Heather Hopes: Where Are You, Mr. Lara?

By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX 

Heather Cathleen Cox

Staff Writer
Reporter@sbnewspaper.com

As an investigative reporter, I’ve had occasion to speak with a variety of individuals, ranging from everyday citizens eating breakfast sandwiches at fast food joints to elected officials, law enforcers and public servants. From musicians, artists and all sorts of creatives — both famous and local — to clergy and humanitarians, and from NFL players to federal agents, even congressmen and senators, I’ve approached and been approached. I’ve listened to, discerned, deciphered and made heads-and-tails of just about every topic under the sun.

I’ve investigated so I could report the facts, because after all, that’s what I’m paid to do. Yet what do I do when city officials are unreachable for comment regarding matters pertinent to the functionality of San Benito’s Water Treatment Plants No. 1 and 2, when San Benito is reportedly in danger of needing to provide its residents with water from another city?

This brings me to the precise reason “Heather Hopes” is taking a break from its normally spiritual or entertainment-based nature and is taking its first crack at a political exposé.

FIRST, SOME BACKGROUND

In the summer of 2014— after Plant No. 2 ceased operation and Plant No. 1 began producing all of the water for San Benito — city officials, namely the City Manager Manuel Lara and City Attorney Ricardo Morado, became increasingly difficult to reach for comment.

In 2014, Lara jokingly said to me, “You’re too good at your job.” I was simply doing what I was trained to do by my long-time editor and friend Michael Scott Rodriguez — sifting through the agenda of a forthcoming city meeting in search of pressing action items.

I remember another time when Lara even expressed remorse for a crass comment made by Morado, after Morado laughed while declining to answer questions about why officials were mum regarding such a pressing issue as its water source. Aside from Morado’s laughter, his only response was: “Because the law allows it.”

PRESENT DAY PROBLEMS

More recently, however, communication between Mr. Lara and the News has dwindled to the point of becoming virtually nonexistent.

A few weeks ago, one of our newer employees, Dina Arevalo, called Lara from the San Benito News phone system, and he didn’t answer. She called him from her personal cell phone, and he answered. Once. He never answered her calls again.

My editor, Jacob, saw Mr. Lara this past Monday at the Municipal Building. Jacob — who was conversing with Assistant City Manager Art Rodriguez at the time — said Mr. Lara acknowledged Jacob then quickly retreated into his office before Jacob could ask him a question. Any question.

Also on Monday, after calling Mr. Lara roughly four times — leaving messages each time — I made a trip to the Municipal Building myself, where I spoke directly with his administrative assistant. I politely introduced myself as Heather Cathleen Cox with the San Benito News.

She responded, “I know who you are.”

I explained my difficulty reaching the city manager and asked if it would be possible to make an appointment with him. Without asking what day or time I was available, and without checking his schedule, she said no. Her exact explanation was something to the effect of: He has been out on vacation, and he’s been in meetings. Everyone wants to meet with him…he can hardly get a lunch break.

While that’s no direct quote, it’s a very fair paraphrase. Perhaps I should also note that the administrative assistant was kind enough to allow me to leave (yet another) message, to which Lara did not respond as of presstime on Friday.

The one and only time I have spoken directly to Mr. Lara in the past three weeks, he spent the majority of the time explaining to me that he was on vacation. He also said he was very ill, and the tone of voice he used with me made me feel as if I was a child being reprimanded by a school principal.

WATERPLANT WOES CONTINUE 

Mr. Lara is presently dealing with accusations such as the following, made by Cruz-Hogan Consultants Inc. – one of several defendants named in the city’s lawsuit against the companies involved in the construction of the $17 million Plant No. 2 – where Cruz-Hogan is counter-suing not only the City of San Benito but also Lara, himself.

Orlando Cruz, of Cruz-Hogan, previously stated there have been “malicious actions taken by the City Manager.” The same statement also reads, “Due to the unsubstantiated, false, misleading and malicious statements and comments made by the City Manager Manuel Lara to citizens of San Benito as well as to the City Commission, Cruz-Hogan’s reputation has been maliciously and without justification defamed and has brought negative publicity to the firm.”

Cruz-Hogan had already alleged in September that the Commission was “mislead” by City Manager Manuel Lara and City Attorney Ricardo Morado. Specifically, Cruz-Hogan argued that its report was “blocked” from the Commission by Morado on three separate occasions, “keeping the Commission in the dark for over two months as to the root causes of the water plant’s failure,” according to a September statement provided by Cruz-Hogan.

Regarding the previously mentioned suit by Orlando Cruz vs. the City of San Benito and Manuel Lara, the hearing has been set for January 20, 2015.

WHERE ARE YOU, MR. LARA?

I’m human. I get wanting to escape questions that could perhaps be relative to unsavory issues or allegations. But at the News, we don’t get to take two weeks off, or two days off.  I have to come to work when I’m ill because there are no other reporters who can cover my position. In the same way, there are no other employees of the city, no other officials, who can answer questions in the place of their city manager.

I’ve called and called and called. I’ve left polite messages, short messages, curt messages. I’ve even gotten creative with my voicemails, saying something along the lines of: “Mr. Lara, if you’ll speak with me, I promise to make it quick — and I’ll even stop bugging you.”

Although any of the aforementioned circumstances could lead me to have written this column, what perhaps forced my hand to type these words was what transpired this past Monday evening.

Jacob and I stopped by the Municipal Building, together, around 4:40 p.m.  Because no one was around to prohibit it, I knocked directly on Mr. Lara’s door to be answered by Art Rodriguez. The assistant city manager held out his index finger and thumb, making a pinching motion as if to say, “Just give us a little while.” Then, he shut the door in my face.

I looked at my editor, and we mutually agreed to wait in the lobby — the public lobby — until we could be seen. City Secretary Lupita Passement had other plans, however. Passement approached us, saying we should instead speak to the city’s Public Affairs Coordinator, Martha McClain, who works in a building across the parking lot.

Passement insisted we speak with McClain, rather than Lara. Without another option, Jacob and I followed Passement through the icy, cold weather and into a building far away from Lara. Far, far away.

While McClain sportingly wrote down a list of my questions and emailed some very short, concise (dare I say canned?) answers a day later, those answers did not thoroughly answer my questions.

FINAL PLEA
Why were McClain’s answers insufficient? Well, no one has the answers you have, Mr. Lara, because no one else is the City Manager.

Whether or not you can legally answer the questions, it is your job to at the very least respond with, “No comment,” and this goes for me, the News, other forms of media and especially for the citizens whose tax dollars pay your six-figure salary.

I did recently listen to a recording of a December meeting of the city commission, where you said, “I have been working closely with the City Attorney Mr. Morado…” With this in mind — maybe, just maybe — the next time y’all are together on a M-F from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., one of you could pick up the phone and dial 956-399-2436. Ask for Heather. I’m the investigative reporter with the San Benito News.

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