The Corruption in this Town

Last week I put up a new meassage on my billboard located on the South side of I-10 just east of the downtown exit. It says, "End Corruption Now." This of course was paid for by the many generous donations I have received from you, my supporters. Also due last week, was my campaign finance report which was filed with the State ethics committee. Things have in fact been busy around here.

For those of us who want to see a change in the District Attorney's Office and who specifically want the incumbent to leave, we have long known about the rampant corruption in this town and how it has not only been promoted but those who have spoken out against it have been tarred and feathered at best or arrested and prosecuted at worst. One of the resounding cries I am hearing with the recent FBI investigations is where is Jaime Esparza and why does it always take outsiders to scrutinize what is going on?

We have heard from County Attorney Jose Rodriguez and others but not a peep out of Jaime Esparza. Why the silence? People in his own office have come up to me asking where he has been on all of this and what he is currently doing about it? I have no answer other than Esparza owes the public his position on the matter and he has once again not been forthcoming on the topic.

Why hasn't the press probed the sitting DA of the last 14.5 years on the corruption supposedly going on under his nose? Where is their role as watchdog in election season?

But the People hear the silence. They know who is who and where they have been? And from what I can tell, El Paso is just plain sick of long time do nothing incumbents and corruption.

Comments

Posted by Carl Starr  
on July 23, 2007, 10:22 pm
JR has always been vocal and of course he represents the county...JE is usually quite on most issues by nature ie he may not see his role the same as JR lives/practices...as of course the FBI Investigation largely represents federal funds ie thus the FBI has 'dibs'...I don't think any of the FBI targets overly golfed with JE, I don't know for sure, but I don't think thats the reason for his silence...on other fronts, good news is the prosecution of the Ex-EPPD Police Union VP, also I was happy to hear the DA is investigating the shooting of the migrant in the tunnel by BP.

Reply to this comment
Posted by Sharon Cornet  
on September 2, 2007, 12:55 pm
More is going on with the county, and at other levels too. Human rights are being violated. I just sent this email out last night. Ms. Caballero, I emailed you too, but evidently the email address I had for you is too old. So am posting it here.
Sharon
-------------------------------

Dear Erich Morales, and County Commissioners Sarinana and Teran,

This is of upmost importance and requires immediate attention! I'm not sure which of you is the county commissioner for the Hueco Tanks area, but there is a problem with selective victimization that is presently occuring by both El Paso County (spec. Co. Roads and Bridges), and the El Paso Electric company (Customer Service). After years of having electricity (since 1994) at our property we are suddenly being singled out and are now being denied service, and being denied a certificate of compliance, even though the criteria has been met!

I am a volunteer with Border Interfaith, sister organization to EPISO, in El Paso. I am a wife and mother of three. The issue at hand concerns our house located at ********, El Paso, TX. We purchased a second acre of land there in 1991. In 1994 my brother, M.E., hired a company to put in a septic tank (I have the certified copy of the registration for that), and began building a house on the property. He moved into the house in early 1995. In 1997 we transferred the land into his name, and then back into our names in 2000. My own family moved onto the property in Dec, 1999. The house was grandfathered in regarding the colonia laws (I checked into it at the time). The house has been receiving electric service from El Paso Electric since my brother moved in in 1995, which transferred to our names in 1999. In 2003-2004 we had three bedrooms have been built onto the house at the cost of about $10K. To be closer to UTEP (I'm an anthropology student) we moved to town in Nov. 2006, but spent 6 mos. of time and thousands of dollars revamping the entire house, painting, installing a wood floor, a 1/2 bath, etc. In late June, 2007 we rented the house out to a lady named C.C. and then evicted her and took her to court in Aug. for nonpayment. Now we have a family (two adults, two children) who have signed a contract for an owner-financed rent-to-own purchase of the property (it remains in our name, as do the taxes, until paid in full; only then will the property be legally transferred into their names). When they called El Paso Electric to change the service to their names they were denied on the basis of a lack of a "Certificate of Compliance."

I made several calls to El Paso Electric on Aug 31st, where I spoke with Y*** (a supervisor), among others, and they admitted their error in not informing me (the homeowner) that such a certificate was required, and that they "overlooked" giving C.C. electric service without it. I asked them to correct their error and just put the electric service back in our name and they refused, stating they would be fined daily if the certificate of compliance was not presented. I told them that had I been informed of this to begin with I wouldn't have taken the service out of my name and would have just charged the tenants for the electric instead. Upon retrieving a certified copy of the septic tank registration, and copy of the 1991 deed (incl. the ones from 97, and 2000) showing that I had owned the property before and during the time when the septic tank was installed and the house was built, Mr. R. of County Roads and Bridges denied me the certificate of compliance based on "the new deed cancels out any old ones," and said he would take the information to the County Attorney and "see if Erich Morales will make an exception" so we can get the certificate of compliance.

This is absolutely asinine because until 3 days ago (Aug 29) there was electric service at my house! We owe $800/mo. on a house that has been perfectly LIVABLE and improved upon over the years. Furthermore, the people who have now moved their belongings into the house are having to stay with relatives because there is no electricity at the house. Without electric service, which was grandfathered in to begin with, and which I've shown proof of ownership for prior to 1995 (regardless of it staying within my family because my brother had it transferred into his name for 3 years), and which I've provided a septic tank registration for, our house, that we owe a mortgage and a second mortgage on, is suddenly deemed "illegal" and we cannot rent it out, or sell it, or even live in it! Electricity is needed for quality of life, to run the lights, the appliances, and the water pump. As homeowners and tax payers we should continue having the service we've rightfully and legally had all of these years. Why are we being singled out and denied this now? Why aren't all our neighbors' homes they've worked hard for, and constructed, and paid for, being stolen from them too? I pray, for the county's sake, that nothing this obscenely horrible will happen to our neighbors and their children.

This is an infringement on our human rights. I need to know what you plan on doing about it?

Sharon Cornet

cc: Erich Morales, Assistant Co. Attorney
Office of Jose Rodriguez, El Paso County Attorney
Dan Haggerty (Co. Commissioner Precinct 4)
Veronica Escobar (Co. Commissioner Precinct 2)
Judge Cobos
Senator Eliot Shapleigh, via Anthony Martinez, Communications Director
Tim Kinard, El Paso FBI
TX House Representative Quintanilla (online)
Congressman Silvestre Reyes (online)
Theresa Caballero, Attorney
Don Flores, Executive V.P., Newsroom, El Paso Times (online)

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