At the time, the group's website contained the following platitudes:
"What is OP 10.33?
Our project is named OP 10.33 and it's short for Brownsville becoming the "land of opportunity by October 2033" -- twenty years after it was last crowned as "the poorest city in America" by the Houston Chronicle.
At OP10.33, we pride ourselves on our strict code of honor. Among them are:
* HONESTY - Freedom from deceit or fraud
* HONOR - Complete fairness and integrity in one's actions
* JUSTICE - Moral principle determining just conduct with others
* CHARITY - Act of giving without the prospect of personal gain
* OPPORTUNITY - Condition favorable for attainment of one's goals
OUR MISSION:
Support only candidates, regardless of party affiliation, who show proven results generating funds from the prospective government agencies in their purview and to support new candidates who show the ability to do so. Also, to STRONGLY oppose any candidate who does not.
OUR MISSION:
To support any organized effort that effectively increases private sector business growth.
MISSION STATEMENT: To support any well-organized effort to educate every child in our community beyond a high school diploma.
To support any organized effort that effectively increases private sector business growth.
To support only candidates, regardless of party affiliation, who show proven results generating funds from the prospective government agencies in their purview and to support new candidates who show the ability to do so. We will also strongly oppose any candidate who does not.
OUR COMMITMENT:
2. $1 Million - Guadalupe Regional Middle School solely for the purpose of capital campaigns and additional scholarships to be awarded.
OUR COMMITMENT:
3. $1 Million - Brownsville ISD for the sole purpose of scholarships to higher learning institutions in the community, such as universities, community colleges and trade schools.
OUR COMMITMENT:
4. $2 Million - To support United Brownsville's (a non-profit business developmental group) efforts on retail and commercial manufacturing development to increase the number of higher paying jobs in Cameron County."
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| Ambiotec's Carlos Marin |
The information on the website was pretty innocuous. After all, a man can dispense his money however his wishes. The proposed $2,000,000 gift to United Brownsville, did catch our interest, though. How did Hernandez determine his largest bequeathment go to a self-appointed, non-elected pretend board that merely shadowed city government? Later we would learn of Hernandez ties to Carlos Marin, the author of the Imagine Brownsville Comprehensive plan he sold to the city for $1,000,000 that later morphed into the United Brownsville Coordinating Board.
After our intitial article, we received an email from Roger Lee, who identified himself as the OP 10.33 spokesperson:
Jim,
If you want the truth behind OP, come to the source. I am Director of Communications for OP1033. Lets talk.
Roger Lee
After agreeing to "talk," I was simply redirected to the group's Facebook page that I had essentially already quoted in its entirety in my article. So much for communication. (A few months later, I noted that Lee had tried to communicate through LinkedIn, a vehicle used by business to network, but something I almost never use.)
If you want the truth behind OP, come to the source. I am Director of Communications for OP1033. Lets talk.
Roger Lee
After agreeing to "talk," I was simply redirected to the group's Facebook page that I had essentially already quoted in its entirety in my article. So much for communication. (A few months later, I noted that Lee had tried to communicate through LinkedIn, a vehicle used by business to network, but something I almost never use.)
Brownsville and Cameron County began to feel some impact of Hernandez' efforts when he tossed at least $140,000 at six candidates running in the Port of Brownsville and Texas Southmost College trustee races. Ed Rivera and Raul Villanueva advertisements replaced some of the regular OP 10.33 billboards. Mike Hernandez's secretary Beatriz Hockaday was initially promoted for TSC trustee, until Hernandez was told that Trey Mendez was unbeatable and gave Trey's campaign some money.
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| Beatriz Hockaday |
Not only did Hernandez go 0--6 in the races, he angered incumbents at the Port of Brownsville and TSC. Dr. Tony Zavaleta, elected at TSC, referred to Hernandez as a "carpetbagger."
Local bloggers Juan Montoya, Jerry McHale and Bobby Wightman-Cervantes were critical of Hernandez' interference in local elections, although Wightman praised him for his proposed efforts in job training.
After a bumbling, misguided effort to influence the Port of Brownsville and Texas Southmost College elections this past spring, the car dealer/leaser is now subtly threatening the free speech of local blogger, Jerry McHale.
A cover letter to McHale from an Arlington, Texas law firm claims that an article the MCHALE REPORT defamed Hernandez.
A cover letter to McHale from an Arlington, Texas law firm claims that an article the MCHALE REPORT defamed Hernandez.
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| Jerry McHale |
Read McHale's words and Hill's letter for yourself. Here is the link to Jerry's blog, containing the threatening legal letter and the language Hernandez claims he found defamatory:
http://themchalereport.blogspot.com/?zx=b7070e2a19ae19e9
http://themchalereport.blogspot.com/?zx=b7070e2a19ae19e9
This blog and local bloggers Juan Montoya, Jerry McHale and, eventually, Bobby Wightman-Cervantes ALL found objectionable and offensive elements in the techniques, style and methodology employed by Mike Hernandez III and OP 10.33. Proposing to give a $2,000,000 stipend to United Brownsville, that unelected, elitist entity that attempts to shadow and usurp local government? What the hell?
Knowledgeable Brownsville citizens were also alarmed when Hernandez hired Carlos Marin as a sort of guru for his OP 10.33 posse. Marin is well known locally for manipulating local boards, politicos, especially those entrusted with dispersing 4A tax dollars for the "economic development" of his company, Ambiotec, Inc.
Mike Hernandez III's foray into Brownsville politics has been a learning curve, an expensive one, largely because he simply didn't do his homework. Will he now try to use his money to stifle, stymie and squelch First Amendment rights in this impoverished town?
