Max Powers

Tolbert and Assholes

So City Representative Jim Tolbert told someone not to be an asshole during a city council meeting.

The appropriate response would have been, "You go first!" and not "That's uncalled for!"

But I digress.

I have no problems with Tolbert telling someone at a city council meeting to quit being an asshole. 

Let's be honest.

The kind of people that go to city council hearings to speak their mind are well...assholes.

Same goes for the kind of people that serve on council.

As far as the politics of it all, well, who knows? 

Conventional wisdom would say this is bad, but in Tolbert's case it might be good.

Tolbert had to make a correction for pulling a Veronica Escobar - being whiny and entitled - in an email he sent to a general manager at Ruth's Chris. 

Tolbert went from being a whiny little (CENSORED) to just being an asshole in under a week.

Talk about a makeover. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary Gonzalez: No Longer Under Investigation

Your State Representative Mary Gonzalez (D-Austin) is no longer under investigation by the Travis County Public Integrity Unit.

 

 

For background, go here, aqui, aca, and alla.

Download Closure Letter

Off the Record with David Crowder...

...which just happens to be on the record with City Representative Jim Tolbert.

El Paso Inc.'s own David Crowder more or less spilled his journalistic guts with Tolbert - Download Crowder.

So what is David Crowder's problem?

He is upset that he does not have City Manager Tommy Gonzalez's cellphone number.  Because he used to have former City Manager Joyce Wilson's cellphone, I guess he needs to have Gonzalez's?

The other issue?

I guess he does not like Juli Lozano all that much.

 

 

 

 

 

Commissioners Court: Open Meetings Act Violation?

We know that City Representative Jim Tolbert throws hissy fits when he does not get free steak.

From Tolbert's hissy fit, we also know the Mayor and his staff got steak, as did the El Paso County Commissioners.

Well, we do not know if they really got steak, but I am just riffin' now.

But back to the County Commissioners. 

What we do not know is how many Commissioners went.

Why does that matter?

If quorum was present, then the Commissioners Court should have posted a notice of a public meeting.

"But Max, they are just having dinner!!!"

It makes no difference. 

House and Senate committees in the Texas Legislature post notice of public meetings even if the meeting is nothing more than a dinner and there is nothing to take action on.

The Commissioners Court probably did not want to post notice because of how bad it would look.

But now the Commissioners Court looks worse.

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Tolbert: "LET ME EAT STEAK"

City Representative Jim Tolbert has been in office less than a year and he already has a false sense of entitlement.

When Tolbert is not busy telling staff what to put on his newsletter, he throws temper tantrums at El Paso's service industry. 

Tolbert's first victim?

The manager of Ruth's Chris:

Where to begin?

First of all, Tolbert is a grown-ass man.  This grown-ass man took the time to compose an email to bitch about not getting a free steak. 

Never mind steakhouses are rip-offs unless you are getting a 200+ day dry aged steak.  You can make a better steak at home.  But I digress.

The right thing to do would have been to let it slide.

But let us say your feelings are still hurt, what do you do?  What you do is you go to Ruth's Chris one evening.  You go to the bar order some wine and a steak, and during that time you will likely run across the manager, and you can then jokingly bust the manager's balls (or ovaries) as to why you were not invited.  More than likely your meal will be comped. 

That would be the way to handle it, assuming you felt so compelled to handle it as a private citizen.

But therein lies the other issue.

Tolbert is not a private citizen. 

Tolbert fancies himself as "Mr. Ethical" and "Mr. Ready from Day One", but what his dumbass does not realize is that it was not up to the manager to invite him. 

No.

It is up to City Council to invite itself.   

Having a quorum of City Council members at Ruth's Chris for steak without posting notice for it would have been more unethical and illegal than anything former City Representative Larry Romero did. 

If Tolbert really wanted Council invited to get this steak, he should have put that on the Council agenda. 

Oh, that's right he wouldn't cos' he would realize how much of a self-entitled asshole he could come across as.

So if anything, Tolbert ought to thank the manager for not having invited all of Council to Ruth's Chris thereby preventing some sort Open Meetings Act violation.

But if there is a silver-lining in all of this, you know you can buy Tolbert with a steak dinner. 

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Download TolbertJH_Part7_Steak

 

 

 

 

 

O'Rourke: Cheap Hit

Congressman Beto O'Rourke can be awesome when he is himself. 

But when he tries to score cheap political points, well, he ends up looking like County Judge Veronica Escobar. 

What cheap political points was O'Rourke trying to score?

Voila:

 

We need a lifetime ban on lobbying for those in public service. Dole's successful shilling for Taiwan a new low. https://t.co/zu3R46knnX

— Rep. Beto O'Rourke (@RepBetoORourke) December 7, 2016

Apparently, a phone call from between two democracies rubs O'Rourke the wrong way because one of the democracies hired a former US Senator to lobby for it.  Normally, a democracy could have its ambassador lobby another democracy.  But things being as they are, this democracy has to make-up for the fact it is does not have an ambassador in this other democracy.

If you ask me, as far as moral outrage goes, I would think sending large amounts of cash on an airplane to a state-sponsor of terrorism would rank higher.

Ah, but that state sponsor of terrorism did not hire a former US Senator to lobby on its behalf...so it is totally cool. 

 

 

 

 

Is Marisa Marquez Bored?

I do not if I being played here or not, but I have been told a rumour that out-going State Representative Marisa Marquez is considering running for El Paso City Council.

She would be running against beloved City Representative Jim Tolbert.

If you had asked me before, I would have said Tolbert keeps his seat, but he won't if Marquez runs. 

I thought Marquez was too busy being pregnant. 

But I guess not so much anymore.

The money in El Paso likes her, and she is not exactly unfamiliar with the district. 

If she could beat a 40-year incumbent, certainly she can beat one that has been in office less than a year.

If she runs and wins, well, that puts her in the driver's seat later down the road for Mayor.

So what's Tolbert to do? 

I dunno. 

Call up Lina Ortega and ask if she still needs to hire a staffer in El Paso?

 

 

DREAMers

If I have a message for DREAMers, it is do not pin your hopes on assholes in suits and pant suits. 

 

Protecting #Immigrants #dreamers #latinxgive https://t.co/5TuGr0JBwS

— Cesar Blanco (@CesarJBlanco) November 29, 2016

You might not be able to get a job, BUT there is nothing stopping you from creating your own. 

Everyday, hundreds of thousands of folks of "undocumented" or "illegal" status get up and hustle for themselves. 

With their TINs and insurance they are running businesses all across the country. 

And there is nothing stopping you from doing the same. 

As a matter of a fact you might find that more rewarding than trying to find a job. 

These days a job is no more secure than running your own business...unless, of course, you are a government employee.  

You are doing yourself a huge disservice if you embrace everything about the heritage your parents gave you except their sense of risk-taking.