a very close community, you can go by there but you can not be part of the culture. The same with Harlingen. Brownsville is a border town...all people go through here like if they had the key to the city.
There is no such thing as an honest person in San Benito. I remember when the city council was fighting over raspa stands. Thank you, San Benito for being a bigger shithole than Brownsville.
Brownsville always smells like beans.
It used to be named san benita there were several benitas living there I dated one of them. No me gusto apestaba...
MR. DOLCEFINO SINCE YOU LOOKING INTO SAN BENITO’S PRESENT CITY COMMISSION LOOK INTO THE PAST COMMISSIONERS. YOU HAD COMMISSIONER HUSBAND THAT OWED THE CITY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN TRAFFIC FINES AND VERY LITTLE IF ANY MONEY GOT PAID AND NEVER ARRESTED,8 CRIMINAL CHARGES DISMISSED ON A BROTHER OF A COMMISSIONER WHEN HE DROVE HIS TRACTOR TRAILER THOUGH THE CITY AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND NOTHING WAS SAID. CITY ORDINANCES CHANGED TO PROTECT A COMMISSIONER BROTHER, CITY CHECKS ISSUED TO COMMISSIONER HUSBAND AND BROTHER, COMMISSIONER INVOLVED IN A CRASH AND LEAVES THE SCENE AND NOTHING WAS DONE AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. LOOK INTO ALL THAT AND MORE MR. DOLCEFINO.
The City Manager has pledged to do background checks on all of the SB city boards. If he does his due diligence he will find that the San Benito News reported several years ago that Jose Morales had been arrested in Houston for theft, (the same year JM unsuccessfully ran for City Commission). Around that same time there were questions in the community regarding Morales and his wife with the handling of funds raised for activities intended for a school carnival at a SBCISD elementary campus.
During subsequent years Jose was busy advocating for a splash pad to be built in the community. It just seemed odd that the pad was something he was obsessed about…sort of like he had some special interest???
BUT WAIT…there’s more! Stay tuned.
Let’s just hope the City Manager digs deep and keeps the public informed of his findings!
Both sides may be greedy but honest about it.
Mr. Dolcefino should have investigated when the past city manager was there. He would have had a BLAST. They say that guy would send every FOIA request to AG for review.
the are moving his office to the BIG TAMALE TANK sooooonnnnnnn verysoon.
The hard part about San Benito is that people who live within the city limits get very little or nothing for the tax dollars that are paid. Seems like the majority are only out to make an illegal buck.
I do believe that this new city Commission for the most part have the better interest of the citizens and taxpayers of the city in mind. It could be that some people are pissed cause this is a new ball game and the old rules don’t apply anymore.
Viva San Benito
Viva San Benito, my ass! As long as the City has incompetent leadership SB will continue to spawn the sort of small-time hoods that currently inhabit City Hall! The so-called ‘new Commission’ has been silent on the latest schemes to withhold public records. It is obvious to anyone with a brain that there are concerted efforts to illegally keep public records away from those wishing to expose the truth about where certain candidates get monies to sponsor their nefarious activities.
I hope the new City Manager doesn’t fall for the shenanigans of those wishing to undermine him and the proper procedures for an open and transparent government. He needs to distance himself from them and do his job.
I hear that sanbene is having a big tamale cook-off they started that giant cooking tank and will start cooking tamales its for a political candidate.
They are cooking half a million tamales de pollo y queso, should be ready in 6 months.
Rumor has it La borracha de san bene will seek office in the very near future.
Mr Dolcefino talk to the right people and Don’t get misled by certain individuals that are still pissed they lost the election or people that no longer have influence on the boards and are upset. Just saying.
Harlinchon is still building a wall to keep las RATAS de sanbene out, BUT THEY RAN OUT OF BRICKS A CITY COMMISSIONER FROM HARLINCHON TOOK ALL OF THE BRICKS TO BUILT HIS HOME, TYPICAL VALLEY RATA.
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