Friday, May 31, 2019

BROWNSVILLE OBSERVER MEETS A "CHRISTIAN FROM INDIA," HAPPY THOMAS

Jim Barton, Happy Thomas

ESTELA CHAVEZ-VASQUZ RE-ELECTION KICKOFF FILLS RIO EVENT CENTER

From the editor:  It's just amazing how large a crowd these judicial candidates are drawing.  

Tuesday night at Mel's Honky Tonk, Louis Sorola drew several hundred while Wednesday evening at Rio Event Center, Estela Chavez-Vasquez did the same.

THINGS OVERHEARD DURING YESTERDAY'S GMS VS. CITY OF BROWNSVILLE HEARING

From the editor:  Included below are little nuggets of conversation or testimony, not necessarily fitting into a specific story, but perhaps humorous or insightful. adding to the overall understanding of Brownsville city government. (The hearing lasted for nearly seven hours, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a 45 minute lunch break.)


Judge Robert C. Pate:  After Travis Bell, an attorney with Baker and Botts kept repeating the Cesar De Leon audio tape quote "I effin' stopped GMS!" Pate interjected:  "Counselor, you've already used that line three times, let's move on!"

When longtime City of Brownsville legal hire, Ricardo Navarro, tried to condescendingly explain to the judge how Brownsville city government works, Pate exclaimed:  "Look, you don't have to tell me the set up.  I worked the theft trial of former Mayor Pat Ahumada a few years ago.  I know about Brownsville."

Attorney Arnoldo Aguilar, representing Cesar De Leon, questioned the authenticity of the Carlos Elizondo audio tape and the De Leon quotes: "Mr. De Leon had no problem with GMS, only with the city administration not doing their job and rumors that the scoring was effected by contributions to certain projects.  Mr. De Leon is not a Svengali controlling the city commission.  The three hour rambling transcript of the audio tape has not been authenticated.  Mr. De Leon is not sure that's even his voice."

Roberto Trevino, part owner and manager of Brownsville GMS, talked about the 2017 revised Request for Proposal:  "They knew we're a small company with 40 employees, only serving Brownsville.  So, when now the RFP called for 5 "references" from other cities where we did business, they knew they were "essentially locking us out."

Privately, after the hearing, I asked Mr. Trevino about Cesar's audio tape claim that GMS gave $15,000 to Cabler:  "Never.  We wrote checks to the youth fund, the golf tournament and other charities to gain points for "Added Value," but never to Cabler."

In closing, Botts and Baker identified three "untruths" by Commissioners Portillo and Gowen: "Commissioner Debra Portillo claimed she was rejecting the 2016 RFP because no non-Rio Grande Valley companies were included.  That's simply not true as Republic Services, one of the three bidders, is the third largest waste management company in the country with contracts all over the country.  Commissioner Rose Gowen claimed she supported the rejection because the RFP 'took too long.'  Yet, the 2016 RFP she rejected took only 5 months, while the 2017 RFP she supported took over two years."

More from Judge Pate:  "Something is wrong with the scoring.  A perfect score should be 100.  A company like GMS scores 112 because of 'Added Value,' yet Republic scores only a half point lower with no 'Added Value.' How can that be?"

More words from Pate:  "While the city claims they rejected the 2016 proposals to 'get more bids,; the 2017 RFP includes the same exact firms.  This is a mess."

Cesar De Leon to me:  "I asked Cabler several times to fire Roberto Luna."

And later, De Leon about Cabler's resignation:  "I told Cabler we had the votes to fire him, so his only option was to resign."

  




  

STERN JUDGE PATE ORDERS TONY MARTINEZ, CITY COMMISSIONERS, CITY ATTORNEY, CITY SECRETARY TO PASS A CLASS ON OPEN MEETINGS ACT

Attorneys Representing City of Brownsville
L-R: Bastian, Edwards, Aguilar, Navarro


Judge Robert C. Pate, clearly not impressed by the competence of Brownsville's mayor and city commissioners, ordered Mayor Martinez, the six city commissioners, City Secretary Griselda Rosas and City Attorney Rene De Coss to take an online course on the Texas Open Meetings Act and submitting proof of completing such by Wednesday, June 5.

At the end of the seven hour hearing, held in the 445th District Court, Judge Pate left the Temporary Restraining Order in place preventing the City of Brownsville from replacing Brownsville GMS as the city's waste removal contractor, then hopped on his private plane, flying back to Corpus Christi.(Pate, annoyed with repetitive questioning, told attorneys to "move on," "let's cut to the chase," reminding them "we need to finish up by 5:00 PM.")

