Pharr’s Bobby Carrillo: ‘You can’t fix stupid’
Last week’s PSJA ISD board meeting (May 22) carried two stories worth big headlines that still need to be written for this newspaper, either online later this week (anjournal.com) or in next week’s print issue, barring some unforeseen circumstance, cartel kidnaps writer, etc.
All joking aside, not that a cartel kidnapping would be considered a joke, the big news coming out of PSJA ISD as well as the City of Pharr last week had to do with the huge natatorium on N. 281 — the school district now owns half of the facility after the board majority voted to approve payment of an additional $3.6 million to the city.
With that payment approved, the city and school district each own 50/50, with PSJA ISD’s total stake valued at approximately $15.5 million.
The other big news for both PSJA ISD and the City of Pharr is that the board majority voted to approve a 10-year interlocal deal worth approximately $38 million, broken down over a 10-year time span, to provide broadband service to more than 4,500 households in Pharr that house students.
It’s the hope and plan of the district, said interim Superintendent Dr. Alejandro Elias, that students from both San Juan and Alamo will also later have access to the city’s broadband service, which provides 1 gig per second internet connectivity, which is faster than what students previously had access to before the last election (November 2022), when the school district’s previous board majority and superintendent refused to work with the city.
In fact, before last fall’s school board election, which changed the board majority entirely and brought in Dr. Elias as interim supe, soon to be named permanent superintendent, the school district hadn’t paid a dime of its share of the $26 million, of which it had agreed to pay 50 percent.
As such, the city of Pharr filed a legal motion to mediate the matter. That’s how well the ISD and city were getting along at the time.
How times change, though. In a newspaper story published July 14, 2021, Board Trustee Cynthia Gutierrez spoke about her disappointment in how the school district was handling its interlocal agreement with the city. At the time, she was part of a two-trustee minority that included Carlos Villegas. Now, she is the board president.
Back in July 2021, here is what Trustee. Gutierrez had to say about the natatorium debacle: “We are all adults here, and it is my opinion that we can come to an amicable solution without getting into an unnecessary litigation process. Personal feelings and grievances shouldn’t play part in making a decision and voting on this. There are signed documents - by both sides - and we should honor our part of the deal. The City of Pharr is our neighbor and their taxpayers are our same taxpayers. We owe it to each other to do what’s right and resolve this matter, put it behind us, and move forward.”
The other part of the two-trustee minority at the time, Carlos Villegas, had this to say back in July 2021: “Okay, so there’s mediation. What are we going to mediate? The only people that are going to win in the mediation are going to be the lawyers handling the mediation. Because what are we going to agree to at mediation? It’s an albatross hanging over PSJA, its shoulders, get it done. It’s going to be a useful enterprise.”
Indeed, the November 2022 election moved forward the process so that both entities, the school district and City of Pharr, are now working together instead of apart. Last week’s votes of approval on both the natatorium and broadband access help underscore that point.
“You Can’t Fix Stupid”
In Pharr, as in so many cities today, including school districts, there exists a Facebook page that takes almost daily swipes at the city, its mayor, elected officials, and some city employees. No one knows for sure who manages the page, or writes what gets posted there, but some think they have a clue. City Commissioner Bobby Carrillo, for example, has his suspicions, but little respect for those behind the mask.
Asked what he thinks of the pages, he says, “You can’t fix stupid. You just can’t. And I hope you quote me.”
We are. Not only do the Facebook pages get the facts wrong, but they openly libel people, with no worry of recourse, he says.
In fact, just last month, the U.S. Supreme Court handed social media companies a big win by voting that a legal shield first adopted 27 years ago to protect internet companies from lawsuits would remain in place.
So, blast away. Nothing to worry about for the platforms; and for those posting lies, good luck finding them.
Sometimes, the anonymous social platforms have posted legit stories, but they’re usually backed up with public documents, which is what legit news outlets use to source a story. It’s like the old saying, occasionally even a blind squirrel finds a nut.
Too much of the time, though, what gets posted contains just a nugget of truth, while surrounding it with falsehoods.
“You can’t fix stupid,” says Carrillo, again, as if to make sure his point gets across.
For example, in one of the latest posts on the anonymous Pharr Facebook page, this sentence is included: “The mayor of Pharr managed to convince PSJA to contribute half of the Natatorium’s cost, initially set at $3 million but quickly escalating to $10 million and finally reaching $13 million, all for the purpose of LEASING the facility.”
Like Bobby Carrillo, PSJA ISD Trustee Carlos Villegas has little respect for the anonymous Facebook pages. Their philosophy seems to be, he says: “We’ll throw a whole bunch of mud at the wall and see what sticks. They never have their facts straight. Do your research, people. The initial cost was never $3 million, and the plan was never to lease the natatorium from the city. We were going to be equal owners from the very beginning. With this recent $3 million that we approved last week, it’s absurd to think that a smart person is not going to vote to pay an extra $3 million to get into a final partnership where we own half the facility.”
In that same recent Pharr Facebook post, whoever did the writing also claims that the city is having money problems: “Not to mention, the current city’s budget is again in the red and is desperate to find a way to pay the bills but will try to hide that from you.”
According to interim City Manager Anali Alanis, however, the city has approximately $30 million in its fund balance, but that’s not the same as discussing the city’s budget.
“I’d say as a city, our financial situation is steady. In the last two years, the city has made some major investments, like the EMS, TeamPharr.net (broadband fiber, WiFi). So far this year, though, there haven’t been any budget amendments. There will be, though, probably in July, but it’s more a matter of adjusting this line item and that line item. Moving money from one account to another. It’s a matter of timing. Steady, though, that’s where I would say we’re at as a city (with regard to finances).”
Besides, says Carrillo, bridge crossings are up, housing developments are up, which means more property taxes.
“The city is in good shape,” he says.
The problem with the anon FB posters, says Carrillo is: “They don’t know what they’re saying, and most of the people against us are either those who have run against us and lost or haven’t been able to get a contract with the city or a job with the city. Why should we give you a contract with the city just because you’re whoever?
“Then you get people who lose their job with the city and are disgruntled. On every bit of gossip, there’s just a little bit of truth behind it, but it’s how you elaborate on it. But this is what society has come down to. It’s easier to put blame on everybody else and not look at the full picture because you want to make somebody else look bad. It’s like what’s going on in our country. They yell and they scream, but do they ever make any sense?”
Carrillo says that the average man or woman out there working for a living doesn’t have time to deal with all of this (delete).
“The majority of the people are too busy working, serving a purpose, taking care of their kids. The ones out there screaming about things, ignoring their own kids, start at home if people want to fix things.”
One last thing, says Carrillo: “Remember – You can’t fix stupid.”
Note: By the way, if anyone posting on the Pharr anonymous FB page wants to be interviewed in The Advance, using your real name for attribution, we’ll give you fair time and equal space to lay out your grievances against the city and its elected officials. Just call 783-00036.