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HOUSNITCH
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WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 10TH, 1999 UPDATE!!!!!
(This one is for the GUYS!!!!)
Brenda Flynn Flores
"HOUSNITCH"
e-mail: HOUSNITCH@aol.com
Mr. Alexander Carl Chae
Chair, City of Houston Ethics Committee
Gardere Wynne Sewell & Riggs
1000 Louisiana, Suite 3400
Houston, Texas 77002
713-276-5539
e-mail: chaal@gardere.com
Dear Mr. Chae;
Please let this letter serve as official notification that I Brenda Flynn Flores, also known as "Housnitch", am filing a complaint against Deputy Director of Public Works & Engineering HILDA GARZA SCOTT.....Under the following provisions that I believe is within the jurisdiction of this committee to investigate.....
CODE OF ORDINANCES City of HOUSTON, TEXAS Codified through Ordinance No. 99-1085, adopted October 6, 1999. (Supplement No. 41,
CODE OF ORDINANCES
Chapter 15 CONTRACTS*
Chapter 15 CONTRACTS*
*Charter reference(s)--Contracts generally, Art. II, §§ 7a, 19, 19a.
Cross reference(s)--Rental agreements for use of convention and entertainment facilities coliseum, etc., § 12-21 et seq.; ethics and financial disclosure, Ch. 18.
ARTICLE I. IN GENERAL
Sec. 15-1.Prohibited interests in contracts let, work done by city.
(a) It shall be against the public policy of the city as expressed by the city council for any employee of the city to bid on or to be awarded any contract being let by the city or to be pecuniarily interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract let by the city, or in any work done by the city, or in any matter wherein the rights or liabilities of the city are or may be involved.
(b) It shall be against the public policy of the city as expressed by the city council for any firm, partnership or corporation, in which any employee of the city has any ownership interest in excess of one percent of the total ownership interest in such firm, partnership or corporation to bid on or to be awarded any contract being let by the city or to be pecuniarily interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract let by the city, or in any work done by the city or in any matter wherein the rights or liabilities of the city are or may be involved.
(c) In the event that any contract or work, purchase or sale, is found to have been made in violation of subsections (a) or (b) hereof, then the said contract or work, purchase or sale, shall be null and void and shall be discontinued, and new arrangements shall be entered into as in the case of the incipiency of such contract of work, purchase or sale.
(d)It is a defense to prosecution under this section that the person contracting with the city is employed at one of the city's golf or tennis facilities and has executed a concession contract with the city to teach golf or tennis lessons at such facilities at times outside the person's regular working hours.
(Code 1968, § 2-36; Ord. No. 68-682, §§ 1--3, 5-1-68; Ord. No. 94-20, § 1, 1-5-94)
Cross reference(s)--Ethics and financial disclosure, Ch. 18.
As much as Ms. Scott has admitted in her financial disclosure to the City Secretary's
office...received on October 15, 1999....Her Husband, Richard Scott is more than a 10% holder as Senior Vice President of TSC Inc.
Mr. Scott left the employ of the City of Houston on September 11, 1998....and on October 29th, Hilda Garza Scott approved a $1,099,999.00 contract to his company.......
I feel that while section XV of the financial disclosure is OPTIONAL.....the fact that she swore under oath that "the foregoing disclosure statement is in all things true & correct and that the information
provided therein constitutes a full & complete statement of the information requested"...is not a true statement....I submit that as his spouse...Hilda Garza Scott has a MAJOR conflict of interest in dealing with contracts let to this company.....and I ask that you & your committee investigate & give satisfaction to the taxpayers of this city.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter...
Sincerely,
Brenda Flynn Flores
HOUSNITCH
enclosures----Financial statement of Hilda Garza Scott
RCA approving contract with TSC signed by Hilda Garza Scott
BOY THEY'RE JUMPING THROUGH HOOPS OVER THERE IN HILDA'S OFFICE
(SNITCH WOULD LOVE TO BE A FLY ON THE WALL AT HILDA & RICHARD'S HOUSE TONIGHT!!!!!!!)
Under the rules of the ETHICS COMMITTEE I am obliged to give a copy to her....and one for each committee member.....well, Snitch being poor....I had to hand deliver them.....Paula Rodriguez in Hilda's office knew who Snitch was as we rode up in the elevator today......She let Snitch into the office...I asked her if she could accept a package for Ms. Scott. She said SURE....but when she saw the receipt was for HOUSNITCH....she said she couldn't possibly accept such a package....and she came back with the signature of a Mr. M. Douglas Bernard...........The Ethics Committee meeting on this one is gonna be a doozie!!!!!!! and guess what......We ain't even begun....!!!!!
