City Commission - September 2, 2008

City Commission Meeting - September 2, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission - August 26, 2008

City Commission Meeting - August 26, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission - August 19, 2008

City Commission Meeting - August 19, 2008
Agenda.

District 2. Represent'in.

Got a friendly note from a pal, today. Thought I'd share:

Chris, You and your family benefit from AD Joe Rod being in charge at Sam's stadium. You are not charged at the gate. You enjoy free refreshments and eat all the food you want paid by the district. No conflict? Your piss poor announcements of high school games is reason why maybe change is needed. Joe Rod has to wonder if your constant one-sided view of politics trickled down to his demise. I for one hope Joe Rod remains in BISD because it is not his fault he has a son-in-law that draws criticism of the Rodriguez family. Chris, you blew it. Maybe next time you will rethink the way you attack people. Your constant attacks has come back to hurt someone who doesn't deserve what he has to go through. You need to let Joe Rod read this message so he can know that you and only you sought out haters who would retaliate against your love ones. I won't throw it in your face but you and your website thought you were invincible and when you come across arrogant like you do, there are people out there that will bring you back down to earth. You are such a dumb ass. You fucked your father-in-law because of your stupid arrogance. The district will suffer with the loss of Joe Rod. You stupid asshole!!!!

Charlie Atkinson
08.13.08 - 3:00 am

And a follow-up:

Where is my comment faggot? Post it! For someone who comes across like a know it all, you sure lack balls boy. Its alright, I saved it and I'll show it to Joe Rod. He has to feel somehow your blog has caused damage to his legacy. Dumbass!!!! If I were your wife, I would leave your ass!!!!!

charles atkinson
08.13.08 - 12:05 pm

Guess I hit a nerve. Huh. Who knew?

City Commission - August 12, 2008

City Commission Meeting - August 12, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission - August 5, 2008

City Commission Meeting - August 5, 2008
Agenda.

CIAC: 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan Draft Released

Just in time for the planned August 14th CIAC meeting (Agenda), a final draft of the proposed 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan has been released.

Here's the hard data:

Capacity Only Projects spreadsheet (totaling $110 million).

Combined Renewal/Replacement & Capacity Projects spreadsheet (totaling $218 million).

And here's the project-by-project breakdown

The meeting will take place next Thursday at 5:30PM in the Main Conference Room at the PUB Building on 1425 Robinhood Dr. The public in encouraged to attend and ask questions.

City Charter Review Committee - July 29, 2008

City Charter Review Committee - July 29, 2008
Agenda

Present Members:
Carlos Ayala, Jr. (Garza appt.)
Hilario Diaz (Ahumada appt.)
Elizabeth Dierlam (Camarillo appt.)
Edward Moore (Ahumada appt.)
Dr. David Morales (Atkinson appt.)
Francisco Rendon (Garza appt.)
Eddie Sikes (Cisneros appt.)
Mark Sossi (Troiani appt.)
John Villarreal (Camarillo appt.)
Melissa Zamora (Longoria appt.)

Absent Members:
Richard Atkinson (Atkinson appt.)*
Norma Castellano (Longoria appt.)
David Fisher (Cisneros appt.)
Henri Nicolas (Troiani appt.)

*Perhaps Richard Atkinson is aware that his appointment violates the City Charter's Nepotism Clause:

Article V, Section 30. Nepotism.

No person related within the second degree by affinity, or within the third degree by consanguinity, to the mayor or any of the commissioners, shall be appointed by the city commission, nor a person thus related to the city manager shall ever be appointed by him to any office, position, clerkship or service to the city.

Next scheduled meeting is on Wednesday, August 13th on 4th floor conference room at City Hall.

City Commission - July 15, 2008

City Commission Meeting - July 15, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission - July 1, 2008

City Commission Meeting PART A (1st half) - July 1, 2008
Agenda.


