The City released a copy of Tommy Gonzalez’ answers to the questions asked of him by the investigator looking into how Gonzalez and Larry Romero handled the financial advisor and other issues. In the case of the financial advisor debacle, there are two major issues that need to be addressed. The first is whether Larry Romero and Tommy Gonzalez followed the proper procedures to make a change with the city’s financial advisor. Related to that issue is whether Larry Romero was attempting to benefit from the change in financial advisors. The second issue that is conveniently overlooked by the El Paso Times and certain public officials is whether Joyce Wilson and certain city representatives delayed the sale of the bonds in order to help the Steve Ortega’s campaign.
In his answers, Gonzalez states that he was not aware of any relationship between Larry Romero and Estrada Hinojosa until after the news media reported it. Romero has not submitted his answers, as far as I am aware. Therefore, at this point we must rely on Gonzalez’ answers to whether he was influenced by Romero inappropriately. As I have written previously, I am not sure if Gonzalez acted properly at this point and I believe his actions should be investigated. However, it appears to me that Tommy Gonzalez is currently being “Luther Jonesed” for political purposes. It has been my contention that Bob Moore uses the El Paso Times as a vehicle to support a political agenda. The latest reporting reinforces this notion for me.
It is unlikely that Tommy Gonzalez has any direct knowledge of the delay of the bond sale because he took office after the sale was delayed. As you know by now, Joyce Wilson has acknowledged that the bond sale was delayed for political reasons. The delay cost the taxpayers $20 million. What we do not know is who were the city representatives that directed that the bonds be delayed. Some of us have inferred who they are but no one has publicly provided proof. Absent the naming of individuals we must rely on inference to attempt to identify them.
Obviously, the likely suspects are Susie Byrd, Ann Morgan Lilly, Michiel Noe, Cortney Niland and Steve Ortega. It is unclear if Emma Acosta played any part in the actual delay of the bonds. Eddie Holguin and Carl Robinson were unlikely to have tendered any help to Steve Ortega.
Tommy Gonzalez may not have direct knowledge about the delay, but his answers provides us further information that will help us glean who may have been the city representatives attempting to help Steve Ortega. More important though, is that the coverage of the Gonzalez answers by the El Paso Times provides further evidence of Bob Moore’s manipulation of the news.
In the first questions asked of Gonzalez about “any communications…with anyone” about the RFQ for a news financial services contract, Gonzalez provided the following answer. “Still after those meetings (budget hearings) I was told by Representative Niland ‘Yes bring that back all day long so we can vote on it.’” It is no secret that Niland has been very critical of Gonzalez so his response could be “payback.” However, it is interesting that she was the only one quoted by Gonzalez. Note that the El Paso Times made no mention of Niland’s statement.
Tommy Gonzalez reiterates that the bond sales was delayed because “First Southwest was directed to hold off on the bond sale, until after the mayoral election.” (page: 6)
You will notice that the El Paso Times managed to quote Gonzalez’s answers to this question by selectively taking one answer that agrees with their agenda while ignoring the other answers that do not. The paper quotes; “As a point of clarification, I still believe that it was first [sic] Southwest fiduciary responsibility to have said something in public to City Council.” Although the paper bothered to make this quotation it completely ignored the other two important ones, “First Southwest had not mishandled the ballpark bond sale,” and “First Southwest was directed to hold off on the bond sale, until after the mayoral election.”
Did you notice the selective quotations? As you can see an agenda is at play.
This latest example further adds to the cumulative examples I have been sharing with you on how Bob Moore manipulates the news reports towards a specific political agenda.
The issues involving Tommy Gonzalez and Larry Romero involve the inappropriate resurfacing of streets in Romero’s district and speed bumps at his alma mater. Even if we accept the inappropriateness of the resurfacing as fact, when compared to $20 million in the cost for the delay of the bond sale it becomes apparent how Bob Moore is manipulating the news coverage.
Look closely at their word usage in their report about the Tommy Gonzalez answers and I believe you will agree that their coverage is part of a political agenda.
