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HOUSNITCH is available to speak to your group....send us an e-mail if you wish to add us to your Civic or Political group agenda......
Housnitch apologizes for being late....but we spent all day Sunday in the emergency room at LBJ.... While working on this week's Housnitch report...foot fell asleep...got up...foot went one way...body another & as a result...dislocated my toes.... (HOUSNITCH had plenty of company at the hospital snitches were very good to accompany me.)
I was treated very well by Dr. Davis Thornton, his nurse Jackie Perry, x-ray tech Herman L. Bowdary & pharmacists Alicia Johnson & Yolanda Rodriguez .....we also ended up passing out more than 25 HOUSNITCH buttons....while waiting in one line/hall or the other....patients were very willing to chat with us.........we feel that we have developed a nice source for a possible Harris County Hospital District page....the results should be interesting.........CountySnitch.....we like that.
We want to Thank Prof. George Reiter & his cohort in hell raising Bill Simon for allowing Housnitch to speak last Thursday evening at KPFT......these two men are true gems.....and they have come up with an idea for a live call in forum with Housnitch as co-host.....What do ya'll think? (we think since not everyone has internet access this is a good way to reach more people & more snitches.....How about ya'll?) Please let us know...this is one venture that is truly driven/directed by the public.....
We want you to remember this code reader's......just remember it...we're going to be visiting it again.....(in the near future we hope)
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.
We still have not heard back from the Ethics committee on our complaint concerning Hilda Garza Scott.....not even a confirmation of receipt of our complaint....which is kinda strange......Mr. Chae usually sends us a letter by fax......hmmmmmmmmm, wonder what's up on this one...... It was hand delivered to them.....(up date..11/16/99---we received confirmation this morning....AFTER legal logged on to OUR site...nice to know CITY LEGAL DEPT. is watching us!!!!)
Rumors are rampant here at 611 Walker, that Showri Nandigiri will take over Hilda's spot as Deputy Director of Capital Improvements......Replace a stooge with another stooge? PLEASE.....as we said before....
One stooge down----two to go....
Let's dispel any thoughts of that happening right now........ , Well.......... let's give it a real HOUSNITCH try any way..... (Administration seems to defy logic and do what they will......)
Let's look at Asst. Director SHOWRI NANDIGIRI.... We all know about his affinity to giving Ratanala & Bahl ANYTHING they want....(see back issues of Housnitch at the bottom of this page) but let's look at some other things too...
Under Hilda Garza Scott (our female stooge) as Asst. Director
Showri heads up the Southern Infrastructure Branch
Southside Infrastructure Branch, led by Senior Assistant Director Showri Nandagiri, P.E. implements all activities included in the City's Adopted Five Year Capital Improvement Plan south of Harris County's major east-west waterway -- Buffalo Bayou. The programs of responsibility include all storm, water/wastewater, and street facilities. The branch duties include:
But his actions also affect what's happening in other branches under Capital Improvements Hilda Garza Scott
Well, it's time to gather all the truth about what is happening in the Northern/Southern Branches and lay it at your feet readers.....
#1----Since being at 611 Walker on the 14th Floor, just about a year now, (Northern Branch) we were only able to spend $700.00 for 2 chairs & 1 small table for our lobby. While the Southern Branch spent $4350.00....They kept the receptionist and our branch manages with an empty lobby (as we still have not received the chairs & table) and without a receptionist.
#2----The $4350.00 that Showri spent for Southern Infrastructure went for 3 pieces of hand crafted Italian furniture....for his office.....he did place one piece in the hall by his office in case someone asked questions...or maybe just as an accent to entering his office.....maybe marking his territory....who knows?
#3---We have had 1 administrative person in Northern Branch promoted since the inception of the 2 branches. All engineers have recently been promoted to senior engineers, but no clue as to the "proposed promotions" which were submitted over a year ago. Morale is low among the workers and they are looking for something else. We've had 4 to 5 employees resign this year alone.
#4---Lack of tools: We're told there's no money for equipment...computers. xerox machine, etc.....but we know that our Asst. Deputy Director had budgeted the money for them. Each fiscal year we're told...."wait until the new fiscal year" you'll have money. We wait...we gather the information for equipment/tools needed, and they are submitted to the Deputy Director's office and then "NOTHING". We're told again that "we're out of money". Where did the money go to that was budgeted for Northern Branch? Who spent our money and for what?. We're not looking at previous or present ADA for Northern section...they have done their jobs....but the Deputy Director's office & it's management haven't.
