5.1
What happened: Suspicion over hiring Purdue Brandon Fielder Collins and Mott LLP surfaced on Jan. 18, 2023, after Councilman Ken Medders Jr. requested for the item to be tabled and for the City Attorney to submit the findings to the District Attorney for investigation of possible impropriety and illegality. However, after City Attorney Edmund Cyganiewicz questioned the evidence of wrongdoing, Medders insisted on sending the files to Cameron County District Attorney Louie Saenz.
Councilman Kerry Schwartz was on the hiring committee. He recused himself from voting on the item. Director of Operations Wendi Delgado, Court Administrator Crystal I. Vasquez, and Accountant Giovanni Bouquet were the staff members on the committee.
Why it matters: In the May 17 City Council meeting, the council agenda item read:
Discussion and possible action regarding the findings of the district attorney's investigations, the allegations made by council member Medders that the process of selecting and contracting with a collection firm to handle a municipal court bonds (sic) is possibly improper and illegal.
Schwartz disclosed to the public that, despite the request to table the item and run an investigation, McNulty approved the contract with the firm on Jan. 20. Schwartz added that the reason McNulty approved the contract was because Medders provided no evidence, even though he requested for the District Attorney to run an investigation.
Schwartz read a letter aloud assuring the public that Purdue Brandan Fielder, Collins, and Maude were selected unanimously with no opposition. In the letter, Schwartz read that the process caused staff to "feel attacked, stressed, and their integrity questioned" by the request. Also included in the interest of transparency, "Several staff members and every single council member were interrogated by the DHS office in Brownsville."
Medders responded that from the beginning, he started by saying "possible improprieties," which the record reflects as accurate.
What now: The DA concluded that there was no foul play, and city staff followed the rules.
