Public boards manage hundreds of millions in taxpayer money, often lack oversight

There are many boards that manage hundreds of millions of your tax dollars, and no one is watching closely. Mistakes can often lead to neglect, wasteful spending and crime.

“There are ramifications to your actions and many people do not understand that,” Dee Margo sed the elected board of trustees in power during the scandal.

Board members from different organizations often don’t take board service seriously, according to Margo. “They really only want the prestige of being listed as a board member.”

Rick Bonart, a local veterinarian, served on the Public Service Board, one of the most powerful boards in El Paso. “If you are content with the status quo, everybody likes you, ‘look he’s not making any waves.’ But once you become a change agent, once you start to push the boundaries, now you start stepping on peoples toes,” Bonart said.

The PSB, with a nearly $400 million budget, controls public land and water rights. Bonart led efforts to make the organization more transparent and efficient.

He and Margo both believe being a board member requires a lot of research to hold administrators accountable, even if on the surface, there’s nothing wrong.

“I just did not feel it was the proper attitude to just let staff do their own thing,” said Bonart. “I think some good came out of what I did which was to trust, but verify.”

Recently, the founding and current El Paso Children’s Hospital Board have come under fire for actions – or inactions – that led to the hospital’s bankruptcy.

Dr. Carlos Gutierrez, a member of the first Children’s board, admitted on ABC-7 XTRA he regretted agreeing to the rushed agreements between Children’s and the county hospital, University Medical Center.

Gutierrez acknowledged he let others deal with the details. “We placed a lot of trust in both our CEO’s,” said Gutierrez.

In a recent court hearing, founding Children’s board member, attorney Sam Legate, admitted under oath he followed fellow board member Ron Acton’s votes when it came to financial matters.

“If he voted yes, I voted yes. If he voted no, I voted no,” Legate said. “I wasn’t the big money guy on this”

“He virtually admitted he did not to his due diligence,” said El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar, who advocated for the Children’s Hospital in 2007 as a county commissioner.

Escobar revealed she has been frustrated by the hospital board’s failed oversight. “You don’t roll over and say, ‘okay whatever you want,'” said Escobar.

Legate also admitted to essentially following University Medical Center CEO, Jim Valenti’s, orders on big decision like hiring the first Children’s Hospital CEO.

“I hate to admit how it worked, but Jim and I talked about it. I asked Jim: ‘who do you want?’ He said: ‘I want Larry.’ I made it happen,” said Legate.

“You have a moral, ethical obligation when you vote,” said Margo, “You better hope you’re right. It’s important to the community. You ought to vote like if you’re hiring that person.”

El Paso County has some of the lowest turnout when electing board members with a lot of power.