#5----The really big deal right now is the xerox machine. The one located on this floor belongs to Building Services. How can an entire branch operate without a copy machine? We have tried several times to get one but were turned down because of lack of money in our budget. (Bet those consultants occupying the city offices down stairs have one!) We had money budgeted for a copy machine....but the money was shifted...and we don't know who gave the permission for this or who took it...or where it was shifted to. (Didn't the city controller get some indictments about money being shifted from one project to another?) Our administrative personnel are given work to copy & then we spend wasted hours searching other floors to borrow someone else's machines. And then when we do find one, we must bring our own paper & find someone to lend us their code for copying....Does this make sense?
#6--- Their is a copy machine just sitting in the hall on the 15th floor.....common sense says....bring it down here....it's not even connected.
$4350.00 in Italian handmade furniture......sheesh what a waste. (and don't forget....Showri is still shopping okays on a contract that is so convoluted and against city policy that not one department head will concur...they have sent in others to sign for them...hell, Showri wouldn't even sign the letter ...he had someone else sign for him too....!!!!) See Housnitch 16
There is just no way for Snitch to break this next one
down......so you're gonna get it just like it came to us....incorrect
spelling and all.....has to do with the Streetlighting section of Traffic
Management & Maintenance Branch....
We checked on that last statement....sure enough...Sandy
Stone has a B.S. in Physical Education....HMMMMMMMMMM
There is page after page of these installations.....WHO'S MINDING THE STORE?????????
Hey guys.....ya'll remember this letter from last week? :
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
checks 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 Herrera 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?
WELL, WE GOT A LETTER CONCERNING THIS
MATTER IN THE P.O. BOX .....After some calls, and confirmation...we're gonna let
ya'll look at.....:
Affirmative action or not......7 years is long enough to
either learn a job or not......NOW...if a snitch will just get us a copy
of those "bounced" checks you spoke about.......
Hey.....did ya'll know that if you address an envelope to
the Mayor "PERSONAL, CONFIDENTIAL, PRIVATE...and just leave it with the
receptionist on the Mayor's floor...HE PERSONALLY ACTUALLY READS IT........no
need to put a return address on it....no need to mail it really if you hand
deliver it.....THOSE letters, only the Mayor reads.......give him an ear full
readers........
We received an e-mail that is sooooo disturbing that we asked some of our elected officials to advise us how to handle it.......:
Subj: Please advise....
Date: 11/12/99 9:02:27 AM Central Standard Time
From: HOUSNITCH
To: HOUSNITCH
BCC: calvarad@myr.ci.houston.tx.us
BCC: crobinso@cnl.ci.houston.tx.us
BCC: btatro@cnl.ci.houston.tx.us
BCC: aparker@cnl.ci.houston.tx.us
BCC: cbell@cnl.ci.houston.tx.us
BCC: ctrsrg@ctr.ci.houston.tx.us
BCC: osanchez@cnl.ci.houston.tx.us
BCC: jroach@cnl.ci.houston.tx.us
BCC: rtodd@cnl.ci.houston.tx.us
We are passing along this e-mail in the hopes that you will advise us how to handle this situation...it is obvious that the system implemented by the city to handle complaints doesn't work....if it did HOUSNITCH would not/could not
exist....We believe the spills should be of utmost concern to every official in this city....and the question of the
structural soundness of the building at 2300 Federal Rd. which will house the machinations for supplying water to our area & surrounding communities should be of utmost concern also....Please advise
us how to handle this...
HOUSNITCH
713-722-9258 or 713-464-8396
Subj: un- reported chemical spills at the surface water plant
Date: 9:37:07 PM Central Standard Time
From:
Reply-to:
To: housnitch@aol.com ('housnitch@aol.com')
Last week the was a caustic soda uncontained chemical spill at plant three surface water plant located @ 2300 Federal
Rd...Workers were sent out with brooms and water hoses to clean up the mess. The only problem, other than not
calling proper authorities and hazcom team to handle the spill, was they washed the chemical down the storm drain which
in turn empties into the
bayou. Possible fish kill!. Today a contractor accidentally dropped a machine spilling 8 oz of mercury.