One stooge down----two to go....
We looked at financial disclosures last week dear readers. Every elected & appointed official with the City of Houston must file one every year by October 15th, 1999....We found something very interesting when we decided to check on HILDA GARZA SCOTT...(remember...the queen of the stooges)
SEC. 18-21.....
On or before October 15 of each calendar year, each city official shall file with the city secretary a financial disclosure statement. The statement shall cover the previous 12 completed months.
We all know that Hilda is married to Richard Scott...former
Deputy Director of P W & E....and that they were given a choice as to who
would leave & Richard left on September 11th, 1998....we also know that on
October the 29th, 1998 Hilda Garza Scott signed over a contract to TSC for more
than $1,000,000. 00....... (see Housnitch 1 archives at bottom of page...). Now,
Hilda readily admits that her husband garners most of his income from TSC....
That little V after the amount garnered....that is a
category meaning MORE than $100,000.00 but LESS than $500,000.00...nice
incomes.....but where HOUSNITCH has a problem with them is the last two pages of
this report.......
While the answer to question XV is optional......don't ya'll believe that Hilda has a MAJOR conflict of interest ....and SHOULD have declared it?
Do ya'll really think that the foregoing disclosure statement is "in all things, true & correct"?
Neither do we......so HOUSNITCH will file an ethics complaint today against HILDA GARZA SCOTT......(all the re-organizing in the world won't save you from this one HILDA!!!!!)
AND...if Sec 15-1(a) and 15-2(c) of the employee code holds up----you & Richard may have contracts that are NULL & VOID!!!!!!!
Section 15-1(a) of the city code prohibits "any employee of the city... to
be pecuniarily interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract let by the city, or in any work done by the city, or in any matter wherein the
rights or liabilities of the city are or may be involved".
Section 15-1(c) of the city code says "In the event that any contract or work, purchase or sale in found to have been made in violation of subsection
(a) or (b) hereof, then the said contract or work, purchase or sale shall be null and void, and shall be
discontinued."
Furthermore, a contract let by the
city is a liability of the city, so there's a DOUBLE WHAMMY!!!
(don't ya'll just love it!!!!)
ALL THAT REORGANIZING...DRAWING UP OF CHARTS....AIN'T GONNA HELP YOU HILDA.....ALL THOSE..."UNOFFICIAL" ORDERS YOU BEEN BARKING WON'T BE DONE......THE EMPLOYEES AT P W & E ARE ON TO YOU...WE'RE GONNA START ASKING FOR ORDERS IN WRITING.....AND OUR REQUESTS WILL BE IN WRITING JUST SO WE CAN CLARIFY.......LITTLE GUYS WON'T SWING FOR THIS ONE! AND WE KNOW WHO ALL YOU'RE TRYING TO PUSH OUT......THEY'LL JUST JOIN US.....AND HELP TO BRING THE TRUTH ABOUT P W & E TO THE PUBLIC.....(now....go slam some more doors!)
Let's take a couple of letters......
Subj: Subj: Finance & Administration wasting tax dollars
Date: 11/6/99 2:34:50 PM Central Standard Time
From:
To: HOUSNITCH
Why is the City of Houston's Finance and Administration office still paying two rents for MUNICIPAL CHANNEL facilities while bouncing cheques on it's movers so that 8 months after the "move" from Sawyer St. to the infamous Bob Lanier Building they're still broadcasting from one location and "administering" from the other?
Is Director of MUNI, Carol Herrerra so protected by Affirmative Action that she can be a poor
administrator and continue this waste of taxpayers money? She is also apparently impervious to direct orders to learn the system she "administers" 'though she can barely load a videotape. Is it AA that allows her to run off good help, drive her sole engineer to a nervous breakdown,
flaunt Federal overtime laws, and still get an "Excellent" on her self-penned Yearly Review while others on her staff who
keep everything afloat get "Adequate" ratings?
Was the move even necessary? C. of H. Fire Dept. EMS is scheduled to take over the Sawyer space; how does this save money? Could it be the existence of a Studio in the sub-basement on Walker that was the deciding factor? It can't be the lack of parking for personnel and the MUNI utility van while the Director and her immediate subordinate have spaces right up close to the building.