City Commission Meeting PART B (2nd half) - July 1, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission - June 17, 2008

City Commission Meeting - June 17, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission - June 3, 2008

City Commission Meeting - June 3, 2008
Agenda.

Respect His AuthoriTAH!!!

The Herald beaned GTC with yet another pitch.

Comi-tragic or tragi-comic?

City Commission - May 20, 2008

City Commission Meeting - May 20, 2008
Agenda.

UP NEXT: Handicapping GTC®'s Foot-In-Mouth Syndrome

Currently at 2 to 1 against, and rising.

Should/Could Commissioners Receive Benefits?

UPDATE 5/9/08: Corpus NBC affiliate, KRIS-TV, reports:

Results Of Texas City Charter Survey Show Large Differences

CORPUS CHRISTI-A charter review committee recently conducted a survey comparing Corpus Christi's city charter to dozens of other Texas cities. The purpose of the survey was to determine if any changes need to be made as far as how much the mayor is paid and whether or not council members should get health insurance.

Here is the link to the spreadsheet info they compiled. I took the liberty of adding Brownsville data to it for the sake of comparison and contrast.



--.--.--

So, as all have no doubt read, a literal interpretation of the City's Charter with regards to compensation and benefits won out.

And at the end of the day, that's a good and correct thing. The City's attorney(s) even concurs:

Mark Sossi, the attorney representing city officials said, "I think the public wins when there is clarity on the issue."

What's disappointing is that it took this long for clarity to settle in. Again.

Aside from the benefits imbroglio, City Charter (mis)interpretation has been a recurring theme with this city commission for a while. To wit:

• July 3, 2007 - the commission "passes" a mandatory $2 PUB tax for all customers by MINORITY vote, when they clearly needed a majority to get it through.
• October 2, 2007 - the Mayor attempts to have the commission acknowledge him as PUB's appointment to the CIAC, when according to city charter & resolution, PUB has no appointing authority.
• October 18, 2007 - PUB board insurgents willfully ignore the term limits of its members, limits established by city charter, and proceed with an ILLEGAL meeting without a quorum.
• April 1, 2008 - a sitting commissioner appoints his brother to serve on the Charter Review Committee, violating the nepotism clause of the very same charter.

But back to commission benefits: Now that supplemental benefits have been ruled as not provided for in the Charter, can an honest discussion on their merits & faults begin?

JUST WHAT IF the newly-formed Charter Review Committee deliberated on supplemental compensation or even (gasp!) salaries for commissioners? There exists the gripe that more-qualified (a relative term) folks don't run for these spots. Would salaries for these spots draw out better candidates, and thusly better leaders? If salaries are put in place, would the level of compensation preclude commissioners from holding second jobs? Should there even EXIST a preclusion of second jobs (e.g. the County Commissioners).

These are tough questions, but I see the Charter Review Committee as capable of deliberating and promoting answers to them.

Votes? Thoughts? Comments?

Here's a poll for starters:

City Commission Part I - May 6, 2008

City Commission Meeting - May 6, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission Part II - May 6, 2008

City Commission Meeting - May 6, 2008
Agenda.

Strike 3: Loose Lips Sink Ships

From today's article:

"We lost it," said Atkinson, a Brownsville city commissioner. "I am very disappointed, but that is business..."
The intended purchase, publicized by Atkinson, apparently caught the attention of prospective buyers.

"But that is business", GoodTimeCharlie® said.

But was it good business? Check out the 3/18/08 City commission meeting, folks. Around the 2hr17min mark. Why did GTC® open his mouth in public before any contracts (contingent on financing) could be signed? If any deal was meant for executive session(s), this was it.

And why is the chairman (God help us all) of the 4B BCIC Board concerning himself with land for commercial development, clearly 4A GBIC/BEDC turf?

Lastly, THIS is the guy who wants to annex the BND property and lead development there. Who needs "special interests" to screw up a deal, when a city commissioner does just fine by himself?

