By JOE BOCANEGRA
Special to the NEWS
During a special meeting Monday, the Veterans Advisory Board voted to change the plaque for the San Benito Veterans War Memorial.
The motion to change the plaque was approved by a 4-1 vote with board member Sandra Tumberlinson serving as the dissenting vote.
According to the approved draft obtained by the News on Tuesday, and available for viewing at sbnewspaper.com, the plaque is planned to have the date of July 3, 2011, commemorating the centennial of the city’s incorporation, and to have July 4 as the date of dedication “in remembrance and acknowledgement of the sacrifice of all veterans and their families.” Also included were the commissioners who were in place at the time of the July dedication: Mayor Joe H. Hernandez, Mayor Pro-Tem Antonio P. Gonzales, City Manager Manuel Lara, and Commissioners Rene Villafranco, Bill W. Elliott, and Celeste Z. Sanchez. In addition were the members of the Veterans Advisory Board, the San Benito Economic Development Corporation (EDC), and the former officials who were in place during the memorial’s construction, which include past mayors Jack Garza and Cesar Gonzalez.
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6 comments
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This is what the Plaque should be!!!!!
No Names, No Dates, No 73 68 69 74 !!!
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1and7Ji06A_B4h0AijUexMfTK1OVHrY3W2UWBdANcXsA
It is after all “Veterans War Memorial” and not “Politicians Ego Memorial”
No, Mr. Bagwell, your interpretation is incorrect. Two of the five members wanted names on the plaque, while two voted along with them. One member argued, if they must change the plaque, then have no names on it. Mrs. Sandra Tumberlinson, in her usual class and with the utmost respect for the historical accuracy of the City of San Benito, staunchly opposed changing the plaque. She conceded, however, that if it must be changed, leave off all names and simply create a plaque for the year it was dedicated: “2011.”
If I read the article rightly, the Board didn’t want the plaque to have any names. It was the other folks who did. I feel the Board is innocent in this case.
Shame on you commissioners. Shame on Penny and Gonzales for lining up like liitle ducks behind hernandez. Shame on the Veterans Advisory Committee for using the memorial as a political tool. It’s not the HERNANDEZ MEMORIAL ,its’ not the veterans advisory committee memorial or the victor garza memorial It is a war veteran’s memorial.
Why do the residents of San Benito continue to elect an embarrassment into office who continues to hold the City of San Benito back instead of foward and is more worried about his personal issues rather than the issues of the city. Things need to change!
Like someone else said a while back..They wanted a CLOWN,so they got a CLOWN an uneducated one at that….
Rodman below…I also agree with your statement..I voted for these 2- thinking they were going to go in with a mind of their own and also because of their educated background..but it is my opinion that they are falling for the city managers orders(right now,they don’t see them as orders of course) and that they’ll soon see that once they dont do what he ask of them he’ll turn on them too.