People Speak Out, District 2, San Antonio, Texas

Charles English, Community Activist
“We have all sinned and come short!  Why is Councilwoman Ivy Taylor, and her buddies attempting to scandalize this 2013 City Election with gutter style politics?  If, Ivy Taylor’s record after [4] years isn’t worthy, then what more will she bring in another 2 years of her segregated politics?

The tactics of Ivy Taylor is not surprising, let’s go back to when she was Vice President at Merced Housing, where she made unhealthy decisions outside of her privy concerning taxpayers and whereas Merced Housing refused to work with established District 2 neighborhood associations when proposing projects in the District.    As a result, certain neighborhood associations chose not to maintain a relationship with her organization in 2007.  This is how she runs her District today.

Four years ago, Ivy Taylor moved from Lincoln Heights just in time to run for District 2, City Council.  She and her family moved to her current Olive Street address in the Dignowity Hills community where my brother Douglas Ray English was murdered.  It is not a surprise that her husband who owns Marshall Bail Bonds on N. New Braunfels Avenue would readily supply and use such information in support of their self interests as slum landlords within District 2.

So, while we are geared to look at her past performance, Ivy Taylor wants us to expense one another: thus only disenfranchising voters of District 2.  Further,  Taylor lacks a healthy vision for our District 2 holistically!  She lacks a vision and plan in working with our youth, our schools, jobs, leaders etc….

Councilwoman Ivy Taylor, practices “voo doo” & divisive style politics, attempting to disregard people in our District to win and pursue her own self-serving ways!  She does not want people of the District to work together. She, even sounds like a developer, instead of a “leader” of District 2 by calling our District 2 area “blighted,” but it is she who strides the line and speaks with false intent.  She doesn’t care about the people who live in District and are making a changes.

Ivy Taylor continues to protect her self-interest by giving Merced Housing approximately $1 million and gave University of The Incarnate Word more than $1 million taxpayers dollar.   Ivy Taylor and Mayor Julian Castro informed their friends that they did not have to account to the citizens of District 2 concerning the Incarnate Word Eye Clinic being built!  [I] wonder, if the University of Incarnate Word promised Councilwoman Ivy Taylor something after leaving office, like a “position!”

Here is the article which Lou Miller a ‘big’ supporter of Councilwoman Ivy Taylor and Taylor’s treasurer posted. Also, isn’t Miller the owner of the Houston Street District Office building and thus receives rent from Taylor?  It’s a poor judgment call;  their hopes to win a victory for an additional 2 years of “do” nothing politics no people, based on her true past performance.  She’s hoping that we look at what her team deems a weakness in her opponents, invented by Bush For President…Willie Horton styled politics!

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Some-candidates-pasts-include-arrests-4414992.php

By the way, did you know that Ivy Taylor, ran off the Greater Corinth Baptist Church Pastor due to her own politics, continuing to divide our District 2 folk which  isn’t of God!  No, wonder she sings that song of ‘blight,’ blighted District 2 inner city.  She is the author of the great divide of our great heritage district!  We will have to wait and see May 11, 2013!  Much of the work that Ivy Taylor  is claiming is that of another.  She should be well aware that ‘plagiarism’ is stealing, no matter if you are a Yale University graduate!

We have all sinned, and fallen short…even the Taylor’s!  It’s time to send them back to their familiar lifestyle!  District 2, can do better, and we do not have to settle for less!  Ivy Taylor needs to know that we care about our sons and daughters, and the future of District 2!  Taylor needs to understand that her 4 years of a ‘closed door policy’ to our inner city District 2 citizens isn’t hers to cherry pick, but the seat belongs to our God and his people!”

In Reference to Mario Salas’s endorsement of Ivy Taylor Mr. Alvin Ferguson states the following:

“This campaign must be making some type of noise if you must comment about it. Let’s be real now.  What is the agenda behind an endorsement for Ivy Taylor now?  He must have a book coming out or he may just need a little attention.  Be honest, a has been washed up ex city councilman cannot persuade the likes of anyone yet alone anyone that counts.  Can you say THIRSTY!!!!!!   Where was his endorsement when she ran the other times?  This stunt would be like Lil Wayne asking big Daddy Kane to appear on a song.  It doesn’t make sense especially when you were relevant so long ago.   All I have to say is stay in the shadows where you have been all of this time and let the race proceed without a lame endorsement.  “He is such a pillar in the community?”  We never hear or see this man just like our current council woman until the media is present.  Please hit the brakes Mario.  Americas best dance crew will be back on soon and you will have your job back.  My bad, wrong guy.  That is Mario Lopez.”

