"He is now a full time city employee with benefits including health insurance."
Comment on post about city contract attorney Mark Sossi filing for custody and child support from the mother of his six-month old child.
By Juan Montoya
During the January 17 meeting of the City of Brownsville Commission, commissioners Rick Longoria and Cesar de Leon placed an item in executive session having to do with the employment status of city contract attorney Mark Sossi.
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The item read: EXECUTIVE SESSION: 5:45 P.M. A) Discussion pursuant to Texas Government Code 551.074 to discuss the evaluation and employment of the City Attorney. (Commissioners Ricardo Longoria, Jr./Cesar De Leon – 15 mins)
After emerging from executive session, De Leon moved to table the item and the commission voted unanimously to table. There has not been another meeting since to discuss the item. And we know that the city commission must vote to hire the city manager and the city attorney. So if this commenter is correct in that Sossi is now a full time employee with the city, under whose authority did Cabler hire him?
Was a new full-time city attorney slot opened since the meeting, applications advertised, applicants interviewed and a recommendation given to the commission to turn his contractual job into a full-time slot with all the benefits he need to provide his love child with medical insurance? Was anyuone else given an opportunity to apply for the new position? Did Sossi?
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Sossi filed a lawsuit early January of this year against Yessica Belen Larios, a former strip joint dancer, asking the court to evict her from his home, grant him custody and make her pay him child support in January. She counter-sued and asked the court for custody and child support, and, claiming she was concerned for the welfare of the child, also asked court for a drug test to analyze his hair follicles for the presence of a controlled substance, cocaine.
Sossi was hired on contract as city attorney at $180,000 ($120,000 annual retainer and another $60,000 from the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, GBIC, to sit in one their meetings).
The one-page, five-paragraph contract was inked on July 2009 and specifically states that he "shall work as a contractor and not be entitled to any employment benefits including insurance and cell phones."
We have heard that Sossi's selling point in his quest to be a a full-time city employee with all the benefits (including health insurance for his child) was that he would work for the city exclusively and do no outside work for any other clients.
But the fact that he has been sued for legal malpractice at least twice by private individuals for not representing them adequately and shirking his duty doesn't bode well for the city's legal representation. Additionally, we understand that there several tax liens have been filed against against him.
The City Secretary's office has slowed down noticeably in handling our request for information since we started looking into the to-us questionable actions by Mayor Tony Martinez and now Sossi. We are currently awaiting their response to our requests and now understand that secretary Michael Lopez – unlike his predecessor Estella Von Hatten – will use the full 10 days the city has to provide us with the information.
During the January 17 meeting of the City of Brownsville Commission, commissioners Rick Longoria and Cesar de Leon placed an item in executive session having to do with the employment status of city contract attorney Mark Sossi.
The item read: EXECUTIVE SESSION: 5:45 P.M. A) Discussion pursuant to Texas Government Code 551.074 to discuss the evaluation and employment of the City Attorney. (Commissioners Ricardo Longoria, Jr./Cesar De Leon – 15 mins) After emerging from executive session, De Leon moved to table the item and the commission voted unanimously to table. There has not been another meeting since to discuss the item. And we know that the city commission must vote to hire the city manager and the city attorney. So if this commenter is correct in that Sossi is now a full time employee with the city, under whose authority did Cabler hire him?
Was a new full-time city attorney slot opened since the meeting, applications advertised, applicants interviewed and a recommendation given to the commission to turn his contractual job into a full-time slot with all the benefits he need to provide his love child with medical insurance? Was anyuone else given an opportunity to apply for the new position? Did Sossi?
Sossi filed a lawsuit early January of this year against Yessica Belen Larios, a former strip joint dancer, asking the court to evict her from his home, grant him custody and make her pay him child support in January. She counter-sued and asked the court for custody and child support, and, claiming she was concerned for the welfare of the child, also asked court for a drug test to analyze his hair follicles for the presence of a controlled substance, cocaine.Sossi was hired on contract as city attorney at $180,000 ($120,000 annual retainer and another $60,000 from the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, GBIC, to sit in one their meetings).
The one-page, five-paragraph contract was inked on July 2009 and specifically states that he "shall work as a contractor and not be entitled to any employment benefits including insurance and cell phones."
We have heard that Sossi's selling point in his quest to be a a full-time city employee with all the benefits (including health insurance for his child) was that he would work for the city exclusively and do no outside work for any other clients.
But the fact that he has been sued for legal malpractice at least twice by private individuals for not representing them adequately and shirking his duty doesn't bode well for the city's legal representation. Additionally, we understand that there several tax liens have been filed against against him.
The City Secretary's office has slowed down noticeably in handling our request for information since we started looking into the to-us questionable actions by Mayor Tony Martinez and now Sossi. We are currently awaiting their response to our requests and now understand that secretary Michael Lopez – unlike his predecessor Estella Von Hatten – will use the full 10 days the city has to provide us with the information.