By Juan Montoya
The last time the issue of the contract for Paragon Sports Constructors came around for the installation of artificial turf on four high school fields, the measure failed 3-3 with one abstention.
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Tonight, the administration pushed hard by trustee Joe Rodriguez, will try to ram the ball over the bottom line. Rodriguez,also a vendor of sports equipment on file with the district, told his fellow board members at their last meeting that Paragon Sports was "the best in the world."
At the time of the original vote, trustees Dr. Sylvia Atkinson, Minerva Peña, and Phil Cowen voted "nay."
Rodriguez was joined by Laura Perez-Reyes and Carlos Elizondo to approve the measure.
Abstaining because of his employment with the Buy Board – of which Paragon Sports is a fee-paying member – was Cesar Lopez, the board chair.
For months now, many residents and district administrators have questioned Elizondo's continuing presence on the BISD board given the City of Brownsville's personnel policy manual prohibition against a city employee holding an elective office in the same jurisdiction.
The city's personnel policy manual's Section 702: Political Activity states that:
"B. Specifically, City Employees may not engage in the following activities:
4. Hold an elective City office or hold an elective or appointive office in any other jurisdiction where service would constitute a direct conflict of interest with City employment, with or without remuneration. Upon assuming such office, an Employee shall resign or shall be dismissed for cause upon failure to do so."
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The former city attorney Mark Sossi ignored letters from residents questioning why no one called the city on the issue. And city commissioners seem to be content to allow the question to fester.
City Manager Charlie Cabler has ignored advice from his legal department calling on him to suspend the former chief pending resolution of a complaint against him for taking more than $8,000 from the firefighters' PAC account through numerous ATM withdrawals while he was union president.
The Cameron County District Attorney is currently investigating the case as well as Elizondo's role in a local ambulance service as well as other irregularities in the fire department operations while he was chief.
Tonight, Elizondo's questionable vote will probably decide the issue if Cowen does a turn around and joins his pal Rodriguez and gives the $3.7 million contract to Paragon, Super Esperanza Zendejas' favorite company. She has said she discovered Paragon "over coffee" with her fellow superintendents and then and there made up her mind she would spend the millions (if the $3.7 million is approved, Paragon's take will be close to $7 million by now) on them based on her coffee klatch's recommendations.
If the city and the school district had insisted on following the law, Rodriguez and Zendejas would be a vote short even with Cowen providing his support.
The last time the issue of the contract for Paragon Sports Constructors came around for the installation of artificial turf on four high school fields, the measure failed 3-3 with one abstention.
Tonight, the administration pushed hard by trustee Joe Rodriguez, will try to ram the ball over the bottom line. Rodriguez,also a vendor of sports equipment on file with the district, told his fellow board members at their last meeting that Paragon Sports was "the best in the world."At the time of the original vote, trustees Dr. Sylvia Atkinson, Minerva Peña, and Phil Cowen voted "nay."
Rodriguez was joined by Laura Perez-Reyes and Carlos Elizondo to approve the measure.
Abstaining because of his employment with the Buy Board – of which Paragon Sports is a fee-paying member – was Cesar Lopez, the board chair.
For months now, many residents and district administrators have questioned Elizondo's continuing presence on the BISD board given the City of Brownsville's personnel policy manual prohibition against a city employee holding an elective office in the same jurisdiction.
The city's personnel policy manual's Section 702: Political Activity states that:
"B. Specifically, City Employees may not engage in the following activities:
4. Hold an elective City office or hold an elective or appointive office in any other jurisdiction where service would constitute a direct conflict of interest with City employment, with or without remuneration. Upon assuming such office, an Employee shall resign or shall be dismissed for cause upon failure to do so."
The former city attorney Mark Sossi ignored letters from residents questioning why no one called the city on the issue. And city commissioners seem to be content to allow the question to fester.City Manager Charlie Cabler has ignored advice from his legal department calling on him to suspend the former chief pending resolution of a complaint against him for taking more than $8,000 from the firefighters' PAC account through numerous ATM withdrawals while he was union president.
The Cameron County District Attorney is currently investigating the case as well as Elizondo's role in a local ambulance service as well as other irregularities in the fire department operations while he was chief.
Tonight, Elizondo's questionable vote will probably decide the issue if Cowen does a turn around and joins his pal Rodriguez and gives the $3.7 million contract to Paragon, Super Esperanza Zendejas' favorite company. She has said she discovered Paragon "over coffee" with her fellow superintendents and then and there made up her mind she would spend the millions (if the $3.7 million is approved, Paragon's take will be close to $7 million by now) on them based on her coffee klatch's recommendations.
If the city and the school district had insisted on following the law, Rodriguez and Zendejas would be a vote short even with Cowen providing his support.