(San Benito News/Albert Villegas)
By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
A San Benito citizen and a former elected city commissioner joined together Monday to seek out voters who cast their ballots in past municipal elections to oust some of the current members of the city commission.
To accomplish this, Eddie Loa, a citizen of San Benito, and Carol Sanchez, a former mayor pro tem, will need at least 500 signatures or 35 percent of the electorate from the past two elections.
They have a month to accomplish this feat and have the names of those who voted, Sanchez said as she stood next to Loa on the steps outside the San Benito Municipal Building.
With them was Wayne Dolcefino, of Dolcefino Media.
The trio was part of a news conference highlighted by Dolcefino’s continuing comments about nepotism, assault, and sexual assault allegations related to some of San Benito elected officials’ relatives and appointees.
With an affidavit dated Sept. 16 in hand, Loa said Dolcefino’s series of videos posted on social media, YouTube and on his firm’s webpage, on what he also termed as lack of communication from city leaders, led him again to seek a recall election.
Loa, who’s been on record as having issues with the City citing multiple problems with ordinances and code enforcement, said he hopes there is enough steam this time around since Dolcefino’s reporting this summer. Dolcefino, who was a Houston-based TV news reporter for decades, said his exposes has resulted in “hundreds” commenting to him on the need for change within San Benito City Hall.
Loa said he has attempted to get voter signatures two years ago for a recall, but was unsuccessful. He said citizens fear retaliation.
“This has been going on for two years; I have concerns, and I get no e-mail replies, no meetings with anyone from the city,” said Loa, who resided in Harlingen before moving to San Benito. “And when I have spoken to someone in the city, I haven’t gotten anywhere. We need to get the right people to lead the city.”
Sanchez, who was voted out of the commission this past spring for what her fellow commissioners cited as no longer residing within the city limits, said she supports Loa’s efforts for a recall.
“Mr. Loa has been seeking to do this for quite a while, but there was push back from the city,” said Sanchez, who served three terms beginning in 2017.
As an elected official, there were sometimes topics that as a leader she and other commissioners couldn’t discuss openly, in accordance with municipal law, she said.
If a sensitive topic is discussed, sometimes executive closed sessions are called during regular or special meetings. It means only elected leaders can discuss it, and are unable to divulge any details openly, in accordance with municipal law.
But Sanchez said now that she is not an elected leader, and some of these allegations and circumstances of which Dolcefino reported on have come to light, she does have a platform to speak and act.
“These and other things have been going on for quite a while; people are just unhappy at this time. They want their government back,” Sanchez said. “(Poor) treatment of friends and employees, loss of directors have occurred. I’ve been told citizens can’t wait for an election.”
Dolcefino Consulting has taken legal action against both players in the controversial real estate fight over Resaca Village, a commercial development project which sits along Bus. 77 near Sam Houston in San Benito.
The petition, filed in the 113th District Court in Harris County names the San Benito Economic Development Corporation and Varco Real Estate, the Resaca Village developer, and seeks court protection from a subpoena Dolcefino Media received from the city-run San Benito Economic Development Corporation.
Among other things, the SBEDC seeks details of a journalism investigation into unethical nepotism in the city.
“The powers that be in San Benito are now on a witch hunt to find out what Dolcefino Consulting knows about them and their families, agents, and employees, and bizarrely, what if anything, Dolcefino Consulting knows about Varco,” said Jeff Diamant, Attorney for Wayne Dolcefino and his investigative media firm.
“Neither the Mayor or City Manager in this crazy town claim they are behind the subpoena, nor I don’t blame them for ducking the truth, because this waste of tax money is indefensible,” said Wayne Dolcefino. “We have nothing to do with the city fight with Varco and refuse to get dragged into their fight simply because San Benito public officials are nuts.”
In a statement, Dolcefino went on to say that his firm’s investigation has already led to the resignation of Jose Morales from the San Benito Economic Development Corporation. His wife Deborah has taken his seat instead. One of the Mayor’s brothers sits on the Housing Authority Board but has refused to step down, this after a pushing incident a few weeks ago led to a citation being issued to the Mayor’s brother.
That Housing Authority Commissioner, Ramiro Guerra, the brother in question, was cited with assault after he physically pushed Dolcefino during his last visit to San Benito city hall.
“Since the city commission refuses to enact ethics laws in the city, voters should rise up and demand new leaders,” Dolcefino said. “In the meantime, we will see San Benito officials in court here in Harris County. We are examining additional legal action over public records the EDC continues to illegally withhold.”