tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post7117376857549472840..comments2024-01-04T07:10:10.122-06:00Comments on The Muckraker: TxDOT's Amadeo Saenz On Hot Seat — Can't Be TruthfulSal Costellohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09480127461297425532noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-4187735511851768412009-03-16T15:11:00.000-05:002009-03-16T15:11:00.000-05:00The first Monday of every month the Pharr district...The first Monday of every month the Pharr district has a safety metting and afterwards any concerns will be voiced at that time. With the situation the way it stands the concern has turned this March into a ratten session where they are are at each other's throat trying to justify their position by making other employees look bad. Instead of making things better they focus on the apposite.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-40001547729680729002009-03-14T23:38:00.000-05:002009-03-14T23:38:00.000-05:00Now that regionalization is taking place employees...Now that regionalization is taking place employees are losing titles left and right but they will continue with the same work load. In the San Antonio region which covers a number of districts there can only be one region engineer which will replace the district engineers. One region manager will replace management positions at the districts level. Accounting, right of way, human resources, sign shop, mechanic shop, etc.... And this is happening now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-75411431277851119502009-02-26T22:02:00.000-06:002009-02-26T22:02:00.000-06:00TxDOT Public Transportation Division is being run ...TxDOT Public Transportation Division is being run like a dictatorship. The Exec. Director has his own agenda and makes all decisions. No public input, he doesn't involve members of the Public Transportation Advisory committee or the transit providers or the district coordinators. His decisions are not based upon meeting the needs of Texas transit. Now, it appears that TxDOT administration is allowing the Public Transportation Division (PTN) to take total control over the district field public transportation coordinators. Where is the Sunset Commission when you need them. Did they not investigate this division when they looked at TxDOT highway departments? That's one of the main problems too - TxDOT highway department doesn't closely watch what all is taking place at the Public Transportation Division. They place their trust in one - division director who tells them one thing then does the opposite.<BR/>If this centralization is implemented - then there goes any and all transparency and accountability...guess nothing is lost since it wasn't there to begin with anyway. Legislators please look into this division. You will find that projects are selected for funding without justification. What a waste of our taxpayer dollars.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-64096597499054635512008-11-24T19:22:00.000-06:002008-11-24T19:22:00.000-06:00As per my experience with TXDOT when it comes to j...As per my experience with TXDOT when it comes to justice, it has come 100% from outside TXDOT. TXDOT is unfair and uncapable to bring justice when the wrongdoing comes from the management side. They drag their feet to act until the focus fades away. Only direct action from lawyers who represent employees, or the F.B.I. have been able to bring justice. To wait for TXDOT to act is like the worst thing to hope for because they will just cover it up to take care of their own. Is like asking Alcopone to punish his thugs; it is not going to happen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-37897773840133396042008-10-16T19:49:00.000-05:002008-10-16T19:49:00.000-05:00Amadeo will be out of office by the end of the yea...Amadeo will be out of office by the end of the year. If not, the sunset committy is a sham. A paper tiger that is design to make it appear that they are doing something about it, but, they are not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-60663419662174064982008-09-28T14:34:00.000-05:002008-09-28T14:34:00.000-05:00The sunset committee sole purpose is to protect ma...The sunset committee sole purpose is to protect management wrong doing staring from the very top and so far, they are doing a good job at making it appear like they are really looking for the problem but, the questions to management are very soft and polite. That way they may say. We did try but, could not find any fault. The sunset has become another obstacle to the problem. They are not going to make management look bad why? Because they most likely have also skeletons in their own closets. And they are not about to hang themselves. We need the federal government to run the sunset committee or state representives but not TXDOT personnel. If any justice is to be done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-89339785041935518492008-09-24T23:29:00.000-05:002008-09-24T23:29:00.000-05:00Policies are written to make TXDOT look good but t...Policies are written to make TXDOT look good but they are seldom followed. You are not supposed to drive a vehicle without brake,tail lights not working but, your supervisor orders you to. He over rules policy because he controls your raises. Policies are good if they are followed; you are not supposed to carry alcoholic containers in your vehicle but, since you are the watch dog, who will question you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-43464865736134804702008-09-15T20:48:00.000-05:002008-09-15T20:48:00.000-05:00I've been told TxDOT has allowed individuals to be...I've been told TxDOT has allowed individuals to be hired without thoroughly checking the veracity of their stated education levels, and used those misleading "higher educational" (master, doctorate, etc.) qualifications to gain a job or a promotion. Any truth to this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-37846392127367972512008-09-15T13:55:00.000-05:002008-09-15T13:55:00.000-05:00I filled many surveys as to the status of TXDOT an...I filled many surveys as to the status of TXDOT and I was surprised that prior to the last time the district engineer said that they had recieved a bad evalution. So they had a class for management on ethics and then three management employees were caught on a sting operation where they pleaded guilty as to taking a bribe. And we have not recieve the finding on the last survey, it seems it vanished into thin air. But you know what it is? They do not like to hear the truth. The turth is out there. But they have no idea on how to deal with it. And how to take care of their own. For several decades management has operated under deplomatic immunity under TXDOT.