Meanwhile, all the cablecast equipment on Sawyer is slowly falling apart while the newer models have been idle for months at the Walker location.
What's a Mayor to do, but fly off to Africa?
"=^)
Subj: Re: Subj: Finance & Administration wasting tax dollars
Date: 11/6/99
To:
We want to run with this just like it is.......We will delete your E-mail
address..... But this is a question we need to ask Council...since the Mayor NEVER
has any answers.....THANKS!
HOUSNITCH
Subj: Ethics complaints
Date: 11/5/99 4:17:41 PM Central Standard Time
From:
To: HOUSNITCH
I do not live in the city. Who can I get to file an ethics complaint against Lee Brown and Jew Don over the transfer of $22,5000 from the Lee Brown Campaign to Boney's private business, BSR Consulting. I have the documents. I also have documents on the transfer of $25,000 from the pro-arena Pac to BSR Consulting, and $22,000 to the Baptist Ministers Association.
I need the law that applies, etc., since Boney is a sitting councilman on the ballot when his firm got the money. That is clearly a conflict of interest. I will fax you the documents if you e-mail me a fax number.
Boney's company was given $12,000 in 1997 by the city pro-bond Pac. Dave Walden told the Houston Press that he okayed the payment. Note that the Waldens had consulting contracts for the arena and Brown campaign this year.
This does not pass the smell test, but J Holmes and Company refuse to take this ongoing buying of minority votes via payments to preachers, etc. to the grand jury.
Subj: Re: ETHICS COMPLAINTS
Date: 11/5/99
To:
We're looking at the code of ordinances.....and we will get back to you on that....
HOUSNITCH
Subj: New Information
Date: 11/5/99 12:45:38 PM Central Standard Time
From:
To: housnitch@aol.com ('housnitch@aol.com')
I read your site all the time but have noticed lately that it takes a week
or more before anything new is posted to the site. What is going on??
Surely it cannot be due to a lack of information. With all the corrupt
activity going on I'm sure you have something to tell us!!!!!
DARLIN.....
We only come out once a week. Yes there is enough to sit here 24/7 as the kids say....but we do have jobs & of course we have been busy with the elections....we need people on council who will stand up & say.."Hey ..wait a minute, that can't be right!".....
Subj: ethics complaint against Lee. P. Brown
Date: 11/02/99 4:27:29 PM Central Standard Time
From:
To: HOUSNITCH@aol.com
Bravo!! I can tell you put ALOT of work into it!! I just hope it is all for not. Jew Don
Boney got a pass and so will he, most likely.
P.S.
Don't ever give up, because if you do, they win!
NEVER SAY DIE...THAT'S OUR MOTTO.....(of course when the bullets start to
fly....we're ducking!)
Subj:
Date: 10/29/99 6:02:26 PM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: HOUSNITCH@AOL.COM
HELLO HOUSNITCH! HOW ARE YOU?
FIRST OF ALL LET ME TELL HOW GREAT IT IS TO FINALLY HAVE SOMEONE WITH THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO EXPOSE THE CITY GOVERNMENT! I AM A FAITHFUL READER AND
FINALLY DECIDED TO WRITE TO YOU.
I AM ALSO A CITY EMPLOYEE. I HAVE SEEN SO MUCH OVER THE FOUR YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE.
OH! LET ME MAKE A SUGGESTION, IF I MAY?
IT IS A VERY GREAT IDEA TO EXPOSE THE CITY GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE INTERNET, BUT THERE IS A SMALL PROBLEM. NOT EVERYONE HAS A COMPUTER AT HOME OR HAS
ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. MY SUGGESTION IS WHY NOT MAKE A PUBLICATION AND MAIL IT OUT TO THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON. YOU CAN GET THE ADDRESSES NEEDED THROUGH
THE RESIDENTIAL WHITE PAGES AND OTHER SOURCES. THIS WOULD BE A GREAT WAY TO LET EVERY CITIZEN, THAT CAN VOTE, HOW CORRUPT THE CITY OF HOUSTON GOVERNMENT
IS.
OF COURSE I DON'T KNOW IF THE FUNDING OR RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE. BUT IF AVAILABLE I THINK IT IS A GREAT IDEA.
I'M SURE THAT THERE IS PEOPLE OUT THERE WITH MONEY WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE ALL THIS CORRUPTION EXPOSED!!!!!!!
WELL THAT'S ALL FOR NOW! MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND TAKE CARE!!!!!