Included & Related links:
Herald 4/30: Landowner backs out of deal with city
Herald 4/5: Sports Park still generating interest from retailers
Herald 3/21: Atkinson: Sports Park site generating commercial interest
City meeting 3/18 (2:17:00 mark): GTC® spills the beans & inadvertently ups the asking price (formerly $3.2 million) of the Wheeler acreage

City Commission - April 15, 2008

City Commission Meeting - April 15, 2008
Agenda.

GTC® Appoints Brother to Review Charter.Thereby Violating Same.

Oh, sweet Irony. Thou art a fickle and cruel mistress.

GoodTime Charlie® whiffed again.

This time he skirted established nepotism laws with the appointment of his brother, recently canned by the Mercedes School District.

Emma Perez-Trevino reported yesterday:

Another appointee, Richard Atkinson is Commissioner Charlie Atkinson's brother.

Richard Atkinson, the former principal at Mercedes High School was fired at a special board meeting March 22, an MISD staff member verified Friday. Herald archives reflect that this was in connection with the alleged treatment of students.

Commissioner Atkinson said Friday that he doesn't believe appointing his brother represents a conflict or concern.

"He's a fair guy," the commissioner said of his brother. "They are just boards. They just recommend. It's not a board where they issue thousands of dollars here and there. They are an advisory board."

Commissioner Atkinson also said his brother lives in Brownsville and did not know if he had been fired or not.

I guess, as EP-T reported, it's "no concern" to GTC® that Article V (Administrative Provisions) of the Brownsville City Charter reads:

Section 30. Nepotism.

No person related within the second degree by affinity, or within the third degree by consanguinity, to the mayor or any of the commissioners, shall be appointed by the city commission, nor a person thus related to the city manager shall ever be appointed by him to any office, position, clerkship or service to the city.

Folks, I swear, these blog posts sometimes write themselves. The 1hr 5min mark of the below City Commission meeting video captures the moment in all its... whatever.

City Commission - April 1, 2008

City Commission Meeting - April 1, 2008
Agenda.

Why Annexing the Port of Brownsville Is a Dumb Idea.

Did I just fall victim to an April Fools Gag?

GoodTime Charlie® displayed a shocking lack of business/economics sense Tuesday night. The below was excerpted from the Commissioners' Report segment of the agenda.

Adding insult upon injury, GTC® commented elsewhere that:

"Anybody with real business sense can see that (his critics are) full of crap. Read the statement again. What proof is mentioned that Brownsville is benefitting(sic)from an entity that doesn't pay taxes or help Brownsville grow."

I'd want to break down his "report", piece by piece:

- The "seaport" actually ISN'T in his district, or we wouldn't be talking about annexation to begin with. What IS in his district however, is an arguably greater proportion of residents who make a living at the "seaport" than in any of the other 3 city districts. But more on that in a bit.

- GTC® actually gets this one right, in that the Port IS its own entity. And Brownsville can no more annex the Port than it can annex Rancho Viejo, the City of Harlingen or the Town of South Padre Island. These things don't often happen unilaterally and the denizens & officials of the coveted entity (unfortunately for GTC®) kind of have a say on annexation. My guess on their views on annexation: no chance.

- GTC® then goes on to state "it's hard to invest in it (the Port of Brownsville), when we're not getting anything out of it". Is he serious? I can't tell anymore. Where's HIS business sense? Ballpark estimates of number employees at Amfels, the Port's largest employer, hover around 3,000 people. Percentage estimates of those employees residing in Brownsville hover around 70%. That's BROWNSVILLE RESIDENTS, GTC®! And that's just at Amfels. These folks don't exactly take their earnings and invest them in out-of-state hedge funds! They spend them HERE! On mortgages, rent, and taxes. And groceries, clothes, cars and sales taxes.

- "Taxes go to Port Isabel", explained GTC®. But that's not quite accurate. The Point Isabel School District is the entity that receives property taxes from the "seaport". But GTC®, take a drive around your district; particularly around the Rivera cluster/zone. Have you SEEN the residential development out there? All the countless neighborhoods southeast of Hwy 48? Can you imagine more than a few of those residents paying their property taxes (county & BISD) off of "seaport" wages?

