It was billed as a dress-blues, black-tie affair featuring U.S. Congressman Filemon Vela Jr. to kick off fundraising for something called the Brownsville Firefighters Community Outreach Fund that would help Habitat for Humanity and the 12 Days of Christmas dreamed up by Fire Chief Carlos Elizondo.
But alas, low ticket sales (only 40 by Thursday) and the threat of an approaching tropical storm has doused the enterprise and its organizers have cancelled the event. The event was scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at the Brownsville Events Center. Tickets were $75 per couple.
The fund has never been active and was dreamed up by Elizondo after he became chief in 2016. Up to today, there is no record that it has ever existed or helped anyone. The rank-and-file firefighters have said they were never told of the fund or of the "leadership" ball.
No one is sure whether Harvey will evolve into a full-fledged hurricane or whether the southeast Texas coast will be doused with three or four days of rain. But given the propensity for flooding in drainage poor Brownsville, it's probably all for the good.
As of Thursday noon, the congressman said he was unaware of the cancellation of the ball, but about 45 minutes later confirmed it had been cancelled.
Harvey's dark clouds, then, had a silver lining. It would save Elizondo the embarrassment of not having had a full house for honoring congressman Vela, and at the same time, the congressman would not have to voluntarily disassociate himself from the event given the events surrounding the chief.
Elizondo was the object of a police complaint against him last week charging him with Theft by a Public Servant over $8,000 or more missing money from the Firefighters Association Local #970 Political Action Committee. The association filed it with the Brownsville Police Dept. who then handed it over to the Cameron County District Attorney's Office.
Early indications are that Elizondo dipped into the PAC fund without approval by other members of the association, including withdrawals to fund his 2014 campaign for a seat on the board of trustees of the Brownsville Independent School Board.
With that hanging over his head, it was probably better that the event was cancelled to save everyone an embarrassing moment.