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| The Brownsville Herald |
The Brownsville Herald can't be faulted for running a story on two city commissioner candidates, Martin Sarkis and Letty Perez-Garzoria, who tax records indicate owe back property taxes of $800 and $325.18 respectively. Checking the Cameron County Tax Assessor's database was a good move for investigative reporter Ty Johnson and a feather in the cap for new editor Ryan Henry.
Of course, blogger Bobby Wightman-Cervantes of the BROWNSVILLE VOICE broke the story on Sarkis several weeks ago before the Herald decided to check the records. Also, Sarkis contends that a substantial part of his tax bill relates to inventory owned by a deceased previous owner of a property he acquired. Ms. Garzoria is said to be making regular payments.(In any event, running for office while owing back taxes is ill-advised, like giving your opponent a live grenade to toss back at you. No matter that tax collection in Cameron County is laggard at best. Enrique Pena, lead attorney for the Pena Law Firm, who handled BISD's delinquent tax collection for a time was found to own have owned a home for seven or eight years, valued at over $200,000, that had never even been on tax rolls or even appraised. About five years ago, while trying to locate a reasonably priced house in Brownsville for my son, I checked the tax records, finding numerous homes with nine or ten years of delinquent taxes. It was only AFTER my call to the Linebarger firm to check on the taxes owed that the property would then be redlined for auction.)
Ironically, while the Brownsville Herald rightfully publishes a story about two candidates owing back taxes, the daily has not come close to touching one story after another critically affecting the city: The Herald completely whiffed on the Fly Frontera Airline scam nearly perpetrated by convicted RICO felon Carlos Quintanilla, whitewashed the egomaniacal mismanagement of UTB by Juliet Garcia, looked the other way on Tony Martinez' use of his law partner to broker a sweetheart real estate deal for his friend Abraham Galonsky, by overpaying for an older downtown building, continues to ignore the hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars that flow into the do-nothing scam United Brownsville, not to mention the control of the city being shifted to that unaccountable body. The dropping of a $14,300,000 lawsuit by BISD against insurer Healthsmart for overcharges remains one of the biggest local stories, deeply affecting the education of local students, yet ignored by the town's so-called newspaper.
The story that aroused the Herald's investigative prowess just happens to involve two candidates running AGAINST the autocratic Tony Martinez and who dare to oppose funding the phony United Brownsville. While the story is meritorious, the Herald's obvious cherrypicking of stories does not serve the community well.
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Jim, the Sarkis tax story first surfaced on Dos Frias, before Boobie stole it. Gotta get it right, right?
ReplyDeleteI'll vote for the one that says fuck these taxes instead of dodging them surrepticiously.
ReplyDeleteIf any investigator were to really investigate, we would find that there are many more officials who are delinquent on their taxes and many more properties that are not on the tax records for some reason. But, no one investigates. The Tax Assessors Office and the Appraisal District are two of the most political organizations...because they determine the taxes....on property, on businesses, etc. Many citizens should not just accept the appraisals.....they should protest the taxation without representation reflected in the annual appraisals. It is time for citizens to stand up for their rights and challenge the corruption/politicalizatiion of the appraisal district
ReplyDeleteAgree with 8:03am, anon, but let's not forget, elected officials oversee budgets, approved purchases or budgets adjustments.
ReplyDeleteIf they can't manage their own interest, how can we trust them with public funds. I just have one comment, why is it that it's always the Brownsville policians, who try to pull the wool over tax-payers. Shameful, thats all I have to say.
Jim-Jim=Jim!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou know the local rag is going to go after the little guy that doesn't pay the thousands $$$$$$$$ for advertising.
The rag looks like one giant ad for La Pulga.
That is why BISD and other crooked entities are NEVER depicted in a negative way.
Pendejos------seriously where else would BISD=Julieta etc. publish their dribble?
There is no competition====the rag has a monopoly!!!!!
Thank goodness for Jim,Montoya and Bobby. (Hey that sounds like a title for a ballad)
Thank you for reading this humble opinion. Blessings to your wife and all your readers.
candidates that owe taxes? brownsville can never seem to shake off the stink of our local politicians...these candidates should be declared inelible to run!!!
ReplyDelete