It all pales in the face of $20MM added to the cost of the stadium and the other pissant stuff is just that – pissant stuff – intended to obfuscate the issue of the bond sale. For EPT, it likely has as much to do with preserving the Wilson legacy and CM form of government she represents that, I hope, we can jettison one of these days.
So when do we finally know who decided to delay the bond sale? Not that anything will happen with it because it was not illegal, just smarmy,
I haven’t read the piece in the newspaper, since I don’t read the newspaper, but my mom does. She received a notice from her carrier that if there was a newspaper missing any day, other than Sunday, the El Paso Times will not replace it. So, the newspaper does have an agenda about screwing their reliable customers as well. I think they are really trying to eliminate their existence in El Paso, so very limited info would be available to inform El Pasoans. You can bet that the federal government has subsidized programs to restrict info as much as possible in cities.
Oh I believe Bob Moore is using the El Paso Times for his friends Political agenda. The fact that he ran an article about Mr. Fierro being ineligible to run cause he is a service member was completely false. Mr. Fierro is a MSG in the USAR not the active duty which are allowed to seek and hold public office. He could’ve contacted HRC or a local recruiter to get that information.
Instead he sites another Blog which is unfortunate because that blogger is also a fellow veteran. So was it intentional on both their parts who knows but what I can draw from this is that I can’t depend on the truth from Mr. Moore and company
Thank you for running this. I’ve been wondering the same thing. Why does the $20M not warrant an equal examination as Gonzalez-Romero? Thanks for shedding light on the matter.
Between the city and the county, we have a loss of approx half a billion dollars. And that’s not the complete total. The hospital scandal is ongoing and the penalties for fraud haven’t been discussed nor has anyone been prosecuted.
Approx 1/2 billion dollars loss !! And the few voters still don’t see the need for a change in the candidates, elected and the so called progressives. How much does the region need to waste or lose due to failed and confusing decisions before people stopping for the same people over and over or elect those that continue with same stupidity ? How much ?
1/2 billion dollars and we haven’t calculated interest on bonds or the future costs of all their stupidity. Yet, they cry and cry that there isn’t enough for infrastructure.
How much more can the region hemorrhage before people register and make informed votes ? How much more can the region hemorrhage before drone voters wake up ?How much more can the region hemorrhage before people get off their cans and vote ?
Isn’t anyone concerned about the increasing losses ? Isn’t concerned about increase in taxes? There is NO free money like they tell you. Federal taxes, state, county, city, public utilities, education, food, water, vehicle registration. All of these have increased. It’s only another dime or the cost of a hot dog. That’s what they tell you. And you except it every six months. Oh yes, they tell they will fight the increases for us, yeah right and lucha libre is real.
As soon we caught a break at the gas pump, what did hear? The county wants to increase taxes. For what ? To cover their losses ?
Folks, you must realize that there is something far more nafarious at play here. I know it sounds like a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory, but I beg you to do your own research on the matter. I used to know more of the facts, but my memory is not not so good, but I will tell you this. El Paso signed on with an organization which used to be called ICLEI, as far as I know, it can still be found online. They did this in the early 2000’s, when Beto O’Rourke, Susie Byrd, and Steve Ortega were.all on the council. “Plan El Paso,” which is the organization that is “architechting” downtown, is part of an organization called the American Planning Association. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, except these two organization ( ICLEI and the American Planning Association,) are the primary pushers of United Nations Agenda 21, which essentially subverts the Constitution. Thus being domestic enemies of the Constitution. The city council has a big book, which you can find the complete text and download it online called the “Growing Smart Legislative Handbook,” or something like that. It essentially nullifies property rights among other things. This is why they are developing downtown so hard, in spite of what the citizens of El Paso really want. You can find videos on YouTube of people describing it i n great detail too. Ben Swann’s sister (I forgot her name,) is here in town, and she has a video explaining it too. Please, enlighten yourself to the real monster behind the mask. It is much worse than you think it is…
Every day the El Paso Times is becoming less of a newspaper and more of an outlet for Bob Moore to support the political agenda’s of his friends. $20 million is a lot of money, but he doesn’t do the same (or any) in-depth reporting that he did for the Gonzalez/Romero stories.