I realize that yesterday I wrote about the incompetence of the El Paso Times and that today I am congratulating them for doing what they should be doing – investigating Larry Romero. First let me address the dichotomy of complaining about the El Paso Times’ lack of journalistic ethics and the following day, I am using their reporting to write about Larry Romero. After addressing the dichotomy, I’ll jump onto the discussion about Larry Romero and why he should be investigated by the FBI.
My problem with the El Paso Times is not about the majority of the reporters but, rather, how I believe the newspaper purposely misdirects, misreports or ignores certain community issues under the direction of Bob Moore. I am not going to rewrite the many examples and evidence I have continuously laid out in my blog except to point out two important details to you. Those of you interested in going through the complete body of evidence I have documented about Bob Moore only need to use the search function on my blog and look for articles about Bob Moore.
The two things I want to point out to you is that you just need to look at how the El Paso Times covered important community issues before Bob Moore arrived, after Bob Moore left for Colorado and how it changed again after he returned. I believe those periods clearly shows the bias in the newspaper and also clearly demonstrates how Bob Moore is the single most important nexus to the direction the paper takes on important community problems.
The second thing I would like to remind you is about yesterday’s post where I clearly showed you how a personal agenda delayed the reporting of Steve Norwood’s firing. There is no doubt that Norwood’s firing is an important issue for the community. Something a newspaper would clamor to inform you about, yet the newspaper delayed reporting on it because it would have required them to acknowledge my blog. Clearly, someone, and I believe it was Bob Moore, delayed reporting the Norwood issue to you because it would have required them to acknowledge my blog.
On the other hand, the reporting by Cindy Ramirez and Elida Perez is what a community newspaper should be reporting about. The El Paso Times has been exposing the many shenanigans that Larry Romero has been involved in. It has been the reporting of the newspaper that has exposed the various questionable things that Larry Romero has been doing as a city representatives.
As a recap, not that many of you need it, Larry Romero has had streets repaved in his district bypassing city council and processes that are in place to protect the taxpayers. In addition, he has had speed bumps installed in his former high school. These also bypassed city council and processes. Romero also led the effort to give the city manager, Tommy Gonzalez a highly questionable raise while Romero’s brother was being paid by Gonzalez for business services.
Those things would raise eyebrows individually but together they are examples of highly questionable activities, especially in a city known for public corruption.
As if those events haven’t been questionable enough, we now find out that Larry Romero has been working in the background to have the city fire its financial advisor, First Southwest and replace them with another group, Estrada Hinojosa. Working on firing a city service provider without including the city council is a serious matter all by itself. Finding out that Larry Romero may have previously worked for Estrada Hinojosa makes all of Larry Romero’s actions, examples of a serious underlining problem. A problem that can only be defined one way; something that should be raising eyebrows in the prosecutors with domain over public corruption.
If the El Paso Times is correct and Larry Romero previously worked for Hinojosa, then the evidence that the El Paso Times has documented about Larry Romero’s many questionable actions are no longer examples of questionable actions but rather a preponderance of evidence documenting corruption.
In civil cases, when more than 50% of the evidence points to an activity then that activity has met the burden of proof. As I am not an attorney, I am not sure if this applies to a criminal case. However, a preponderance of evidence must be enough to trigger, at least, an investigation by the FBI.
You may have noticed that I did not write that the local district attorney should look into Larry Romero because it has been the community’s sad experience that Jaime Esparza does not investigate certain politicians for an unknown reason, although many of us have speculated about it from time to time.
Regardless, in a community, like El Paso that is fraught with serious cases of corruption, there is just no excuse that Larry Romero’s activities do not merit a transparent and thorough criminal investigation.
Even the El Paso Times wants him out – what does that say about Larry Romero’s character?
On a side note, some of you may have noticed someone defending Larry Romero on social media circles lately. The individual surfaces every time Larry Romero and the word corruption are used in the vicinity of each other. Ponder the fact that Larry Medina had many supporters who defended him consistently arguing that Larry Medina was not corrupt. As they say, the rest is history.
You can say all you want about an elected official, but I would tread careful when it comes to Hinojosa Estrada, who probably if push comes to shove would sue outlets such as the El Paso Times for libel.
Love,
Me
Yes you clearly don’t know anything about the law, although you frequently spout out statements pretending to know the law. You’re the same guy who confuses allegations, investigations, and indictments with actual cinvictions.
The burden of proof in a criminal case is far different than a preponderance of the evidence.
While it appears that there is something fishy, though I’m not an attorney, I don’t see any federal crimes being committed. Unless they dig and find other problems.
It appears that has occurred is conduct just barely inside the law. The never ending issue of ethics violations. Which is the major reason all the corruption flourishs. They have fine tuned the deals.
Apparently, Romero has made someone angry and that someone called in favors. So now we will see aggressive reporting. It would be interesting to check Gurrola’s sudden change of plans. Is there a connection ? I would say yes.
There is a lot of funny business at the county and city. Take a look at the special justice, manipulation of meetings by entities, cons on the payroll and unlimited access to government offices, contracts that contain fuzzy math and major budget over runs, failure of the legal system to investigate anything that involves cronies. Times should check into the purchasing contracts, that might explain all the spending on nonsensical items such computerized trash cans, super sized flat screens, unneeded Brio buses, failed hospitals and clinics. How much more before the people and the legal system opens their eyes?
Until the region rids itself of the corruption and unethical conduct, no one will move here. Pretend that other cities don’t see the news. It has gotten to the point there is difference between El Paso and Juarez.
What Quicksand said: Romero’s godfathers have given him the other kind of kiss– the unfavorable kind.