It was my understanding that if one more un-reported spill happen at this facility HEADS WOULD ROLL AND SEVERE FINE WOULD BE IMPOSED.SO SAITH THE MIGHTY JERRY KING, GARY ORADAT AND THE WATER GOD OF THE CITY
"ROGER THE LAIR HULBERT". ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE HE KILLS SOME CITIZENS OF HOUSTON. I BELIEVE THE US COAST GUARD WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED IN SEEING THE REPORT OF THE CAUSTIC SPILL
Per our conversation on Wednesday about the Administration Building for the Plant Three Surface Water Plant concerning the re- enforcement or "beefing it up" the building to withstand hurricanes: The engineering firm of PTI Inc. a very respected and one of the most trusted in the business of structural engineering and
inspections were contracted to do the inspection of the admin. building to see where the building could be improved to make it "hurricane proof". Mr.
Carroll Leech P.E.of PTI Inc. informed John Wells P.E. Chief Engineer of the Water Production Division at 12555 Clinton Drive "that the numbers were not
adding up" about the structure of the Admin. Building at Plant Three. Mr. Leech said this had him very worried and that he had another engineer
re-check his calculations. He informed Mr. Wells that there was a serious problem with the
building design/construction and in his opinion the building could no be re-enforced. Mr. Wells ask Mr. Leech how serious was the
situation and if the people working there were in any danger. Mr. Leech told
Mr. Wells that in his opinion the building could not with stand sustained 50 mph winds. The building would probably collapse and the weak area was
where the control room for the plant operation is. This was in either Feb. or March of 1999. Mr. Wells told Mr. Leech that he would relay the message
to Jim Greenlee, Acting Deputy Assistant Director, over the "PILOT" program which operated Plant Three that is housed in the Administration Building.
Around 6 or 7 PM, the same day of Mr. Leech's report to Jack Wells, Jack
Wells came to Jim Greenlee's office, We know because we were having a budget meeting with Jim Greenlee. Mr. Wells informed us of the serious information
about the building and the possibility of employees being injured in the event of a hurricane and that the hurricane season would be on us very
soon. Jim Greenlee to Jack Wells : he would relay the information to Roger Hulbert, Senior Director of Water Production if he (Mr. Wells) had not and not to let any one know of the situation. Jack Wells acknowledged. What is wrong
with this picture is: A multi-million dollar contract to Montgomery Watson for phase two which includes finish installing the SCADA system which would
be the remote controls of all of the well, plants; ground & surface,
distribution and water quality. The big PROBLEM with this is the control room where all of this will be located at: you guessed it!!! Plant Three
Administration Building. So if a hurricane does hit and it will at some point, The
building is not structurally sound and if it goes down no one in the city of HOUSTON and surrounding communities will have any water plus how many
employees will be killed because the management does not believe they have a right to know. So as any good sound manager or director would do you hire
another company with different specifications to get the answer you want. DAMN THE TORPEDOES, FULL SPEED
AHEAD. Roger Hulbert does not have the credentials to head up a division like water production. He is not an engineer, nothing
more than a chemist, a lab rat, friend of John Dunn and ass kisser to Fred
Perrenot. One employee has the documentation how Roger Hulbert got the position. It broke all of the City Policies and Civil Service Regulation in
the selection of a qualified applicant to fill a position. Montgomery Watson is ready to start the second phase of the SCADA contract . We can't
wait to see the report of the minority contractor.
PTI Inc.
2925 Briarpark Drive Ste. 950
Houston, Texas 77042
Tel. 713-266-6145
Fax713-974-4812
e-mail ptiinc@ziplink.net
Chief Structural Engineer
Carroll Leech P.E.
SCADA = SUPERVISOR CONTROL DATA ACCESS. The Surface Water Facilities do not have qualified technicians to operate or maintain the equipment.
Maintenance cost has increased significantly. Numbers presented by Jim
Greenlee & Roger Hulbert about the tremendous savings in operation and maintenance are fictitious. If they were good numbers why did they go over
budget by $1,000,000.00 FY99...all of FY 2000 has been used to pay existing invoices. Some as far back as a year ago. POs have been deleted & re-entered under newly allocated monies for FY2000. At one point we did not have the chemicals necessary to adequately treat our water. We fear reprisals if we report these violations....One long time employee has lready submitted a complaint to the OIG...but he was just demoted & sent into the field. At his age he will be sick before anything comes out of OG...one co-worker has already suffered a heart attack after Roger Hulbert sent him back into the field for asking questions. The man was already a health risk, having undergone by pass surgery...and Hulbert knew what he was doing having him work in the field in Houston's heat. Can you help us?
