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| County Clerk Joe Rivera |
First, we learned of the co-naming of a satellite judicial building for Rivera and Aurora de la Garza, followed up with an extravagant $2,500 portrait of the rule-bending duo not authorized by purchase order.
As if the portrait and building identification were not enough in the way of unearned recognition and reward for Joe and Aurora, County Commissioner Dan Sanchez tried to issue the two raises through a sleight-of-hand last minute addendum to the Commissioners Court minutes authorizing raises totaling nearly $6,000 for the two.
Now, a just received report indicates that Rivera has still not developed the necessary respect for proper protocol or taxpayer dollars:
"Hi Jim.. . . . . Just keep my name confidential. At the courthouse...2 nd floor...not sure of district. But county workers are soliciting attorneys to buy raffle ticket for $25.00 each. They say its for their Xmas party BUT the ticket says "Campaign and Xmas Party". I asked a worker and he verified it was for campaign of Joe Rivera and some funds for their Xmas party. It appears.all workers are required to sell tickets."
In Cameron County, likely the most impoverished county in the United States, our public officials continue to show no respect for the way they use staff payed for by tax dollars nor the use of facilities, paid for, heated and cooled and maintained by the taxpayers. If the above report is accurate, Rivera needs to be immortalized in a far different way than with an expensive, unauthorized portrait.
Just received a confirmation of this report by a second party:
"have you seen a copy of the raffle ticket? I have one. I noticed it said "campaign" also. Thought it was weird. Every employee got 5 tickets to sell. i bought 2 yesterday AM. Please leave my name out of this"
Just received a confirmation of this report by a second party:
"have you seen a copy of the raffle ticket? I have one. I noticed it said "campaign" also. Thought it was weird. Every employee got 5 tickets to sell. i bought 2 yesterday AM. Please leave my name out of this"
The type of conduct by the staff of Joe Rivera needs to be immediately investigated. We recall County Sheriff Candidate and former bailiff Joe Cisneros being terminated for so-called campaign activities perhaps less blatant than this.
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Jim, this is not news. All staff members of the County clerks office are REQUIRED to either sell or purchase these tickets themselves. They are clearly told not to return unsold tickets. This action has been going on for at least the last ten years, possibly longer. Under threat of joining the unemployment line. Ask any of his staff. They hate it cause they usually get stuck with the tickets.
ReplyDeleteEven if this is common practice, it is unethical. Taxpayers are not paying staff to sell tickets in the halls while on the clock. If Joe Rivera has enough staff to do this, he is overstaffed. This is not only unethical, it is illegal and disrespects those who pay for the staff, built the building, maintain it and provide climate control. It also creates an unlevel playing field in favor of the incumbent.
ReplyDeleteJim
This is absolutely illegal. I'm not one to quarrel with Hispanics honoring themselves, i.e. Rivera's portrait or the naming of buildings. Lord knows, there are few monuments to the culture's contributions, in the Valley and elsewhere. But there is the very-recent case of the aide for Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker who got six (6) months in jail for campaigning for another Republican while on the state payroll. All it takes is judges who know and want to apply the law...
ReplyDelete/DP-M
Exactly! Well said.
DeleteThey key here being that they "want to apply the law...". I'm afraid that our elected judiciary lack the "huevos" to do the legal/right/moral/ethical thing. Besides, they are too afraid of the political repercussions.
DeleteAll official documents should read CRIMINAL COUNTY instead of CAMERON COUNTY!
ReplyDeleteNOBODY should stay in office longer than 2 terms. They say they are invincible but they have their staff campaigning and asking for donations not to mention the favors for money or support. All of our elected officials are dirty, corrupt, cynical and shameless, if the FBI, Texas Rangers, Attorney GenerAl etc. would even care to look our way, there would not be anybody left to close the jail gates
ReplyDelete