The fact that Jim Tolbert had to file an ethics complaint and that it didn't come from members of council themselves sends a terrible message to the community.
It either says we are incapable of fixing our own mess and need a citizen to do it for us - or it says we are in complete denial that there is a problem and don't think there is anything to fix in the first place.
But yet again we demonstrate our complete incompetence as a city.
Somehow, according to Tommy Gonzalez last night, El Paso is ranked somewhere as the 3rd Best Managed City in Texas. That is fucking incredible when you consider the failures on the part of the city as it relates to the MPO, the engineering department, street paving, the financial advisor, and the biggest city screw up of all...the plazita.
More on that in a minute, but now we can add another example of how the City sucks worse than Tony Romo on a Sunday...the city's Ethics Commission.
If I'm not mistaken the commission has the power to actually IMPEACH a member of council. So a complaint to the Ethics Commission would normally be a big freakin' deal. Except for the fact that the city can't even get that shit right.
The Ethics Commission needs a quorum of 5 members to even meet and I think they only have 3 right now. The city reps were supposed to appoint new members but I guess there just wasn't an urgency for it previously. So far only one city rep has submitted a name for consideration to the commission and that is...as is only possible in El Paso...you guessed it, City Rep Larry Romero.
You seriously can't make this shit up.
So even if they wanted to hear the ethics complaint that should've come from the city reps but came from a citizen instead, they can't because they don't have enough members to meet.
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Speaking of How Great the City Is Managed
I had a chance to ask one more question of the city manager last night and I asked him about whether the city's legal position was compromised by Rep Niland's admission of culpability during a council meeting as it relates to the delay in construction at the plazita, especially given that the city is charging the contractor $1000 a day for every day the project is delayed.
Here's his answer...sorta.
It either says we are incapable of fixing our own mess and need a citizen to do it for us - or it says we are in complete denial that there is a problem and don't think there is anything to fix in the first place.
But yet again we demonstrate our complete incompetence as a city.
Somehow, according to Tommy Gonzalez last night, El Paso is ranked somewhere as the 3rd Best Managed City in Texas. That is fucking incredible when you consider the failures on the part of the city as it relates to the MPO, the engineering department, street paving, the financial advisor, and the biggest city screw up of all...the plazita.
More on that in a minute, but now we can add another example of how the City sucks worse than Tony Romo on a Sunday...the city's Ethics Commission.
If I'm not mistaken the commission has the power to actually IMPEACH a member of council. So a complaint to the Ethics Commission would normally be a big freakin' deal. Except for the fact that the city can't even get that shit right.
The Ethics Commission needs a quorum of 5 members to even meet and I think they only have 3 right now. The city reps were supposed to appoint new members but I guess there just wasn't an urgency for it previously. So far only one city rep has submitted a name for consideration to the commission and that is...as is only possible in El Paso...you guessed it, City Rep Larry Romero.
You seriously can't make this shit up.
So even if they wanted to hear the ethics complaint that should've come from the city reps but came from a citizen instead, they can't because they don't have enough members to meet.
------------------------------------------------
Speaking of How Great the City Is Managed
I had a chance to ask one more question of the city manager last night and I asked him about whether the city's legal position was compromised by Rep Niland's admission of culpability during a council meeting as it relates to the delay in construction at the plazita, especially given that the city is charging the contractor $1000 a day for every day the project is delayed.
Here's his answer...sorta.