Representative Rene Oliveira's Ongoing Betrayal of Brownsville & Cameron County

 

by Jim Barton on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 11:54am

     Rene Oliveira's salary as a "Representative" of District 37 which includes Brownsville and Cameron County is said to be $7,200.   He is also retained by the Brownsville Independent School District as interim counsel.  But it is his work for Linebarger, Goggan, Blair and Sampson, LLP that gives his employer the most bang for the buck.
     First, a little historical perspective:  In 2001 Oliveira spearheaded a committee to remove a line in section 3308 of the tax code limiting the delinquent tax collection fee to 15%, subsequently including language allowing a tax collection fee rate of 20%.  That bill sailed through the Ways & Means Committee of which Rene was chairman and was passed by the entire house.   Considering Linebarger's near statewide presence in tax collection, how many millions of dollars did this sleight of hand add to the agency's coffers?
     Now, fast forward to 2012.  With Rene Oliveira retained by BISD as interim counsel, but still connected to Linebarger, the February 2, 2012 board meeting agenda contains an action item INCREASING the tax collection rate by 2.5%, netting the collection firm an extra $125,000.  And who is that newly named firm?  Linebarger, Goggan, Blair and Sampson LLP.  (Please note:  As documented by Bobby Wightman-Cervantes, Linebarger was a substantial contributor to the campaigns of BISD board members Longoria, Escobedo and Saavedra.)  Who pays this extra fee and the millions of dollars collected since 2001 by the passage Rene Oliveira's house bill?  The tax payers, the very people Representative Rene Oliveira claims to represent.
     We must not limit Oliveira's traitorous betrayal of Brownsville and Cameron County to tax matters.  We must not forget Oliveira's treacherous attempt to effectively nullify the 4-3 vote to preserve Texas Southmost College.  Rene totally misrepresented the will of the people by trying to overturn that vote with a house bill essentially for unification.  Only by the efforts of TSC Trustee Adela Garza to lobby the committee, carefully laying out the actual situation at UTB/TSC was Oliveira's attempted sabotage thwarted.
      Yes, Rene Oliveira is a representative, but not of the people of Brownsville, Cameron County and District 37.