Webb County: Shenanigans on a roll

Commissioner Canales succeeds in adding two jobs.

Despite a supposedy hiring freeze during the economic recession of the last few years, Webb County has continued to add positions on a rather frequent basis.  Of course, the spectre of many of those jobs being purely for political expediency has always been suspected.  Yesterday, another couple of requests were approved- but this time with a split vote.

From The Laredo Morning Times

County commissioners were split Monday when it came to the subject of doling out paychecks for seemingly unnecessary positions on Webb’s payroll.

The court narrowly approved two items—one a filling and one a transfer—that will add a center coordinator at the Fernando A. Salinas Community Center and a Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Place 1 office manager.

Commissioners Rosaura Tijerina and John Galo questioned the need for the fillings, which are similar to employee slots that already exist at both offices. The community center, which the county has yet to complete, employs a community coordinator and a director out of one large room.

Justice of the Peace Ramiro Veliz’s office currently has an office manager.

Veliz did not return calls for comment.

Galo said he “really had a problem” with what was perhaps the addition of “political slots,” noting Veliz himself did not come before the court to request extra personnel for his office.

Commissioner Jaime Canales, who sponsored both items, said he was trying to “help out” Veliz because of a heavy work load.

Canales told the dissenting commissioners he “didn’t know what (political slots) would be.”