MARFA — On Wednesday, Presidio County Precinct 1 County Commissioner Deidre Hisler asked commissioners to pass a resolution prohibiting the county judge, commissioners, their families or businesses from profiting in any way with border wall contractors.
Hisler said after seeing a former Presidio official lease his land to a contractor, and also seeing questions about Terrell County officials ties to a lease of the county’s airport to a contractor, she felt a strong statement needed to be made prohibiting conflicts of interest.
“Transparency and sunshine in government leads both to the best decision-making by and the greatest faith in government,” the resolution states.
The resolution also contains details on the kinds of benefits from contracts that would be prohibited, such as road improvements. “That, in the event that by geographical necessity road improvements are to, from, or bordering any such property, the implicated elected official must advise the County Clerk who must post a notice describing the work, location, and naming the official on the door to the Courthouse before any such contract is entered and any such work commenced, and the notice must remain posted for no less than one month,” it states.
However, Commissioner Obed Escontrias had concerns about the level of detail in the resolution on affinity and consanguinity that would include a wide spectrum of relatives and family members with the prohibition. He said he had no problem with the resolution covering commissioners and the judge but that it went too far covering people he would have no control over.
Hisler agreed to remove those details and only cover commissioners and the judge, but her motion to pass it failed to get a second — because the other commissioners did not want to consider it without County Judge Joe Portillo, who was absent from the meeting with a serious illness in his family.