While the City of Brownsville retained four attorneys, Ricardo Navarro, Allison Bastian, Arnoldo Aguilar and Edwards, Brownsville GMS was represented by the high-priced Baker and Botts firm.

Pate found that the City of Brownsville had made a "mess" with their inept handling of the city's waste management contract with several clear TOMA violations, typically handling contracts in Executive Session, then voting on them in open session without discussion.(Online videos of several critical city commission meetings, notes from executive sessions taken by the city secretary had been introduced as evidence along with testimony by Purchasing Director Roberto Luna that he'd given a full power point presentation on the waste management contracts in Executive Session, another TOMA violation.)


Former City Commissioner Cesar De Leon was grilled about statements made in a 2017 audio recording made by former Fire Chief Carlos Elizondo where De Leon was heard to say that he had "Effing stopped GMS."

When asked if he'd every expressed animus against Brownsville GMS, De Leon said "that's not true."  He could not remember specific city commission meetings when the waste management contract was discussed.

"That was three years ago," stated De Leon.

In 2016, after a four person evaluation committee scored  Brownsville GMS the highest of three bidders, the city entered into a tentative agreement, but at the December 16, 2016 City Commission meeting to award the contract, Cesar De Leon moved to table the item, seconded by Commissioner Rose Gowen and also voted for by Commissioner Debra Portillo.

When the City of Brownsville created a new Request for Proposal for the waste management contract in 2017, Purchasing Director Luna claimed that "new software" removed the "added value" feature of the RFP, also adding a requirement of providing references of other cities for which the bidding firm provided waste management services.

Since Brownsville GMS only serves Brownsville and scored highly on the the "Added Value" provision, performing several community services, the changes in the new RFP essentially "locked out GMS," it was argued. 

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMM!!!" IN BROWNSVILLE

City Attorney Rene De Coss
Let me get this straight: We had a city attorney who stole from his previous employer, then tried to pay that off by giving his old firm legal work at the City of Brownsville, faced malpractice suits from citizens, experienced a $100,000 tax lien from the I.R.S., spearheaded the ban on public comment at city commission meetings, but now that our current City Attorney Rene De Coss expects candidates to obey the rules, he gets blasted?  Hmmmm!!!



Wasn't it just last year that the orange-haired demon from McAllen was referring to Robert "Captain Bob" Sanchez as a "pussy," a "pompous joker," an "effeminate rat," and a "clown?"

Now, Robert, or someone pretending to be Robert, is trying to fill this blog's comment section with high praise for the Hidalgo County devil.  Hmmmm!!!


Would followers of the late Reverend Sun Myung Moon or Moonies be welcomed to a Catholic mass as long as they didn't proselytize?

Well, Jessica Puente Bradshaw and her posse were run out of Las Ramblas Bar the other night for conduct unbecoming to a candidate.

What were they doing; drinking up all the Bud Light?  Heckling John Cowen while he was giving flaming oratory?  Steal Nurith Galonsky's spreadsheets?

Anyway, we now know it is considered treif or non-kosher to bust in on the holy rites of another sect.    Hmmmm!!!


LOUIS SOROLA, CANDIDATE FOR 404TH DISTRICT JUDGE, PACKS OUT MEL'S HONKY TONK

From the editor:  When a political event is in such a remote location it can't be located without
GPS, Google Maps or a tour guide, filling the venue to near capacity can't help but thrill the candidate.

Louis Sorola, candidate for 404th District Judge, is likely on the proverbial Cloud Nine as Mel's Honky Tonk, somewhere out in the boondocks past Olmito, was totally packed tonight for his meet and greet.


CAPTAIN BOB PODCAST REVISITED



Captain Bob with Favorite Fruit
Admittedly, Robert Sanchez was not on my radar last week as a potential guest on the Whine with Cheez podcast until Erasmo messaged:  "What about Captain Bob?"

My only encounter with Mr. Sanchez was just after his drunken introduction for Jessica Puente Bradshaw at Cobbleheads a couple months ago.

After the intro, Robert extended his hand: "I love you man!"(That was my only interaction ever with the man except for some internet exchanges about his ill-fated run for County Judge as a Democrat.)

Once on the podcast, Erasmo teased the Captain about his inebriated intro:  "Do you even remember it, man?" Castro asked.

"Where were you that night?" I asked.

"Cobbleheads," answered Bob.

After a softball question about Tenaska, I asked Bob about the clandestine dropping off of a bag of "ones" on his doorstep during his County Judge run in 2018.

