Three Ring Circus at 1900 E. Price Road
Of all the things the Romans could have cared about, they would much rather cram themselves into the Coliseo Romano and cheer the lions on as they tore the Christians to shreds.
Instead of worrying about public sanitation and outside invaders, they would much rather scream with delight as gladiators fought to the death with broadswords and maces.
If the mob was busy being distracted with violence and destruction, they wouldn't care about the problems Caesar and the Senate weren't solving.
Bread and circuses.
Almost two thousand years later, it is apparent certain members of the Brownsville Independent School District's board of trustees are taking a page straight out of the Roman Empire's playbook.
Rather than focusing on things that matter, some trustees are busy concocting stories, manipulating the narrative, and participating in petty revenge schemes designed to make other board members look bad.
An item has been placed on this Tuesday's BISD board meeting agenda for discussion. The item in question deals with a potential conflict of interest Jessica G. Gonzalez has since she applied for a small business loan with the same financial institution the school district does business with.
The brouhaha started when another board member, Daniela Lopez Valdez, had an issue with the same financial institution. Her father, Cameron County's Precinct 2 Commissioner Joey Lopez was receiving compensation for serving on the bank's advisory board. Lopez Valdez had not filed conflict of interest paperwork, as is her legal obligation to do so.
What does one have to do with the other? Well, Gonzalez was the board member who seconded the motion seeking clarification whether or not the law was violated when Lopez Valdez failed to file the conflict of interest paperwork.
The agenda item regarding Gonzalez was requested by Prisci Roca Tipton and endorsed by Denise Garza. How does Roca Tipton figure into the equation? Roca Tipton will be up for reelection soon and wants to appear she is a tough and transparent trustee who does the right thing and wants everything to be on the up-and-up.
Roca Tipton has to be seen as a squeaky clean board member, since grumblings around the campfire are Roca Tipton was a close political ally of disgraced former school board member, and current guest of the Federal Penal System, Dr. Sylvia Atkinson. The story goes Atkinson waa the puppet master pulling Roca Tipton's strings.
Roca Tipton has also garnered the support of another former school board member who resigned in disgrace and embarrassment following his arrest for drunk driving. Erasmo Castro, who is rumored to be considering a run for Justice of the Peace (an ironic choice if there ever was one) has been cheering on Roca Tipton's agenda item. It's no secret there's no love lost between Castro and Gonzalez. Castro frequently attacked Gonzalez during her campaign with his vile, inappropriate attacks.
If you want people to perceive you're a good transparent candidate worthy of reelection, having the support of a board member convicted of soliciting a bribe and one who resigned after being banned from showing up to any of the district's campuses is hardly the way to go.
And what's the tragedy of this whole mess? Gonzalez filed the appropriate conflict of interest paperwork as soon as she was aware of what she had to do; she did not try to hide anything or sweep anything under the rug. She immediately sought advice from the district's legal team who told her she was in the clear.
And therein lies the rub — if any board member had a question as to whether or not Gonzalez had filed the appropriate paperwork, they could have asked any of the lawyers BISD employs for clarification and verification. They could have checked the appropriate department if they had the paperwork on file.
But they didn't. Instead of seeking the information for themselves, they'd much rather put Gonzalez on the coarse sand of the coliseum stage and watch the crowd cheer the opposing gladiator on as they turn their thumbs down signaling her destruction.
It's a show trial designed to tear down a good, decent public servant who sought election to the school board to serve the legitimate needs and interests of the children, families, taxpayers, and employees of the district — being a school board member isn't a set of political training wheels for Gonzalez. She does not have any blind ambition to use her time on the board as a stepping stone to become county clerk or city commissioner.
Of all the things the school board should be worried about, an issue that has been addressed and answered is hardly one of them. The raging pandemic, student and employee safety, keeping enrollment, keeping teachers from leaving the district, and modernizing campuses and making technology available in everyone should be on their list of priorities. Just like the city commission, the school board is focusing on things that don't matter.
A trustee is defined as "an individual person or member of a board given control or powers of administration of property in trust with a legal obligation to administer it solely for the purposes specified."
Perhaps some of the people sitting on the school board have lost sight of their true responsibilities. If they're too busy misdirecting the board's attention, maybe they don't deserve to be there in the first place. Being a school board member shouldn't be a vanity exercise or some vehicle to drive some petty animus.
If someone is too wrapped up in revenge or tearing others down to make themselves look taller, are they worthy of your vote?
Are they worthy of your trust?
Comments
Post a Comment