City manager firing
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution protects a person’s life, liberty or property under substantive and procedural due process. A governmental employee being charged for violating a local or state government rule of law must have a liberty or property interest in his/her continued employment.
Substantive due process requires that local and/or state governments: Make rules of law to regulate certain activities and rules must be constitutional
Procedural due process requires:
>> A proper notice
>> A fair hearing
>> The right to question witnesses
>> A decision made by a neutral decision-maker
Recently, the Mercedes City Commission in a 3-2 vote decided to terminate the employment of its city manager who had been on the job for only two months. This item originally was listed to be discussed in executive session, but was changed to a public forum.
The facts clearly indicate the city manager had a property interest for continued employment. However three members of the commission decided he was not entitled to due process before being terminate. Both the mayor and city attorney refused to provide a legal reason for such drastic action.
Citizens and taxpayers of Mercedes have a right to be informed of the legal reason for the city manager’s termination
Silvestre Moreno Jr., Mercedes
Healthcare repeal
The latest GOP effort to repeal Obamacare is another shameless attempt to deny folks health care and to rip away what coverage they may have under Obamacare and Medicaid. Children, veterans, the elderly and the poor are easy to ignore and to exploit when GOP donors demand tax breaks. This sham is being promoted in the guise of sending health care back to the individual states where it could be dealt with as a local issue under deceitful claims of federalism.
These representatives of the people should read, perhaps for the first time, the preamble to the Constitution. It should be their guide. Among other purposes for our Constitution is the promotion of the general welfare — of the people. Tax breaks for wealthy, political donors is not one of the purposes of our Constitution.
In the wake of the stunning damage and flooding of southeast Texas, Louisiana, Florida and the Southeast, shall we forgo flood insurance access and coverage by letting 50 separate insurance regulators experiment? No. It is a problem bigger than the individual states can handle. The same must be said about health care. To promote the general welfare for the people should be the North Star for all public servants.
Ricardo Flores,
Edinburg
Don’t bend the knee ‘ingrates’ and ‘elitists’
I am sick and tired of the Hollywood elitists and professional athletes of the NBA, NFL, and MLB who seem to be in lock step with each other against President Donald Trump when he scolds them for not standing for our National Anthem.
For those of you out there who think these prima donna’s are your pals or equal, I dare say none of them would give you the time of day if you crossed paths on the street. They are elitists of the foulest sort, so if you want to hitch your wagon to those who wont stand for our National Anthem then by all means join the ranks of the un-patriots. When Barack Obama was elected president, even though I did not vote for him, I accepted him as the leader of the greatest country on Earth, and I supported the office he held. And when he was re- elected, I accepted the outcome without protest or hate for the man or the office he held, I accepted the outcome of the Democratic process.
However, I will tell you it is just un-American what is being done by these overpaid athletes and actors. The sad part is they have no political agenda except hate for the man who holds the office of the president of the United States.
I applaud Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys who chose to rise above politics and play for the fans and not join the ingrates of the NFL who take freedom for granted.
Jake Longoria,
Mission
