Mayor speaks out on VARCO

GUERRA

By ARABELLA SERRATA
editor@sbnewspaper.com

In a recent interview, San Benito Mayor Ricardo “Rick” Guerra spoke with Juan Montoya, editor and publisher of online news outlet “El Rrun Rrun.” The interview covered San Benito’s Economic Development Corporation [EDC] issues with the construction company VARCO.

Montoya shared in the interview that Guerra was a firefighter for 33 years. Three years before his run as mayor, the EDC entered its contract with VARCO to construct the Resaca village shopping plaza. Now, six years later, the project is still unfinished, and the EDC wants to take it into its own hands. The video also shares that VARCO sued the EDC for their attempt, and the EDC countersued for nonperformance.

“I want to be truthful to the people, and I want to be transparent,” said Guerra, referencing a series of online video exposés depicting the City, EDC, and San Benito leaders in a negative light. Guerra and Montoya spoke about all the possibilities and promises of jobs the Resaca Village would offer.

“After all those promises, what happened?” asked Montoya.

Guerra said VARCO has not shared the details of their financials regarding the project with the EDC. “On the contract, from what I understand is [that] they’re supposed to share the finances,” said Guerra, explaining that was just one other example of the VARCO not meeting its terms with the EDC.

Guerra also said the insurance has not been made clear. According to Guerra, this can cause a major liability if someone is injured on the construction site.

The progress on the project slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and VARCO requested an extension of the project’s deadline. According to Guerra, the project still had several years before it had to be completed. Guerra said the EDC wants VARCO to disclose the insurance and financials to the EDC board.

Guerra says VARCO sent a representative to speak with him and the city manager. They agreed to discuss the project with VARCO, but the city wanted to renegotiate the contract because the original one had expired. Shortly after, Guerra received a call from a reporter about VARCO suing the EDC. “By the time I got back to the City, I got a call from another newspaper… and that’s how we found out (about the suit),” said Guerra.

Guerra claims VARCO never “came to the table” to discuss the matter properly before suing.

The interview covered the Houston-based law firm, Dolcefino Consulting, which has posted two online videos accusing San Benito officials of promoting corruption, and nepotism, to which Guerra asked, “How are we corrupt? We are held accountable… not only by the people but by the government or anybody else.” He claimed the videos were to “make us [the city] look bad” and that it “caused a lot of hurt.” Guerra also claimed the videos were to “keep us away from what VARCO has been doing.”

Guerra shared that during a court appearance about the EDC’s attempted eviction of VARO from Resaca Village, the EDC lawyer reported an inability to share the entirety of the information they had on VARCO, adding that VARCO told them [the judge], “we (VARCO) are going to pay the taxes that are owed this afternoon,” said Guerra. “Those taxes have not been paid,” according to Guerra.

“In a sense, who has been deceptive? Not the city. We have been transparent,” said Guerra.
Guerra went on to add that the EDC has, “kept their mouths shut” on the matter as recommended by their lawyer, but they were pushed to discuss the matter due to Dolcefino’s coverage.

According to Guerra, one of the employees working for Dolcefino Consulting confirmed to the EDC that VARCO hired them. Dolcefino denies this.

“To the people of San Benito: We’re here. We have been elected by the people to expand San Benito. In the long run, this man who has come in from a distance, he’ll be here for maybe a short time. And he’ll leave, but we’re here.” said Guerra.

Guerra shared that the EDC would go to court on the issue, “So they can see, so the jury can see, that we have a lot of information… to show that the city has been in good faith, trying to negotiate.”

Speaking with the NEWS last Friday, Wayne Dolcefino, of Dolcefino Consulting, and an award-winning broadcast investigative journalist, refuted the Mayor’s statements, saying that if the City and EDC were so transparent, his firm would not have to fight so hard to acquire information, including certain EDC financial records which have been denied to him and his firm.

Dolcefino also confirmed that a third installment of his exposé on the City may be posted online by the time of this newspaper’s publication, possibly looking into matters dealing with the San Benito Housing Authority, the Mayor’s brother, and a trip to Saudi Arabia by City Officials.

Dolcefino also discussed the ongoing attempt by the City to serve him with a subpoena in an effort to force him to expose who’s paying for Dolcefino’s work, something the journalist says he will not willingly do, adding that the attempt is a waste of taxpayers’ money.

In an earlier interview with the NEWS, the Mayor made it clear that he would draw the line at Dolcefino investigating members of his family, especially his parents, and even threatened physical violence against the reporter.

“One thing I will tell you, and you can quote me on this, is that if Dolcefino went after my parents, I’ll knock the — out of him,” said the Mayor.