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-67394489572522876012008-09-13T00:16:00.000-05:002008-09-13T00:16:00.000-05:00The latest "leak" from inside txdot (i am a curren...The latest "leak" from inside txdot (i am a current employee) is that Saenz sent an approx. 450 page document to all DE's and told them to go over carefully to make sure they were not breaking any laws as for as labor was concered and HR. He keeps saying they will not do anything without imput and that is a bunch of crap. Barton and Castell will kill each other to get to the top.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-45827515489334400232008-09-12T21:50:00.000-05:002008-09-12T21:50:00.000-05:00Some employees follow polices other think policies...Some employees follow polices other think policies do not pertain/apply to them. Some employees feel that sonority over rules policies. Not so! This is a state agency where policies need to be followed. You get paid to do a job right not to sit on your ass or be a _ucking liar. Now, Who gets paid to do nothing or to be told how to run business on a day to day basis? You need to earn your money.Get rid of the rotten apples. New apples are better apples.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-81432802966533846792008-09-09T17:41:00.000-05:002008-09-09T17:41:00.000-05:00After I retired due to TXDOT ways "to do more with...After I retired due to TXDOT ways "to do more with with less attitude" and "simon says" non-schedule mentality, I feel like a great burden has been lifted off my shoulders. I came close to biting the bullet a few times until I decided that it was not worth the trouble. Now,I get paid not to work and I just love it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-71491406307219092922008-09-01T17:33:00.000-05:002008-09-01T17:33:00.000-05:00I will totally agree with you. I have also seen s...I will totally agree with you. I have also seen some pretty good employees jump ship. I am talkin some educated, sharp individuals who liked what they did but could no longer put up with the ASSphalt TxDOT was shoveling. How anyone who calls themself any kind of a director or manager could allow this to go on just boggles my mind. But yes, when the FTE's drop so does the payroll...it all looks good on paper. This is all part of the plan. Let them thin themselves out!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-87474673541322084402008-08-31T22:21:00.000-05:002008-08-31T22:21:00.000-05:00I am one of the few fortunate ones that was able t...I am one of the few fortunate ones that was able to bail out. And you are right, they do not care to lose people with experience. Its cheaper to operate with inexperience; deam on. The new are not as dedicated and do not plan to stay for long, so, they will always operate with inexperience personnel at a large expense cost due to their lack of experience but, who cares as long as the numbers on paper look good, right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-75538672886945847462008-08-28T20:42:00.000-05:002008-08-28T20:42:00.000-05:00Well, how come we are not hearing anything about t...Well, how come we are not hearing anything about the "BIG" regionalization plan anymore? Sounds like things in the northern region are still a go but our "little" buddy Tiny Timmy "Powder Puff" Powers seems to be making his rounds under the radar, real hush hush like. People are jumping ship and if they do not tell everyone what they are planning on doing there will be plenty more people leaving. Some people that are leaving are very intelligent, and well respected employees of the state with a number of years of there lives dedicated to the department. These guys will be hard to replace but I guess thats ok to a numbers guy like Tim "sukass" Powers. AS long as he gets his "fat" paycheck he could give two shits about the rest of us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-62845376715556999262008-08-27T08:55:00.000-05:002008-08-27T08:55:00.000-05:00Big government equals to Big waste. When the Dist...Big government equals to Big waste. When the Districts operated indipendently it was more economical, and now, TXDOT wants to run it like the federal government but the state of Texas does not have a bottomless pit like the federal level so, we can go broke in a New York minute. We have gone from saving money to wasting tax payer money. For the last four years equipment was purchased with the attitude "use it or lose it" it does not matter whether it was in need. And then if that was not enough we went and spent the following year budget and no one squeaked, well, that is a green linght so, we went and spent the next following year budget and again nobody squeaked. So, all the districts were going nuts spending. Now you knon where some of the 1.1 Billion went to...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-24753228011221783952008-08-27T08:19:00.000-05:002008-08-27T08:19:00.000-05:00Today 08/27/08 at 2:00 PM is the day the fantastic...Today 08/27/08 at 2:00 PM is the day the fantastic 4 will be sentenced in Federal court in McAllen. The invisible girl is the contractor who fingered them. The Thing is the big supervisor. Elestic man is pretty boy. And the torch is the Hot heaD.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-79371014762021446932008-08-25T21:31:00.000-05:002008-08-25T21:31:00.000-05:00As a current employee of TxDOT I see waste almost ...As a current employee of TxDOT I see waste almost on a daily basis when it comes to using contracts to purchase items or get equipment repaired using a contract. I constantly go over in my head ways I could buy or do the job for less. I even research prices just for kicks to see how much cheaper I can get it without the contract. I see first hand what the contract charges TxDOT for goods or services and like the posts above just wonder how it can go on. It is basically legal theft. If the working people of TxDOT, more specifically the support people, can see the obvious waste with these contracts how come nobody else can. All we can do is sit back and take it because nobody wants it to change and nobody listens to the little guy with no money. Dirty politics.