http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/
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IF RUN OUT OF TOWN, PRETEND YOU'RE LEADING THE PARADE
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<div>By <strong>Juan Montoya</strong><br />Once again the big shots from the University of Texas System have come down from Olympus lightning bolts flashing, and thunder bolts crashing.<br />This time the Top Dog, Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa was at the editorial boardroom of the Brownsville Herald bemoaning the fact that the trustees at Texas Southmost College are not bending over backwards (or forward, maybe) to give the UT System what it needs: the college district's buildings and real estate.<br />"UT is not in the position to be a tenant of TSC going forward," a transition document on the UTB-TSC separation states. "If TSC is unable to make a decision on facilities to offer to UTB, UTB must proceed, and TSC will lose an opportunity to have facilities considered by UTB for purchase."<br />You've got to give these flatlanders from Austin credit for their nerve.<br />If I remember correctly, most of the UT buildings were bought and paid for by local district taxpayers through bond issues and other fees. And as a far as the ownership of the real estate where the disputed buildings are at, who does UT think owns that?<br />"We're the only buyer," said one Barry Burgdorf, a UT System vice-chancellor and general counselor...The question is how do we get it...We need to strike a deal."<br />Well, for starters, how about paying the back rent owed to TSC district taxpayers that was agreed to through the "partnership?" If we remember correctly, that amounts to more than $10 million and is accruing as we speak.<br />This Burgdorf also says that if TSC keeps the buildings the district also inherits the debt associated with them. So what's new?<br />A conservative estimate indicates that in the 20-year span that UTB has been sucking the TSC district, it has siphoned off about $1 billion in "transfers" from the community college. Now they want to horse trade to get a bargain basement deal on the property and buildings as well?<br />Then, tellingly, this same Burgdorf lays bare UTB's hand: "We'r e the only buyer. We need to have that space by 2015."<br />So, in other words, you don't have a hand. And if you use the words "<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIuIswNyJAaalvOMPeYhe7yaiLyV89ObHSdimxQ_rdXCFuy5hV8yYt_LdA5AdYin8cSwkC4j5zAvvCEuxUdOn-5zW9M6k3mfN8d0UOBW69txjzZCrVSyXIVEAWC8GLG_BvGX1mK9Z2t0/s1600/wc+fields.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px; height: 251px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727581867524865874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIuIswNyJAaalvOMPeYhe7yaiLyV89ObHSdimxQ_rdXCFuy5hV8yYt_LdA5AdYin8cSwkC4j5zAvvCEuxUdOn-5zW9M6k3mfN8d0UOBW69txjzZCrVSyXIVEAWC8GLG_BvGX1mK9Z2t0/s320/wc+fields.jpg" /></a>we need," it indicates that you're playing from a weak position to dictate terms. Who do these people think they're dealing with?<br />No, it's not the same facilitators of the past. You know, pliant Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., subservient State Rep. Rene Oliveira, Rose Mary Cardenas. Chester Gonzalez, Robert Robles, David Oliveira, Juliet Garcia, et. al<br />Instead, they should realize that across the table â€" as equals â€" are seated a majority of very different TSC trustees the likes of Adel Garza, Kiko Rendon, Trey Mendez and Rene Torres and our president Lily Tercero.</div><div>Now we find out that TSC and UTB were never considered equals under the "partnership" charter. UTB, we are now told, was always the "parent" institution, keeping its accreditation, while TSC, the "unit(?)," will now have to recover it after 20 years of living under the UT System umbrella and subsidizing its growth through its taxing district.<br />Cigarroa and Burgdorf can continue to blow smoke at the Herald's editorial staff ( I'm surprised any of them are still in Brownsville, or were they?) until they're blue in the face.<br />We're still waiting for that "firm commitment" from the UT System to bring their own money down here and build a world-class four-year institution and leave our community assets alone. If they were really committed they wouldn't continue to try to dispossess our community of anything. Don't they feel they have a responsibility to treat us along the border just as they treat other communities in the UT System?</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-5781695482799637580?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/04/when-being-run-out-of-town-make-like.html
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