HARLINGEN — City Commissioner Richard Uribe wasn’t in the business of selling food to the city jail too long.
On Jan. 19, the day the Valley Morning Star reported the mayor pro tem was selling tacos to the jail, Uribe stopped his deliveries, closing his purchase order, Irma Garza, the city’s spokeswoman, said Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Uribe, who’s running for a third term in a three-man race for the commission’s District 1 seat, did not respond to messages requesting comment.
In October, Uribe, who owns a restaurant, started selling food to the jail, two years after former City Attorney Ricardo Navarro issued a legal opinion clearing the way, City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez said at the time.
In response to the Star’s Texas Public Information Act request for Navarro’s legal opinion, earlier this month the city stated it could not produce a document because Navarro had not issued a written opinion regarding the matter.
Meanwhile, a City Charter clause prohibits commissioners from selling to the city.
Gonzalez said Uribe, who hadn’t entered into a contract with the city, was allowed to sell food because he was the lowest bidder for the jail’s food service in August, when he offered to deliver breakfast, lunch and dinner tacos for $2.75 each.
During a six-week period from October through Dec. 10, Uribe made $3,781, according to city records obtained through the Texas Public Information Act.
In 2016, Uribe first won election to the commission’s District 1 seat after serving on the Harlingen WaterWorks board.
Last year, the new commission appointed him mayor pro tem.
