STUPID
CITIZENS WON'T CATCH ON
More Stink At City Council
Phil Cortez Fibbed About Being 'Called
Up' By Military
SAL Political Snitch
”I'm
doing it for my country, to help the Air Force
better defend our country.” - Councilman
District 4 Phil Cortez To The Express.
Here's
more, excerpted from the Express.
Cortez
said he'd be heading to Fort Meade, Md., for
“schooling and field exercises.” At his
urging, the council appointed Leticia Cantu, his
fiancee, as his interim replacement last week. By
then, the Southwest Side councilman was already
in training.
But
Cortez, not the Air Force Reserve, initiated his
activation process, according to the military...
On
Monday from Fort Hood, Cortez initially suggested
that the idea came from the Air Force, saying,
“I was told that I was moving into this
(public affairs) position.”
When
pressed on the subject, Cortez, a first
lieutenant in the 433rd Airlift Wing,
acknowledged that he approached the Air Force
about public-affairs training. He defended his
decision to take the class in the middle of his
council term by noting that “a vacancy came
open” late last year in Lackland's
public-affairs office and he jumped on the
opportunity.
The
circumstances behind Cortez's military activation
are noteworthy because of the political
implications.
Cantu
was a controversial choice to replace him, given
her rocky work history at City Hall. She worked
for four council members, and three of those jobs
ended with rifts between her and the
officeholders. She also was suspected in the 2006
destruction of a mock toll booth display set up
by the campaign of state House candidate Nelson
Balido. (Watch SAL
Exclusive Video) Cantu worked at the time
for the campaign of Balido's opponent, Joaquín
Castro, the brother of Mayor Julián Castro. (More from
the Express.)
See
related SAL stories below.
More
to follow
-
Developing -
* * *
WHAT CITY
CHARTER?
Vandalecia
Cantu Gets A Nod
And
A Wink From San Antonio City Council
District
7 Resident To Represent District 4
The
Express
-
Previous Stories Below -
SA
City Government will decide if a Councilman's girl
friend is eligible to replace him at City Hall.
(Click for
Council Agenda.)
Editor's
Note: Since the above link was posted, access from
this page is apparently being blocked. Copy and paste
the following URL into your address bar as an
alternative.
http://epay.sanantonio.gov/agendabuilder/printAgenda.aspx
As
City Council ponders the rubberest of all stamps --
called *cronyism -- political vandal and notorious
camp follower Leticia Cantu is getting a figurative
bikini wax so she will fit most comfortably into
"fiancee" Councilman Phil Cortez' District
4 chair. (See related
stories.)
*cronyism
noun
favoritism
shown to close friends, esp. in political
appointments to office
Webster's
Dictionary
* * *
The odd part of all
this is that Leticia has a homestead in District 7,
not 4. So, will she be representing 7 Or 4 or both?
Her
homesteaded house at 8719 is a clue, maybe.
Account
(From Bexar County Records)
|
| Property ID: |
683787 |
Legal Description: |
NCB
17945 BLK 16 LOT 24 FRENCH CREEK VILLAGE
UT-6 |
| Geographic ID: |
17945-016-0240 |
Agent Code: |
|
| Type: |
Real |
|
|
Location
|
| Address: |
8719 CHARTRES |
Mapsco: |
547E6 |
| Neighborhood: |
OAKS OF FRENCH CREEK (NS) |
Map ID: |
|
| Neighborhood CD: |
99255 |
Owner
|
| Name: |
MONTOYA LETICIA CANTU |
Owner ID: |
2408640 |
| Mailing Address: |
8719 CHARTRES
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78240-3528 |
% Ownership: |
100.0000000000% |
| |
|
Exemptions: |
HS (Homestead) |
She appears to flit
hither and yehaw as to what bed she puts her fancy
shoes under. This is an important point.
City charter makes it
clear that a Councilperson reside in the District
represented.
Further, as to a
replacement the Charter says:
(f)
A temporary acting officer has all the powers,
privileges, and duties of the office and is
entitled to the same compensation, payable in the
same manner and from the same source, as the
officer who is temporarily replaced.
One of those
"duties" is residence in the District.
* * *
There is
also some confusion at City Hall.
City
Attorney Michael Bernard told the Express that
"the council was following the provisions of a
state constitutional amendment which enables state
and local governments to appoint temporary
replacements for elected officials required by
military commitments to vacate their jobs for more
than 30 days."
That
part is true, but Bernard suggested Cortez had the
ability to appoint his own replacement, which
he does not. He can make a recommendation.
Bernard
noted "that when state Reps. Frank Corte Jr. of
San Antonio and Rick Noriega of Houston were called
up for military service and temporarily vacated their
seats, they selected their wives as interim
replacements." - The Express
This
part is correct, but Bernard neglected to explain
that the rules for the Legislature are seperate and
distinct from those pertaining to City Council.
(Click for full
text of the amendment.)
All of which makes Council the ultimate
authority in deciding if it's a go or no show for
Leticia. They can't weasle out on their
responsibility.
Of course, it is likely that Leticia
will get the nod. She has haunted City Hall and
various political endeavers for years.
She has worked for 4 Council members,
including Mary Alice Cisneros. Mary Alice fired her
after a verbal confrontation about unions and other
unspecified complaints. Leticia was escorted by
security and tossed out the door.
Recently she worked a clerical job for
the City, and frequently parked in Cortez' private
spot. Presumably she knows every closet and its
contents at City Hall.
* * *
Speaking of blow ups, she was a member
of Julian Castro's wedding party, till she got in an
argument with Julian's bride, Erica. The subject of
that tiff is not clearly known.
* * *
Council will act on Thursday. Pay
attention to who weighs in, and how they vote.
More to follow.
- Developing -
(Persons named in this commentary are
offered free space to respond.)
* * *
SAL, San
Antonio Lightning Newspaper,
SanAntonioLightning.Com
And SALSA Connection Are Trademarks And Services
Marks
All Rights Reserved
Copyright 1999-2010 RG Griffing Publications
Write The
Editor
