Max Powers

The Valenti Bonus Redux

I know UMC CEO Jim Valenti's bonus is old news, but some of you all the time to sit and watch Commissioners Court.   Supposedly, County Judge Veronica Escobar brought up the topic of Valenti's bonus and said she was against it.

But that's not exactly true:

 

She was not upset about the bonus.  It was the public that was upset, and because she did not want to deal with the public she wanted to punt the issue to the UMC Board.

 

 

Site Stuff

 

Jaime's Dream

Posting has been light, and will be light until sometime next week.

Part of it, laziness.

Part of it, hey, Max has to make a living.

Part of it, the weather has been great.

And the other part?  Max is doing things.  Maybe it is an ORR or ORRs.  Maybe something else.  We shall see.

In the meantime, you enjoy that picture of yours truly in the flesh. 

Confusing the Political for the Spiritual

So the Pope is in America. 

I am rather disappointed in the Pope.  I mean Argentina should have beaten Germany. 

But I digress.

San Antonio's own Cesar Blanco is in D.C. to hear the Pope speak on the White House lawn.

When asked about his trip by the El Paso Times, Blanco said:

“I don’t know how this all started, but we’re excited about it.”

Now, I  normally beat up on the El Paso Times, but even that from Blanco was a little to0 rich for the El Paso Times.  And the El Paso Times loves Blanco.

Following up the quote by Blanco, the El Paso Times brought a dose of reality to the article:

Blanco served as Western States political director for the Democratic National Committee during President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. That might have something to do with why he received an invitation to join the president and first lady in welcoming the pontiff.

So in other words, Blanco is not the second coming of Christ.  Far from it.  He just happened to back the right horse at the right time.

But as self-absorbed as Blanco he probably think they are one in the same.

 

 

 

Keeping Up With Just One Jones

Every now and then, the El Paso Times will run a column by Bob Jones.

You know, the Bob Jones who is serving a 10-year sentence on corruption and fraud charges.

So why HIM? 

Of all the people in El Paso that got swept up in the corruption scandal, why that guy?

Former County Commissioner Carlos Aguilar, who was NOT charged, got the third degree from the El Paso Times' editorial board for being a nominee to a city board.

You think the El Paso Times would allow Aguilar to be a guest columnist?

Probably not.

Then there is the other Jones, who is now out of prison. 

Luther Jones. 

Why didn't he, or doesn't he, have an occasional column in the El Paso Times?

Either by design or accident, the El Paso Times is rehabilitating Bob Jones' image. 

So how about this.

I know I do not have the readership that the El Paso Times has  (understatement), which hey that's okay. 

But I will do my best to keep up with the Joneses.

How?

If Luther Jones ever wanted to speak his mind about El Paso, he would be more than welcome to have those thoughts posted unfiltered on this blog. 

 

 

While Chente Campaigns...

Go Horns!!! #Longhorns #HookEm pic.twitter.com/zm25y1C5xP

— Mary Gonzalez (@RepMaryGonzalez) September 13, 2015

 ...Mary Gonzalez watches mediocre football.

Yes, former Chente Quintanilla is campaigning for his old seat. 

He's working it...unlike Mary.

So what has Mary done since that football game in Austin?

Travel to Houston:

Happy to welcome @RepMaryGonzalez to Houston! Thanks for hosting @BlakeEllis and @McDadeNelson. #txlege pic.twitter.com/DiPHlqBaOZ

— Sylvia R. Garcia (@SenatorSylvia) September 15, 2015

Last I checked, Houstonians cannot vote for Gonzalez, or for that matter most folks at a Longhorn football game.

 

 

 

 

Bob Moore's Hypocrisy

The El Paso Times today lashed out at City Representative Larry Romero.

Which hey, no big deal. 

But what caught my eye is what the paper had to say about former County Commissioner Carlos Aguilar in that editorial:

"...he is considered toxic by El Paso's best public officials because of this past conduct."

This is coming from an editorial board that praised Jaime Abeytia.

