City Commission - October 30, 2007

City Commission Meeting - October 30, 2007
Agenda.

Here's the list of all past PUB Board members from 7/15/60 to present. Viewers will need this as a supplement for the video.

6,943 days late and $1 short

"I could’a been a contender. I could’a been somebody, instead of a bum -- which is what I am."
- Terry Malloy, On the Waterfront

If you blinked, you would've missed it. For just a few hours today, Texas Monthly Senior Executive Editor Paul Burka blew the whole Peter Zavaletta indictment WIDE OPEN.

19 years after the fact.

He was gently prodded of his tardiness in the comments section ("What an outrage!") and has since removed the post, replaced it with a retraction and named his article source... Dannenbaum Engineering! (My current employer, if you believe the hot-air).

Brownsville PUB Board Non-Meeting - October 29, 2007

Brownsville PUB Board
Non-Meeting - October 29, 2007
Agenda.

Cameron County - October 23, 2007

Cameron County Commissioners' Court - October 23, 2007
Agenda.

This Day In History

Tired of the same old political news? Bored with the endless speculation over who's announcing for what judge's bench or how to sue the feds over a wall? Well then, time for a little diversion.

CB presents - This Day In History:

740 - An earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death.
1774 - The first Continental Congress adjourns.
1905 - Norway becomes independent from Sweden.
1940 - The P-51 Mustang makes its maiden flight.
1944 - World War II: The Battle of Leyte Gulf ends.
1947 - The British Military Occupation ends in Iraq.
1951 - Boxer Joe Louis comes out of retirement to fight Rocky Marciano. However, Marciano would win the fight in eight rounds.
1984 - John D. McCollum shoots and kills himself after spending a day listening to Ozzy Osbourne records; a lawsuit is later filed by his parents over the song "Suicide Solution", but the case is eventually thrown out.
2001 - The United States passes the USA PATRIOT Act into law.

oh... and in 1988, Peter Zavaletta, future District Attorney candidate, is indicted in Brownsville.


Looks like the Herald had the same proof-reading problems back in the day, too. "Tony Zavaletta"?

BISD Board - October 16, 2007

BISD Board of Trustees Meeting - October 16, 2007
Agenda.

Brownsville PUB - October 18, 2007ILLEGAL Board Meeting

Brownsville PUB
Illegal Board Meeting - October 18, 2007
Agenda.

BND - October 17, 2007

Brownsville Navigation District Board Meeting - October 17, 2007
Agenda.

Cameron County - October 16, 2007

Cameron County Commissioners' Court - October 16, 2007
Agenda.

City Commission - October 16, 2007

City Commission Meeting - October 16, 2007
Agenda.

Agenda Watch: PUB Meeting 10/18/07

Here's an interesting item of note from the agenda of Thursday's planned (and postponed) BPUB board meeting:

5. Consideration and Approval of Action to Reinstate Rodriguez, Colvin and Chaney (sic) to Perform All the Legal Services for the Brownsville Public Utilities Board Previously Performed Prior to October 1, 2007 - R. Guerra/E. Vasquez

Here's another : the complete DISAPPEARANCE of this item from the agenda.

Wonder how that happened?

Agenda Watch: CIAC Attack

A strange thing occurred in the video of the 10/2/07 City Commission meeting. During deliberation of Item 7, which reads:

7. Consideration and ACTION to acknowledge Mayor Pat M. Ahumada, Jr., as the Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) member to the Capital Improvement Advisory Committee (CIAC). (Ben Medina, Jr. - Planning)

...the vote, led by Rick Longoria, came down to 4-3 AGAINST acknowledgment of the BPUB appointment (Item 18 on 9/19/07), which was curious. Did Longoria, Cisneros, Camarillo & Troiani realize that BPUB (and thus, the Mayor) HAD NO LEGAL BASIS to appoint Ahumada as BPUB's representative on the CIAC board?

Because they didn't. CIAC's charter is based on a 2006 ordinance. 7 voting members, appointed by the city commission (not BPUB) plus the non-voting membership of the BPUB director and the City Manager. Simple. Fair.

Later that same meeting, the Mayor tried to slam an altered ordinance down the commissioners throats at the same 10/2 meeting, but it was tabled. Now it's up again tomorrow:

6. Public Hearing and ACTION on FIRST READING of Ordinance Number 2007-1100.44 amending the City Code to clarify the relationship between the Capital Improvement Advisory Committee (CIAC) and other entities; and dealing with related matters including $500 penalties. (Ben Medina, Jr. - Planning)

This item should fail, but will it? Ahumada, like the commissioners, has appointed members to this board already. Does he not trust them to see things HIS WAY?

Wanna talk about micro-managing? This is micro-managing, and thinly-veiled at that.

Cameron County - October 9, 2007

Cameron County Commissioners' Court - October 9, 2007
Agenda.

UTB-TSC - September 26, 2007

UTB-TSC Board of Trustees Meeting - September 26, 2007
Agenda.

And they say DEVELOPERS steal from PUB?

Pathetic.

ETA:

Pat-thetic.

BISD Board - October 2, 2007

BISD Board of Trustees Meeting - October 2, 2007
Agenda.

Cameron County DA race

Better said elsewhere.

Votegate Part II

Yet another legal storm approaches our City Commission. And once again, it involves a vote count issue. Catch up on the Herald article, then come back here.

American Investigations and Security International claimed through their attorney that:

"...the videotape of the meeting shows that only Ahumada, Atkinson and Garza voted and that the remaining majority commissioners, by their silence, did not vote, essentially abstaining and rejecting the award."

&

Despite the minutes showing a 6-0-1 carrying vote, the actual video of the vote shows otherwise. It looks (and sounds) like 2 ayes (Ahumada & Atkinson), 0 nays and 1 abstention (Garza). Since when does a motion pass on 2 VOTES FOR (other than crazy $3 tax hikes via PUB fees)?

How many times has the viewing public seen our Mayor state that he, and he alone, conducts the City Commission meetings? How hard is it to conduct a proper vote and actually COUNT (ideally to 4)?

Again, folks. A liability.

Cameron County - October 2, 2007

Cameron County Commissioners' Court - October 2, 2007
Agenda.

A race without a finish line? 444th District Court

As mentioned elsewhere, David Sanchez has announced for the newly-created, as-yet-unappointed, and unfunded 444th District Court seat. CB was there to cover it. (CB's sound set-up sucks, though. So bear with the weak audio or crank up your computer speakers)


David Sanchez - 444th District Court Announcement

City Commission - October 2, 2007

City Commission Meeting - October 2, 2007
Agenda.

"You keep thinking that this is about you, Pat. This is not about you, Pat."

Well (if loudly) said, Commissioner Longoria.

Video of last night's much Heralded City Commission Meeting is uploading as you read this. It'll be available soon. But here's a sneak-peek where one can see how much of a dangerous liability our Mayor has always been become.

Why dangerous? Ahumada came perilously close to slandering Manuel Vasquez, former Brownsville Housing Authority board member. The Mayor's words:

"I removed him from the Brownsville Housing Authority for micro-management and abuse to uhh..."

He couldn't even finish before admonishments and warnings from all corners of the chamber sailed in. City Attorney Goza may have thought he was busy now, but I'm afraid it's gonna get worse before it gets better.

Brownsville PUB - October 1, 2007

Brownsville PUB "Special" Board Meeting - October 1, 2007
Agenda.

Brownsville PUB - September 19, 2007

Brownsville PUB Board Meeting - September 19, 2007
Agenda.