"At first you said you were given $600 to help pay for your $1,250 filing fee, then changing the abount to $1,000, 'all in ones.' "

"You said Tad Hasse gave you the money, but then changed it to Rebecca Gomez. By the way, none of this made it onto your Campaign Finance Report where you listed $0.00 contributions, $0.00 expenses."

"Why are you digging up this ancient history?" Bob asked, very much annoyed.

"Bob, this was just last year, 2018.  It's not ancient history," I added.

"Why wasn't it on your Campaign Finance Report?  Who gave you the money?" asked Erasmo Castro.

"The community gave me the money," answered the Captain.  

"The community?" laughed Castro.

Bob mumbled something about "internet bullies."

"Who are you saying is an internet bully?" asked Erasmo.

"Is Jim an internet bully?"

"No.  Barton's ok. . . And I like Rrun Rrun, but Jerry McHale has been wrecking this community for three decades.  And where is he from, San Diego?" Bob asked rhetorically.

"McHale is not from here.  Bobby's not from here.  Where are you from Erasmo?  Why are these people not from here having so much influence in our city?"

"I'm from Brownsville, dude," answered Erasmo. 

"But, are you racist, man?" Castro continued.

"No, I'm not racist," Bob answered, reaching for his vaporizer.  

In a few seconds the table was covered with a fine mist of particulants, obscuring the view.  Instantly, Martin and Angelita Leal, owners of the coffee house, ordered Sanchez to shut off his E-cigarette device.

An online viewer asked Sanchez about his wife, triggering some veiled references to someone he didn't like much.

"Are you talking about Rene Oliveira?" Castro asked.

"What did he do to you?"

"You know what he did," Sanchez replied.

"And, if he ever runs for office again, the same thing will happen to him as last time," added the Captain without explanation.

Sanchez shook our hands as he left.  All in all, he'd been a pleasant guest, a nice young man, for the most part, unless asked a difficult question.







Monday, May 27, 2019

"AS THE AVOCADO TURNS," THE DUARDO/CAPTAIN BOB SOAP OPERA CONTINUES!

From the editor:  As they say, "no good deed goes unpunished."  Erasmo and I tried to give a little podcast exposure to restauranteur/failed political candidate Robert "Captain Bob" Sanchez and now he's badmouthing us under the influence of his conjoined twin, Duardo Paz Martinez.(The uncouth captain actually tried to "vape" during the show, blowing toxic particulates in our faces, but was quickly ordered to stop by the cafe owners.)

Duardo, who claims to be a McAllen native, but has no journalistic standing in his own town, uses a 65 mile long umbilical cord attached to his blogging parent and mentor, Jerry McHale, trying to put his own twist on what he reads on the Brownsville blogs.

While I've no idea what chemicals Robert is vaping, something is causing memory loss as this past year Duardo wrote a series of very negative anti-Captain articles including the one published below, calling Robert a "pussy," a "pompous joker," an "effeminate rat," and a "clown."

Since then, the Captain and Duardo have obviously kissed and made up:



Mouthy Candidate Sanchez Goes Out Like A Poached Pussy…







By DUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ | Editor of The Republic

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Once, he was the Bad Boy of city politics, a pompous joker who would yell at his opponents as if screaming at a Bad Vato. That was resident wannabe-bully Robert Sanchez’s style. But apparently…no more. Here, as the current campaign ahead of the March 6th Primary vote next week winds down, Sanchez may as well be appointed The Town Pussy. He has gone out with a whimpering only kicked alley cats know well.

Sanchez has no chance in next Tuesday’s vote and will lose overwhelmingly to sitting County Judge Eddie Trevino.

What a fall for a candidate who had fallen even before he launched his useless campaign. County judge and Robert Sanchez are words that will never be officially associated by anyone except him. He is, as the best chefs in town might say about here, “El Aguacate Podrido.” Trevino will mop the Election Office floor with him and maybe even give his ex-wife a ring for the evening prize. Hey, this is Brownsville and, in Brownsville, politicians learn to lose at a very early age. Robert Sanchez, by his very physical looks, lost a long time ago.

Nowhere were his signature boisterous laughs and howling that symbolized his earlier campaign for mayor. No one heard a peep from the aggressive Sanchez, a man who once slugged his father-in-law and handed-in his kids in a divorce settlement to avoid paying child support. No, boys, Sanchez, once known as Capt. Bob, slinked away into the political night as if some effeminate rat willingly walking the ship’s plank. Whatever votes he gets will be “votos de caridad,” like Blogger Jerry McHale’s publicized support. And it should stand as the final nail on this clown’s political ambitions. He is about as qualified to be county judge as would be Curly of The Three Stooges.