If Jaime Abeytia can have second, or third, or fourth, chances, certainly those chances should be bestowed upon Aguilar.

But no.

Don't tell me Abeytia is no less toxic than Aguilar. 

So why not?

Who are these "best public officials" that the editorial board holds in high esteem?

I have a hunch.

It's actually just one public official, and that public official is more likely than not, Veronica Escobar. 

If Escobar can call Jaime a "stud", God knows what sweet nothings she tells Bob Moore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hidden Push for a State Income Tax

Former Senator Eliot Shapleigh may no longer be in the Texas Senate, but that is not stopping him from pushing his pet project - a personal state income tax.

Shapleigh's former Chief of Staff and friend, Austin Mayor Steve Alder, made recent headlines when the City of Austin sued the State of Texas for enforcing an unfair appraisal system that places an unfair burden on residential property owners. 

The argument is that commercial property owners do not pay their fair share. 

So what does this have to do with a personal income tax?

Shapleigh in his spiel about the income tax would always highlight New Mexico.  In a nutshell, New Mexicans pay less in property taxes than Texans because New Mexicans pay a state income tax, and that even with the state income tax New Mexicans came out ahead because they could deduct that when they file for their federal income tax.

Shapleigh and Adler know they cannot make commercial property owners pay their so-called fair share because for every glitzy high-rise that is being financed by traditional lenders, they are a thousands of other properties with years of deferred maintenance that are home to many small businesses that are certainly not ones the benefitting from this alleged inequity. 

So enter the personal income tax.

It will be sold as a third way.  It helps residential property owners reduced their tax burden, and lets commercial property tax owners enjoy whatever it is that they enjoy under the current appraisal system, AND that it can help address public school finance once and for all.

 

 

Searching for Bobby (INSERT LAST NAME)

In the many texts to and from City Representative Claudia Ordaz, some interesting ones she received are from her staff regarding Bobby.

Bobby, who?  I don't know.

Here's one:

Here's another:

It sounds like Ordaz has helped this Bobby fellow, but Bobby doesn't help her...or something like that.

And it also sounds like this Bobby fellow also owns City Council or something like that.

It would be great if Ordaz could let us know who this Bobby guy is. 

 

Campaign Disclosure - Ordaz, Perez and Abeytia

There is a lot of text messages, but one that should be of concern to some office holders is this text:

Why the concern?

Because there is probably little chance that campaigns ever disclosed paying Jaime Abeytia, or City Representative Claudia Ordaz or County Commissioner Vince Perez.

So either some candidate/officeholders will have to edit previously submitted campaign finance reports or they will completely deny ever hiring Abeytia, Ordaz or Perez.

The other issue is that Perez and Ordaz may have to edit and/or re-submit personal financial statements if they have been paid by campaigns previously. 

And even if Ordaz and Perez did not charge for their campaign services, regardless the candidate would have had to report their services as an in-kind contribution.

 

 

 

 

 

Commissioner David Stout: An As Sho-le?

Commissioner David Stout is a former reporter, so you would think he would know a thing or two about how to avoid bad press. 

Well, you thought wrong.

Say what you will about the El Paso Children's Hospital debacle, at least there's been no name-calling - publicly - among those involved until David Stout opened his mouth a couple days ago.

David Stout thinks children like her are "squatters".

 David Stout calling patients at EPCH "squatters" is low.

Especially for a Team Shapleigh Democrat.

For all the talk from Democrats about Republicans not caring for children, David Stout turns things upside down.

Politically, part of this falls on County Judge Veronica Escobar.  Her mentor, Eliot Shapleigh, would at least force some sort of message discipline.  Her?  Not so much...for whatever reason.

There is though a silver-lining.

For the longest time most people thought the only asshole in El Paso named "David" was David K, but no.  There are now two assholes from El Paso named "David".  David K has company, but not the company he deserves, but it's the company he needs right now (lifted line).

And somewhere former Commissioner and sometimes blog commenter, Sergio Lewis, has to be laughing.