elpasospeak

The December 11, 2013 agenda for the Ysleta Independent School District (YISD) tells us a lot.

The consent portion lists 15 items for consideration.  Included are millions of dollars of spending.  As usual, the material does not tell the public anything about who the contracts will be awarded to.

The agenda contains this jewel ” (5 minutes maximum for all items, inclusive)”.

If these items are really universally supported by the board members the whole thing should about 30 seconds.  We understand that.

My problem with this is the lack of discussion about what is being done, why it is being done, and how they are doing it.

YISD’s published core belief number 7 is:  “Except where prohibited by law, the entire District system should be transparent”.

It seems like staff has control over the board.

We deserve better

Brutus

We plan to be back Thursday, December 26.

In the mean time, please enjoy the holiday.

Brutus

The other day, a letter to the editor opined about the closing of the VNA. In the early 1970’s, the VNA was started by the hard work of Bette Gladstone. The organization had its birth with one doctor, one nurse, one aide, one physical therapist and one nun. The nurse was Carolyn Brown RN, the nun was Sister Louise, the PT was Pierre LaMatre. The place was the basement of Hotel Dieu. Next to the Boiler Room. The board was an unruly group of 20 who wanted answers. The Physician who was the Medical director also served a Chairman of the Board.
Luck would have it after one year, a patient of the Physician and Board Chairman died and left their house on Virginia Street to the VNA. A new home. Strangely enough, all the patient referred were those of the Directors and Dr.Gladstone. Later the other docs in town started to refer. Business flourished. From the beginning we were non profit organization Not “no Profit”. Over tbe years 30 new competitors entered the market.
The original Medical director after many years was asked to serve on the Medical advisory board. What a change. Over the years we continued to be “not for profit” and “no profit”. Hard to work a business that the staff feels its a charitable organization.
Let’s bring in a a man who knows how to save a losers. Wardy? He found a sick business whose competition are Cherry-picking clients leaving the remainder for the “not for profit” or “no profit”. The inevitable occurred. Collapse.
Watching the evolution of the VNA over the years, the end was a given. Unless subsidized, these non-profits can’t compete, Wardy or not.
I watched this happen since I was there, as the First Medical Director, Chairman of the Board in the the beginning and on the Advisory Board at the end.

I have a lot of things to be thankful for.

Among them are the 74% of the voters that took action in our last city election.

We deserve better

and if we keep it up might actually get better.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brutus

Take a look at this page on the city web site.  The page shows a few of the legal bills that the city has been incurring.

Four invoices show $199 thousand worth of charges in 2012 from a Dallas law firm.  The bills have to do with “Sports Stadium Analysis/Financing”.

The requesting attorney appears to be a member of our local Paso Del Norte Group even though his law firm’s web page says he is based in Dallas.

I don’t know anything about the complexities or legal challenges that would relate to financing a ball park but am surprised that this would cost so much especially when we wasted $14 million because of timing.

Citizen Supression

Three  different invoices on the same web page show the city spending $49,521.89 with a San Antonio law firm last year to represent the city relating to “Voter Initiative Petition”, “Open Records Requests”, and a lawsuit that I believe was about the voter initiative petition.

You should note that the law firm invoice referred to the petitions as an “initiative” even though our most recent former mayor claims that the petitions were for a “referendum”.

We deserve better

Brutus