So, raise a glass of piss to the land-lubbing Captain! Say “Adios, Bofo” to the worst candidate for local office ever. He did the impossible, Rene. He became a worse Erasmo Castro, which suddenly has Castro looking better and toward the next election cycle.

The Captain never was a captain.

Bald Robert Sanchez was the ship crew’s pliant asshole and nothing more.

Meow…meow…meow…

-30-

BISD ISSUES MADE CLEAR IN "SPECIAL TO EL RRUN RRUN"

From the editor:  We submit this refined ESL post to the Juan's blog about problems at BISD:



Special to El Rrun-Rrun

The message has been made abundantly clear. If you criticize (even constructively) the superintendent or administrators of the Brownsville Independent School District, pack your gear because you're headed for the gulag.

In the past, the whistle blowers would be shunted off to the Food and Nutrition Service with the so-called "Hairnet" set.

That happened to people who worked in the insurance department, the transportation department, and even the purchasing department. People with complaints bout the way their departments was being managed expect to be targeted and for their bosses to ask the administration to transfer the "trouble makers."

Remember Rosario Pena? She was director of Purchasing until she ran afoul of former BISD trustee Cesar Lopez and Superintendent Eseranza Zendejas over the a presentation by artificial-turf vendor Paragon Sports before the company had been vetted by her department. Zendejas and trustee Joe Rodriguez rammed through the Buy-Board vendor without going through the department, and when Pena voiced her concern, she joined the "hairnet" crowd pronto.

Paragon has now netted upwards of $7 million in BISD projects, but Pena remains at FNS keeping an eye on that budget.

Another example is that of Tom Chavez, a former BISD Athletic Director and head football coach at Rivera Early College High School given a cubicle office at the Brownsville Learning Academy and doing...not much. Years and years of experience in athletics and administration go wanting, and wasted. Even though he has a grievance pending, he must be satisfied to be a glorified hall monitor and gets the $100,000-plus salary to go along with it.

We are told that just as Pena and Chavez, there are numerous individuals in other departments languishing in do-nothing make-work jobs while they draw their professional salaries.

We heard of learning disabilities professional with decades of experience who is relegated to an empty office because the Special Services Interim director Adriana Lippa was tired of hearing her complaints about the level of services to these children.

The exiled instructor reported discrimination against three- to five-year-old intellectually/physically disabled students in two separate PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities) classrooms. The first group of students were being denied a FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) due to not having a certified teacher since mid-September.

As gratitude for having these deficiencies pointed out to her, Lippa directed th instructor to remain in an office with no work assignments. That was approximately four months ago.


The classroom environment was not conducive to learning. (The student’s still do not have a certified teacher, which Is against the law if the school has not notified the parents of the situation) the other classroom's restrooms Changing area was not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.

In the report, the instructor said they and reported students being screamed at and tugged on by the arm in both classrooms. The unjust, discriminatory behavior towards these intellectually disabled, non-communicative students is still occurring as they are not yet receiving a FAPE under IDEA, the instructors say.

Although the problems reported still fester, the situation remains the same. Lippa's solution to the problem - with the approval of Area Administrator Dr. Timothy Cuff - has been to retaliate against whistle blowers by stripping them of all duties and remanding them to make-work duties to keep them out of their hair in retribution.

To a trained professional with a dedication ti special students, this amounts to psychological torture Not only do they suffer isolation from their coworkers and students who need them, but they are also excluded from trainings and presentations for their professional development.

And why this punishment? Just because they advocated for the kids and attempted to remedy problems in the Lifeskills and PPCD classrooms.

WHY I GO FOR DAYS WITHOUT BLOGGING

Ana During Today's Conversation
Most days I've little interest in blogging. . . I'm totally mesmerized, locked into Ana Adiong from Cagayan de Oro, Philippines as we talk hours each day.

Ana has taken to calling me Chili because my son's girlfriend asked me for my chili recipe.

Ana laughed when I told her that making chili is a spiritual experience.  

She said:  "Religion and chili, what?"

I will explain that later in person when my voice isn't distorted and muffled as it is on Facebook Messenger.

"Oh really," Ana replied today when I told her she is my most important reader.


Elvira and Daniel
My conversation today with Ana was interrupted by a call from my friend, Daniel Lenz, who's leaving tomorrow for Germany to see his  fiancée Elvira.