DARLIN...THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE...THE THINGS THAT YOU
MENTIONED (NOT PUBLISHED HERE)...WILL BE INVESTIGATED....WE ALREADY HAVE FEELERS
OUT....AS TO THE PRINTING OF A NEWSLETTER---WE DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING ANYTIME
SOON...WE HAVE A REQUEST IN FOR SOME DOCUMENTS NOW THAT WILL COST US
$137.70......BUT ARE HAVING TO WAIT TO RAISE THE FUNDS.....WE ALL HAVE
FAMILIES....AND NO ONE GETS PAID FOR HOUSNITCH...NO ONE BUT IF YOU GUYS
WANT TO CONTRIBUTE---HEY, WE WILL PUT IT TO GOOD USE!!!!
Subj: Re: Check out HOUSNITCH----WEDNESDAY SPECIAL
Date: 10/28/99 10:58:58 PM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: HOUSNITCH
Isn't Mr. John Castillo the chair person of the Ethics Committee? Wasn't that a "Brown" decision??? Even while Castillo was attending court, for questionable actives?
I think, if any honorable person would have been put under such questionable circumstances, that most
honorable persons would have with drawn for such a public position until clarification could have been conducted.
AND THE MAYORAL BEAT GOES ON
Subj: good work HOUSNITCH !
Date: 10/28/99 6:41:41 PM Central Daylight Time
From:
To: HOUSNITCH
KEEP POURING IT ON LADY !!..HEY HERES A NAME FOR YOU *&^%$# ""FUNDAY IN THE PARK
...CHECK IT OUT....
WE WILL..........
HOUSNITCH
LET'S LOOK AT ONE LAST STOOGE......SHOWRI NANDIGIRI....The
contract is too long to print all of it here....but we're gonna give you the
first & last pages.....and do some explaining in between.....
Bottom line on this project is...that the costs are so
inflated...and proposals are so wrong....that NO ONE in a position of authority
EXCEPT Showri will sign off on this....(if you notice...he had someone else sign
off on the letter for him!..even HE knows it ain't right!!!...but then remember...Vishwa Bahl and he
are friends so he has signed the concur report ).....EVERY major P W & E director has sent in an
underling.....and they're being threatened to sign off under penalty of losing
their jobs.....(Hell...they shopped project managers until they got one to do
what they wanted.....)
DON'T DO IT GUYS!!!!!! You'll be the one's to swing when it all comes out...Damned if you do...damned if you don't......THIS TYPE OF ATMOSPHERE HAS TO STOP!!!!! ISN'T ANYONE LISTENING OUT THERE???????
HOUSNITCH P.O. Box 55423
Houston, Texas 77255
(Donations made out to Housnitch can be sent to this address. Please be aware that they are not tax deductible)
"The ultimate test of a man is not where he stands on positions of comfort and convenience but where he stands on positions of challenge and controversy. So on some questions cowardice asks, 'Is a position safe?' Expediency asks, 'Is the position politic?' Vanity asks, 'Is the position popular?' But conscience asks, 'Is the position RIGHT?'" -- Dr. Martin Luther King
Weekend
Edition - Sunday--(click here-you will need REAL Player to hear this.. if
you do not have it download now FREE)
(All letters and e-mail correspondence become the property of HOUSNITCH
and housnitch.com. Unless otherwise expressly requested, we are entitled to
publish all such correspondence. We reserve the right to edit letters for length
and clarity, and for content that might get us sued, or to withhold their
publication. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of our editors or
sponsors.)
One last editorial comment:...For some time now we have maintained that the Mayor was an honest, ethical man...that the policeman mentality in him just needed to kick in & jerk some chains & rattle some cages. Last Friday...another thought was presented to us. After much discussion here in the garage, we are inclined to believe it. The thought was..."I believe that what we are seeing IS the policeman mentality...I AM THE AUTHORITY...SCREW YOU IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT...AND HOW DARE YOU CHALLENGE ME"....Yep---after a vote...we think so too.
Housnitch 
We need to tip the scales back in the Taxpayers direction ....choose your next council members wisely.... Please vote in the runoffs , we need some changes in our current system............ some people with backbone to stand up & say--enough is enough. ( Do we have a current council member who will seek an ordinance similar to those laws on the state/federal level that will provide for a 2 year "black out" period...where no city employee can leave the city & then profit from us, for at least 2 years.....Talk it over guys...WE NEED THIS....)
Be well DARLINS...Tell em what you think........ya'll know what we think.........