GTC® touted total support from our area's legislators on Port of Brownsville annexation, but my research shows that's not quite accurate either. The state legislators and Congressman Ortiz know a little better than to just recklessly plunge into such folly. Here's an email addressed to principals at the BND, from Wednesday morning:

Good Morning,

I hope everyone is doing well. This morning you may have read that Congressman Ortiz supports the annexation of the Port of Brownsville by the city (excerpt below). I want to make sure you all know the Congressman didn’t discuss this during any of the meetings with the City and I don’t believe he has actually spoken to Atkinson about it. I don’t know where this is coming from, so I wanted to make sure you all heard from us.

Patricia Villarreal
Deputy Chief of Staff
Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz
Ph: (202) 225-7742
Fax: (202) 226-1134
Web: http://ortiz.house.gov

And a direct statement from Congressman Ortiz, himself:

STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN ORTIZ

"Any discussion about annexation of the Port of Brownsville would first need to be worked out between local officials, and then should be presented to the people for their approval. I have not taken a position on this issue."

Rene Oliveira even weighed in with:

I was contacted by Commissioner Atkinson who indicated the annexation proposal could be beneficial to all interested parties.

In meetings with Port of Brownsville Director Eddie Campirano, port commissioners, and others, it is clear our port needs considerable financial assistance for capital improvements. If made, those improvements could aid large-scale job creation and economic development that would greatly benefit Brownsville.

Further, the port may benefit by receiving certain city services in addition to city-supported infrastructure improvements. Likewise, the city could potentially benefit by increasing its tax base.

I stated to Commissioner Atkinson that all the stakeholders need to do their own cost benefit analyses, iron out many issues, and be in agreement, before I would commit to carry legislation regarding annexation. Above all, I would want voter approval of any proposed annexation.

Respectfully,

Rene O. Oliveira
State Representative
District 37

One might inquire of Rep. Oliveira precisely what "certain city services" can Brownsville provide more efficiently and cheaper than BND. But that's for another post, another day.

But if you're a GTC® constituent and reside in District 2 , shouldn't you expect more basic business sense from your "common sense guy"?

ETA 4/6/08: The Herald weighed in on GTC®'s premature confabulation.

City Commission - March 18, 2008

City Commission Meeting - March 18, 2008
Agenda.

Flaking defined.

Article.

City Commission - March 3, 2008

City Commission Meeting - March 3, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission - February 19, 2008

City Commission Meeting - February 19, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission - February 5, 2008

City Commission Meeting - February 5, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission - January 22, 2008

City Commission Meeting - January 22, 2008
Agenda.

City Commission - January 8, 2008

City Commission Meeting - January 8, 2008
Agenda.

As Good a Cause As Any

What: Chicken Plate Fundraiser
When: 11:00AM to 2:00PM, Sunday, January 13, 2008
Where: Mi Cocinita @ Lopez Super Market, 2818 International Blvd.
Price: $5/plate (signatures on recall petition welcome, too)

City Commission - December 11, 2007

City Commission Meeting - December 11, 2007
Agenda.

8-liners Anyone?

City Commission - December 4, 2007

City Commission Meeting - December 4, 2007
Agenda.

City Commission - November 13, 2007

City Commission Meeting - November 13, 2007
Agenda.
Audio begins @ 0:03:11, after Executive Session.

Alleged Video of Atkinson's Field Sobriety Test

As per the Herald, a DPS trooper's barrage of field sobriety tests, like the intricacies of public meeting decorum & behavior, stumped our Commissioner Atkinson.

Here's an anonymously sent video, purported to actually detail the above incident:


Who knew he possessed such graceful footwork?

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.

City Commission - October 16, 2007

City Commission Meeting - October 16, 2007
Agenda.

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