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| Commissioner Debbie Portillo |
18. Consideration and ACTION to acknowledge the list of City properties that could possibly be placed on the City's seller list. (Commissioners D. Portillo and J. Villarreal)
Could it actually be that the city, after acquiring property after property for the last two years will now try
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| Commissioner John Villarreal |
Among the properties purchased without a hint of justification or even explanation to the taxpayers: A brick building and warehouse at 1700 Ringgold St. for $100,000, 611 and 615 E. 11th for $41,000 and $42,000(later Tony tapped into the AEP Texas Settlement Fund to buy 609 E. 11th for $42,000), the Mother of Perpetual Help Home at 519 E. Madison for $195,101(now used for bicycle storage), the Old National Guard Armory at 344 Porter Drive for $431,200, the San Fernando Building at 1100 E. Adams St. for $315,000(rumored to have been made available to an architectural firm working on a network of bicycle trails), and, of course La Casa del Nylon for $2,300,000.
Health Director Arturo Rodriguez, the "Traveling Man"
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| Health Director Arturo Rodriguez |
Just during March Arturo was out of town in seminars two full weeks, half the month, at the Texas Trails & Active Transportation Conference and the Active Living Conference. Not only was Arturo out of the office, unavailable to Brownsville citizens, he socked it to the taxpayers on airfare, hotel accommodations and a whopping $71 per diem meal allowance. Rodriguez charged us $1,439 for the TTAT and $2,623 for the ALC. He also took Judy Hernandez, Wellness Coordinator, to the ALC. Judy also asked the city for $2,623, meaning the taxpayers spent $6,685 in March for Health Department Travel.
Both conferences offered at least some meals, a "networking" lunch here, dinner, continental breakfasts. The Active Living Conference, in keeping with its theme, had scheduled physical activity. Wellness Coordinator Judy Hernandez chose walking, zumba and beech volleyball as her activities. Health Director Rodriguez wrote on that line: "No thanks. I'll exercize on my own."
Congratulations, Dallas. Your never-ending quest to become "world class" has finally paid off. Not in the sense that Dallas will now be mentioned in the same breath as London and Paris or transformed into a international tourist hotspot. But you have finally succeeded in scrubbing off the redness the rest of the world assumes is covering the back of your neck. Proof: Dallas is the "least country city in Texas," according to a study by the real estate website Estately, which ranked the nation's 50 most populous cities based on the percentage of people with Facebook interests like "rodeo" and "pickup trucks" and ran the results through an extensive peer-review process. (That's how these gimmicky real estate blogs work, right?) Nationally, Dallas was in the middle of the pack in every category but pickups (No. 4). We wear fewer cowboy boots than Milwaukee; we like country music less than Portland; we watch NASCAR less than Denver. More important, Dallas was far less country than Houston (16), Arlington (11), El Paso (5), and San Antonio (2). Fort Worth, naturally, is the most country, getting high marks for cowboy boots, rodeo and sweet tea. We'll leave it to you to decide whether or not this is something to celebrate. But there is definitely something special about a place that's equally unattractive to both NASCAR fans and hipsters.
ReplyDeleteIt is unbelievable that we have a health director that looks like a WEEBLE. Rodriguez preaches all about healthy living, but certainly does not practice what he preaches. "No thanks, I'll exercise on my own" LMAO! Time to put a freeze on all of this travel by city employees!
ReplyDeleteYou act as if it's your money. Why not as the city where the travel fund comes from. It may just be state or federal dollars, which is what keeps you and every other Mexican in town alive.
Delete"It may just be state or federal dollars" And where the fuck do you think State or Federal dollars come from? Oh yes, it is from us the tax payers! Pull your head out of your ass for a moment...geez!!
DeleteAgree. It's "state" taxpayers, from elsewhere, Baboso! Brownsville'c contribution to the state coffers is pitiful. Keep you head up your ass, Pendeja!
DeleteAnonymous at 6:16 AM, It's uneducated dumbass people like you that is the reason Brownsville stays in the rut it's in!
DeleteI though that fat ass was a botana cook in some local bar
ReplyDeleteBrownsville continues to hire idiots for department heads. Art is right up there with the Fire Chief and certainly has proven his ignorance well.
ReplyDeleteLol, Looks like a cook in some greasy restaurant in Hgn.
ReplyDeleteHead is lowered and shaking slowly side to side.
ReplyDeleteArturo Rodriguez is surely a poster boy for good health and symbolic of everything Dr. Zavaletta-Gowen wants of Brownsville. Just look at Arturo and we think "good health", "regular exercise" and surely a biker. Maybe they send him on these trips to get him out of the way and not let him be a contradiction to city health programs. We will just have to ask the city. Here we have corrupt local officials and unhealthy health officials.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone heard of Skype? These conferences are not meant for the metropolitan minded civic leaders but to the technology challenged city officials that live back in the 80's. Just an excuse to rip off the tax paying citizens of Brownsville. Who is accountable? NO ONE, bring back the dog loving Ahumada he was peanuts compared to these Bozos. How much has the Mayor wasted?
ReplyDeleteIt has been observed for the past eight years that Art Rodriguez is as useful to this community as dog poop. He lies to your face when you ask him questions. He is a habitual liar is what I have concluded. What other municipality allows all revenue $$ from adoptions go to a private contracted veterinarian service provider? What other municipalities do you know of that pays for a privately owned non-profit businesses utilities? What other city do you know of that stipulates city employee's must be hired by the service provider in order to win the city's contract, so the city worker would not lose their job, which eliminated all other local veterinarians from bidding on the initial contract during the former Mayor's term. Connect the dots people. The shelter euthanizes over 17, 000 dogs per year at taxpayer expense, because Art has refused to work with various local rescue groups and independent animal advocates toward increasing adoptions, decreasing euthanasia numbers, which would also increase the shelter's revenue (if only it did not all go to that adjoining clinic), and free up space while reducing the expense to taxpayers. Art has refused those ideas, therefore taxpayer's continue to pay for maintaining animals as required by law, just so we can hand over the dogs/cats to the clinic next door so they can make money off the animals cared for at your expense. Something stinks of dog shit and it is not the dogs
ReplyDelete