Mike Hernandez III's foray into Brownsville politics has been a learning curve, an expensive one, largely because he simply didn't do his homework. Will he now try to use his money to stifle, stymie and squelch First Amendment rights in this impoverished town?
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The essence of Mike Hernandez as emailed to the Imp. Any competent journalist not desperate to appear relevant would have trashed this for what it is, a direct attack on the First Amendment, but what does the Imp know about journalism.
ReplyDelete" If I’m attacked without merit I will inevitably respond in a very aggressive manner just like I have my whole life." Yes Mike has been an aggressive bully his entire life.
Here are Mike's emails which everyone needs to understand to understand the endless contradictions of Mike of that he is a fraud.
"The news source would cover the following:
A) An aggressive investigative journalism effort specifically targeting public corruption or complete
incompetence and any abuse of the poor by anyone in power. Crime is of no interest.
B) Texas and Mexican history. Montoya seems to be especially good at this. History helps answer a lot of
questions for people interested enough to read it as long as it as unbiased if at all possible.
C) Fiction short stories about border life. You and McHale are good at it. If they are fiction then it needs to be
clearly disclosed as such and if involves graphic sexual content it also needs some simple method of verifying that the reader’s age. Leave the character assassination for hire BS and the cheezmosos for the bush league bloggers. " After outlining his editorial demands he actually goes on to say he "we will have no editorial say whatever." And then offer money to fund a new LRGV online paper to be run under these non-editorial controls.
Mike's fundamental problem is in order to win he must prove actual financial damages to OP10.33. He cannot do this. A simple Interrogatory to his attorney what are the financial damages to OP10.33 and to produce any documents to prove same, will get the lawsuit dismissed real fast. If Mike claims OP10.33 is out to make money, then he kills himself as to credibility.
Now if he alleges donors have refused to donate to OP10.33 because he was called a fraud, he will have to produce their names. Yea those depositions will not go well for Mike. I know of no politico or prominent business person backing him. Oh for sure they talk to him, and play him for money, but that is about it.
You nailed it Jim.
Bobby WC
Object here is to make McHale spend money. No wonder you were disbarred!
DeleteMcHale gets free legal advice.
ReplyDeleteImp your desperate attempts to defend Mike to appear relevant are laughable. Nothing in his settlement offer has Jerry spending money - at most it is helpiing Jerry and you fund a new LRGV newsource if you will follow his non-editorial rules =- his rules are all editorial. That will never happen. His lawyers have already told him that he would be exposing himself to lawsuits for all of the defamation which will follow. So that part of the offer is dead.
ReplyDeleteJerry's attorneys are working pro bono. His costs are flights, depositions. Jerry could easily raise the money in one night to cover his costs. Even igf Jerry were to lose under Texas law his retirement or pay cannot be garnished and all of his personal assets are protected against any collection efforts. Instead of spending money on Brownsville to make difference Mike is spending money on a league of lawyers to silence his critics. It has only gotten him a lot of bad press.
To go back to your moronic point for the sole purpose of protecting Mike, if he knows Jerry has no money and cannot ight back then he knows Jerry loses and Jerry's speech is shut down. The more you try to protect Mike, Imp, the worse off he is. He threw everyone in Brownsville under the bus and everyone knows he cannot be trusted with private communications and that to protect himself he will allow you and Jerry to defame at will every elected official in Brownsville. Mike has no real support left in Brownsville. People talk to him for financial support. they play him. He is so driven by the power he believes money can buy he fails to see how many people are playing him in hopes of a payoff.
To date he has done nothing. He is now lost in an endless soap opera which he feels he must keep alive until all of critics are destroyed. It will never happen. So he will spend his time in a constant state of defending against distractions while Brownsville moves forward without him. Which is was doing before he showed up in Brownsville.
But keep on defending him Imp. He has no better person destroying his reputation than you.
As to the Brownsville business community and politicos they are at their limits with you and McHale defaming Brownsville as a sport because you are both bored with life. Brownsville has a very strong business community and enough politicos who want to brand Brownsville as a place on the move, that Mike has done immeasurable damage to his reputation through his association with you, an Imp who is obsessed with a town and a need to destroy it.
Mike did himself in and has lost. There is nothing he can do to recover from what he has done to himself.
Bobby WC
You're thanking DP-M now? Make up your mind, Bobby. It only makes you look stupid. Again.
ReplyDeleteDuardo just called you a pussy blogger on his Avenger blog.
ReplyDeleteThat's not surprising. The insecure Duardo tried for a couple years to establish himself as a Harlingen blogger by attacking Jerry Deal and Tony Chapa. Deal, he called "excitable" and he referred to Tony as Tony "the Turd" Chapa. When Duardo's blog, The Paz Files, failed to draw interest. he started another one as Sam Losoya, a pretend college student. Both blogs were notorious for fake comments, signed by "a high school student," "a housewife." etc. Clever, huh?
DeleteDuardo was never able to supplant Deal or Chapa and transferred his efforts to Brownsville, trying to generate interest by piggybacking on Jerry McHale's blog.
Duardo represents himself as a "longtime journalist," claims to have worked for the Brownsville Herald for a year in the 80's and evidently has had a cup of coffee at various outlets throughout the years, but never staying very long. We're told he's been unemployed for over two decades.
Google suspended his blog in April 2015 for his attacks on me, my wife Nena and son, Diego. The day after the suspension, my blog comments were filled with from 30 to 50 anonymous obscene comments, primarily directed at my wife. This continued for well over a year.
What did he call me again?
OP 10.33 was paying Juan Montoya? not good, Jim
ReplyDeletethe slick OP 10.33 lists their attorney as "legal council"
ReplyDeletelolz