We know last week had a holiday in it.....but we have heard that Council member Tatro did forward our e-mail to Gary Oradat asking for some answers......Laugh -Out -Loud........ WE forwarded it to Wayne Dolefino.....let's see who actually gets the real answer.......... (Gary Oradat.....Laughing our asses off!!!!!!...another stooge)
We always get jokes referred to us...(as if the City's government isn't one anyway!) so we thought we'd share some with you:
A woman always wanted an expensive car -- a status symbol to drive around and be seen in. She scrimps and saves, goes to the BMW dealer, and plops down
several years income for a brand new state-of-the-art, computer enhanced, kick-ass, dream mobile.
She's driving off. Decides she wants some music and searches for the radio. The dashboard looks like a control panel at NASA. She fiddles with this
button, that gizmo ... jiggles these and those, but finally gives up. Can't find the damned thing.
Furious, she races back to the dealership and screams at the salesman. Tells him they forgot to install the radio.
He assures her it's right there in front of her. It's hooked into the onboard computer. All she has to do is tell it what she wants. He demonstrates:
"Classical," he says.
*click*
The car fills with the sounds of Paganini.
"Blues," she says, and *click* a B.B. King classic plays.
She drives off amazed. "Country," she says, and *click* a Garth Brooks tune comes on. "Folk" *click* Joan Baez sings about the night they drove
ol' Dixie down. "New Age" *click* Yanni at the Acropolis snaps on. She's so captivated by this new toy that she isn't paying much attention to the road.
Another driver runs a light and cuts her off.
"IDIOT!!!" she screams.
*click*
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Mayor of the City of Houston"
A guy dies and goes to hell.
The devil meets him at the gate and says, "Alright, you have
died and come to hell. You will spend eternity here, but you
get to choose how to spend it. You may choose one of these
three doorways. Once you choose a door, you may not change it.
So let's get started."
The devil opens Door One. The guy looks in and sees a couple
of people standing on their heads on a Concrete floor. The guy
says, "No way, let's move on."
The devil opens Door Two. The guy sees a few more people
standing on their heads on a Wood floor. The guy says, "No
way, let's move on."
The devil opens Door Three. The guy sees a bunch of people
standing knee-deep in cow manure drinking coffee. The guy
says, "Great, this is the one I will chose." The devil says,
"OK, wait right here, I will get you some coffee."
The guy settles in with his coffee thinking that this isn't so
bad. What's the big deal?
After about 10 minutes a voice comes over the loud speaker
saying, "Coffee break's over. Back on your heads!"
Two storks are sitting in their nest: a father stork and baby stork.
Baby stork is crying and crying and father stork is trying to calm him. "Don't worry, son. Your mother will come back. She's only
bringing people babies and making them happy."
The next night, it's father's turn to do the job. Mother and son are sitting in the nest, son is crying, and mother is saying "Son, your
father will be back as soon as possible, but now he's bringing joy to new mommies and daddies."
A few days later, the stork parents are desperate: their son is
absent from the nest all night! Shortly before dawn, he returns andthe parents ask him where he's been all night.
Says the baby stork, "Nowhere...just scaring the hell out of some college students!"
Most department Directors & their Deputies for the City
of Houston frequently get lost in thought...........
That's because it's unfamiliar territory.
One last item.....HOUSNITCH needs $500 for incorporation papers......we also need another $2000.00 for a legal fund.....WE have no intention of just telling you what's going own.....we intend to use legal recourse if we can raise the funds.....unfortunately donations right now are not deductible....but after incorporation they will be.....YOUR money will be spent WISELY....and you will see the results...not only here but in more traditional news outlets also.....Please help us become even more effective..... Housnitch @ P.O. Box 55423, Houston, TX 77255
(Thursday up-date...we wanted you to know, our FIRST donation made out to HOUSNITCH comes from a Public Engineer...OUTSIDE the city offices....and, more & more of them are asking to be added to our mail out list....Thanks guys for your confidence in us)
We know our readers aren't wealthy....but every little bit helps......Thanks guys.....
(IF everyone who logged onto our site sent in $5...HOUSNITCH could take a lot of these offenders to court ourselves...our attorneys are willing to...but we have to pay cost of the court fees)
and.....BEFORE it even comes up----the Board of Directors will handle the business end of HOUSNITCH....HOUSNITCH it's self does not have access to monies donated .
"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.)
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 council members...WE NEED THIS....)
Be well DARLINS...Tell em what you think........ya'll know what we think.........