Purchasing Director Robert C. Luna Gets Caught in Misrepresentations Before City Commission

        City Purchasing Director Robert C. Luna, who represents the city on millions of dollars of contracts annually,  must surely miss the good old days when he could bring anything before the city commission and get it rubber stamped.  Sometimes it was a single source bid by American Surveillance substantially over the going rate.  Sometimes it was lucrative engineering contracts that seemed to be unevenly handed out.  

     Commissioners Zamora, Chavez-Vasquez and Tetreau particularly have been questioning his methodology and he's not a happy camper.  At the 2/21/12 City Commission meeting, Luna presented an action item involving demolition services for the City of Brownsville.  Commissioner Zamora quickly noted that Jaime Escobedo, who usually gets lucrative surveillance contracts handed to him by Luna was now in the demolition business.  She wanted to know more about how these contractors were selected.

     Next Commissioner Chavez-Vasquez had questions.  "How are the contractors pre-qualified since the demolitions involve varying degrees of difficulty?  How do we know that all of the companies are set up to do minor and major demolition?  Were all vendors given equal notification?"

     At one point, Chavez Vasquez noticed some discrepancies in the printout she had received from Luna and what he was now stating.  "You stated on the printout that 8 vendors were at your initial meeting about the demolition, now you're saying you only contacted 5."  Luna admitted his handout to the commissioners was in error.  

     Luna continued to explain, stating that some vendors have changed their phone number without notifiying the city, some simply don't answer their phone.  That answer got the attention of Mayor Martinez.  "Let me ask you this.  Do we have a uniform method of notifying vendors when there is a need?  Are we, for example sending a certified letter requiring a signature?"  Luna indicated that when the vendor has a fax machine that the city can connect to, there is some proof that the fax was received.  Other vendors are notified verbally.

     That answer did not suit Martinez who gently chastised Luna, stating that the purchasing department needed to analyze its methods to make certain all qualified vendors had equal access to contracts.

     As the item went to a vote, Commissioner Tetreau wanted it noted that she felt "deceived" by the Purchasing Department.