Have a safe trip my friend.  


Sunday, May 26, 2019

JERRY REPOSTS STEPCHILD BLOGGER'S INACCURATE PORTAYAL OF THIS SUNDAY'S "WHINE WITH CHEEZ" PODCAST


From the editor:  Jerry McHale's blogging niche is well known; reposting the offerings of other bloggers and creating make-believe stories about a non-existent journalist's association and other fictitious characters.

On today's "Whine with Cheez" podcast, guest Robert "Captain Bob" Sanchez claimed he reads Jerry "for a laugh."

Following the podcast, McHale's blogging stepchild in McAllen weighed in with an inaccurate portrayal of things.  What else is new? The guy is totally irrelevant, factually challenged and apparently has no transportation to actually cover Brownsville.  He's merely a reckless typer with zero substance.

In the story posted below, Jerry's protégé claims Captain Bob "tore them apart," referencing Erasmo and me. . . . LOL!

Actually, Bob was the essence of Linder Milquetoast, mostly meek, although a bit defensive when I asked him about his $600 or $1000 contribution in "one dollar bills" from Tad Hasse that he failed to report on his Campaign Finance Report in his 2018 run for County Judge.

Of course, Bob is welcome to return to the podcast, although Charlie Atkinson and Melissa Zamora are tentatively scheduled for next week's show.  

McHale has also appeared at least twice and is a welcome addition to the podcast.



"Captain" Bob Sanchez appeared on Erasmo Castro and Jim Barton's Whine & Cheez show and apparently he didn't disappoint /DP-M, the publisher of The Brownsville Republic. At The McHale Report we searched both Castro and Barton's sites for the video, but there was no transmission. 
If /DP-M's version of the event is accurate, should anybody be surprised when the Captain spots a microphone in front of him, his ecstasy immediately ejaculating in an oratorical orgy? Writes /DP-M from his manor in McAllen: 
His appearance on the Sunday afternoon Internet podcast “Whine & Cheez” was supposed to be a ploy by hosts Erasmo Castro and Jim Barton to boost its ratings, but invited guest Capt. Bob Sanchez surprised them by tearing into the two for contributing to Brownsville’s horrible image.

I tore them apart,” Sanchez told The Republic after the show. “The guy (Castro) is a piece of shit, and so is Jim Barton. He’s just a wicked guy.

Sanchez, a former candidate for mayor and for Cameron County Judge, has been itching for a forum that will allow him a shot at laying waste to the city’s bad public servants, lawyers and local bloggers.

I told those guys our bloggers are trashing Brownsville, all of them except for the gentleman from McAllen, Duardo Paz-Martinez,” El Capitan went on. “They didn’t like that, especially Barton who said Duardo shames his family and ex-wife, Nena.

Sanchez said he took shots from both hosts, but left the podcast with this, “They said I was bullying them, those fucking assholes.

The Republic has written extensively about Nena Barton’s passing, always in an informative manner about how Jim Barton passed on a traditional funeral and instead handed her over to science, donating the body days after her death on April 9, 2018.

Since then, Barton has posted a string of unprovoked attacks on The Republic, the latest coming this past week when he published an insulting photoshopped graphic of The Republic’s editor drawn-up by his son, James Barton, Jr., AKA Diego Lee Rot.

As we have written over and over and over – and told Bartonwe do not say a goddamned thing about him or about his late wife unless he throws garbage at us first – which he does without apology. The Republic strikes back with vigor, yes, but the former motel clerk, shrimp boat unloader, grocery store bagger still persists.

Sanchez, meanwhile, said he’d like another shot at appearing on Whine & Cheez, although he said he doubted Erasmo Castro, the straight man in the show, would approve such a move. Barton, the humorless second-banana on the podcast broadcast from a  downtown cafe, would likely not appear were El Capitan to be booked one more time. In the past, he also has cowardly attacked Sanchez on his comatose Blog, never confronting the Bigger Man in person.

We are awaiting posting of the Podcast on any of the city’s Blogs for further review and news coverage, including whatever comments Castro and Barton offer.

When we asked Castro via Facebook late Sunday afternoon about it, he said he’d forward a link so that we could hear the entire show for ourselves. We’ll see if he does…


𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗪𝗘𝗜𝗥𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗕𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝗡𝗕𝗔 𝗙𝗔𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗔 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 𝗕𝗔𝗥

My overt cowardice made me wait until halftime to check the Mavs-Clippers score for round 1 of the NBA playoffs.   The Mavs were sufficientl...