An Address to San Antonio’s Inner City Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, Presented to the Board by Ida Brown

Do your job, Community First, A Battle of Economic Class

A Speech to the Inner City TIRZ Board, 3/22/2013

By, Ida D. Brown

How does one snatch the history of a proud community that has a strong culture and background of contributing to the development of the City of San Antonio?   From the Buffalo Soldiers buried on the Eastside who are credited with modernizing Texas after the Civil War who also settled on the Eastside, to our strongest annual Martin Luther King March, and to the creation of this Inner City Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone.  We can’t emphasize any stronger to this Board that we created this TIRZ to assist in revitalization of the Eastside.  Look at the makeup of the Board and 13 years ago some of you were there in council chambers when the Inner City TIRZ passed.

But it is apparent that just as in Dec. 2000, when the City of San Antonio Staff (Chris Brady and Trey Jacobson) were not going to recommend approval, today we still fight for our TIRZ the pool of funds we created to revitalize our community that we have yet to see.  The battle is one of class status and race.  It is a disgrace for this Board to deny that development of the Black community in San Antonio has centered on the activities of Black churches and their congregations.  Visualize the development of the Eastside today.  Now visualize the Eastside without the Black churches and their congregations.

The Transformation Coalition of Churches Nonprofits and Partners is concentrated around then 7 now 9 churches in which their congregations (people) reside on the near / far Eastside of San Antonio.  With, the George Gervin Youth Center as the lead agency, the Coalition is an eligible applicant.  Since our initial presentation to Ivy Taylor, Chair/Councilperson, we have been met with strong resistance on a personal level, which is very contrary to an effective leader of a political District.  So the question to ask, is she, does she care for the people?

During this long process, the statement that stands out (and witnessed during a TIRZ Board meeting) by Councilperson Taylor, “this RFP was not written for them, we wanted property tax generating entities,”   However, take note in who is being recommended for funding, the City of San Antonio.   The Coalition did not receive a score of 0.  If you add the many scores staff assigned to our one application, we exceeded the possible score of 100 and received 264.66 points.  We either won or the process is tainted.  As one comprehensive application, a community in partnership, as the law allows, we received the highest score and bonus points.   So what happened?

On August 24, 2012, the City of San Antonio issued a letter that certainly one can’t just take back and say never mind.  The key statement within the letter says “Please note that you can request a review of the procurement process and procedures but the review is limited to the process and will not include a review of your specific proposal.”  This statement is contrary to the RFP.  There are many professionals on each side of this river and we all know that this does not pass the smell test.  Voters know when a hustle is on, and the money is being stolen.

Ever since this process started we assumed we would receive fairness.  But an apparent poor process and possible bid rigging has now generated a great disconnect between the community, this chair (Councilwoman Ivy Taylor), and the Board of the Inner City TIRZ.   It appears the Councilwoman’s personal wars, race war, and class war has gone too far.   [She has ignored and hurt her district/her constituents/the people. ]

A tool created by the Eastside is being thrown in our face as one that we cannot utilize because we are Black and not of the appropriate economic class.  Councilwoman Taylor cares too much of status and  not the most segregated community in the United States cause by economic status.  This includes District 2.

Councilwoman Taylor is now funding government projects with our TIRZ funds and thus telling the community that Mt. Zion First Baptist plays no part in the development of the City of San Antonio and the Eastside, Greater Love Missionary Baptist Church plays no part in the development of City of San Antonio and the Eastside, Conqueror Assembly plays no part in the development of the City of San Antonio and the Eastside, St. Gerard High School plays no part in the development of the City of San Antonio and the Eastside, The South Central Texas Center for Pediatric Care plays no part in the development of the City of San Antonio and the Eastside Community, Second Baptist Church plays no part in the development of the City of San Antonio and the Eastside, True Vision Church plays no part in the development of the City of San Antonio and the Eastside, and the George Gervin Youth Center plays no part in the development of the City of San Antonio and the Eastside.  You are also sending a strong message to other churches that are now members of the Coalition that you do not want coalitions and partnership building to create strong communities.

Because of the gross flaws in scoring, personal prejudices of the Chair/Councilwoman Taylor (which she has unprofessionally allowed to flow into the Board of Directors and now the Community), and lack of transparency of this RFP process (Caused by Councilwoman Ivy Taylor and City of San Antonio Staff), the Transformation Coalition of Churches Nonprofits and Partners would like the respect to proceed to receive funding like the University of Incarnate Word [which was paved a clear path by Commissioner Tommy Addkisson  with no RFP and no obstacles.]