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-81232012135345842552008-08-25T19:49:00.000-05:002008-08-25T19:49:00.000-05:00As a former TXDOT employee with purchasing experie...As a former TXDOT employee with purchasing experience, the system was broken and still is, from what I gather. During Hurricanes Rita and Katrina the restrictions were lifted and we were able to use our personal judgement. Sure we spent money, but not nearly what we would have, had we had to go through the contract process. The work got done and the workers in the field were taken care of. So now it is time to throw the management to the dogs and let your representatives know what is really going on. Management has failed and will continue to fail if we just sit back and take it. It is time to let everyone know what is really happening. Amadeo should be the first one out the door.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-85516879977735543352008-08-25T07:58:00.000-05:002008-08-25T07:58:00.000-05:00If anyone with the ability to make a decision real...If anyone with the ability to make a decision really wanted to save money(tax payer money) then they would see from the above posts that the contracts that TxDOT has is killing them. If a politician wanted to make a name for himself he would quit kissing the corporate ass and start putting a stop to the UNLIMITED CORPORATE CASH COW known as TxDOT. We have a friggin contract for everything. Do the math people, well in this case you better contract it out to a qualified CPA. :) Where are the politicians, legislators, sunset, Armadillo. Get control of the stupid contracts!! U SOFA KING WE TODD DID!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-78040641955342586352008-08-24T20:45:00.000-05:002008-08-24T20:45:00.000-05:00"don't tell us why this can't be done,,tell us how..."don't tell us why this can't be done,,tell us how it can be done". If this wasn't a David Casteel quote I bet he had something to do with it. I've personally heard his thoughts before and this smells just like him. It is said that he has a plaque in his office that says something like "if it aint broke then break it". Of course that is so HE can be the shinning star that "fixes" it ! <BR/>We are all in trouble until someone puts him back on his chain ! Amadeo is on the bus alright but David is driving. I was told that members of the Sunset review team were present with a TxDOT employee and were advised of what is going on. They were astonished and commented that "that is not what we recommeded". KEEP YOUR CONGRESSMEN INFORMED !! Many do not know what is going on !!! 0h, ya, you want to know about waste.. just ask a TxDOT employee like the previous poster and that's just one small example. We little guys could actually save the $35 mill not just redistribute it to upper salaries.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-10318236621933590462008-08-23T21:39:00.000-05:002008-08-23T21:39:00.000-05:00I would tend to agree. An audit would be a comple...I would tend to agree. An audit would be a complete waste of time and taxpayer money. Nothing would happen. TxDOT simply needs to stop feeding taxpayer money to corporate giants like IBM and CDW who do nothing but over charge the state of Texas for goods and services that you and I could get for 50% less in your local area. We are forced to purchase items from certain vendors because they have a state contract. Here is an example. Lets say we need to purchase a repair kit for a laser printer. I would research the product needed and try and find the best price possible and then pass the information on to our purchasing department. Purchasing would buy it using the CDW contract, at an outrageously inflated rate, rather than from another vendor at nearly half the price. Same procuct, but a huge difference in price. I cannot count the times I have researched online to try and find the best price possible for a needed product or part only to find out it was purchased using a vendor contract for almost twice the amount. It happens everytime. It is just like when they used to say a government screw cost $100, they were not kidding. How this kind of stuff goes on just baffles me. I guess I am just naive to think that we as an entity for the people would have the common sense to do the right thing with taxpayer money. :(Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-997386360033339712008-08-23T12:15:00.000-05:002008-08-23T12:15:00.000-05:00State audit means squat. They all cover themselve...State audit means squat. They all cover themselves with the same sheet. As a golden rule in the business world goes when it comes to managment presonnel " if you screw up, you move up." that is in ln the business world only, and should not apply to a state agency who uses tax payer money to provde a service. If these clowns want to play, then, they have to leave TXDOT and work for a living in the private sector. I have seen corrupt managers get away with murder. And the only justice to their crime is retirement. And only to be replaced by someone the same or at times worse than they were. Managemt in TxDOT is a hand picked secret society.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-31491823068837463692008-08-22T21:32:00.000-05:002008-08-22T21:32:00.000-05:00Is there a State Auditor report due out on 08-25-0...Is there a State Auditor report due out on 08-25-08? and can the previous administration be held accountable for what is happening and what happened?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12974737.post-80638955120031123302008-08-19T20:24:00.000-05:002008-08-19T20:24:00.000-05:00If you can. Take a look at the letter to the edito...If you can. Take a look at the letter to the editor to the Victoria Advocate. Monday 08-18-2008. Victoriaadvocate.com. Hits home with TXDOT at atime when they don't want to hear it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com