Thursday, March 24, 2011

The El Paso MHMR Scandal vs. the Fort Worth Paradise Center Scandal

Fort Worth and Tarrant County are not the only town and county in Texas to be experiencing a scandal courtesy of the Mental Health Mental Retardation agency.

El Paso's MHMR agency is currently in turmoil due to  actions of its leader, Gary Larcenaire.

A major difference between the El Paso MHMR scandal and the Fort Worth/Tarrant County MHMR scandal is that El Paso has a legitimate newspaper, the El Paso Times, that is covering the story. Another big difference between the two scandals is El Paso has a County Commissioner who is concerned about the actions of the leader of El Paso's MHMR.

Below is a blurb from an article in the El Paso Times....

After the board of directors was dissolved but before a new one could meet, the leader of the local mental health authority canceled an important contract and fired the agency's director of intake and crisis services.

Those actions and others by Gary Larcenaire could cause "chaos" inside El Paso Mental Health Mental Rehabilitation and harm its ability to serve the community's mentally ill, local leaders and mental health professionals said.

Read the entire "Moves by MHMR chief questioned" article in the El Paso Times.

Then ask yourself why the Fort Worth Star-Telegram does not function as a legitimate newspaper? It is sort of sad that a town with a population of over 700,000 does not have a real newspaper.

How would Fort Worth be different if Fort Worth had a newspaper like the El Paso Times. Or the Washington Post?

If Fort Worth had a legitimate newspaper could a corrupt mayor like Mike Moncrief have survived in office raking in millions of dollars from the gas drillers operating in his town?

If Fort Worth had a legitimate newspaper would the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle still be boondoggling along with the unqualified son of the local congresswoman running the project?

If Fort Worth had a legitimate newspaper would a CEO of a public agency, like Jim McDermott, be able to get away with his bullycrats tactics with no accountability?

If Fort Worth had a legitimate newspaper would there be a Paradise Center Scandal?

Tyranny flourishes in the absence of a powerful, free press. Fort Worth is the poster child city for that reality.

10 comments:

PRO accountability said...

TEXAS, we have a problem. Two dictators running two taxpayer funded government agencies acting like two bit thugs from some banana republics.

One is being exposed and forced to be accountable in the American Way. While the other almost got away with his thuggery, thanks to the FW Way (behind the rest of American).

Don't relax yet all you MHMR-TC cons and conspirators. This is just the beginning of THE END...for your dirty and contemptible deeds.

Nearby N.A.M.I. said...

There's no "free press" around these parts. They've been bought / paid off and will "push" what they're told combined with fluff stuff that we Americans apparently prefer over stuff that require thought and action for "the common good".

Even the "voice of advocacy " on behalf of people mistreated and stigmatized by serious mental illness has been choked by money and cronyism. The local NAMI chapter does come even close to all the chapters around the country vis-a-vis this scandal and abuse of PEOPLE with serious mental illness.

FW native said...

The other major difference is that the Elpaso Commissioners Court and its staff don't appear to be in cahoots with the local Crooked Exec. Officer and his minions. Their local advocacy groups probably did not sell their hearts and soulds for few thousand dollars either.

But this is Forth Worthless after all, where city leaders allow gas drillers to poke holes in the ground and screw the citizens of their rights to clean air, health and safety, and private property.

Inquiring Mind said...

The other CON-spirators to this disturbing scandal are the MHMR Board of Trustees, the Tarrant County Comissioners Court and Executive, and thye local advocacy group NAMI of Tarrant County.

What did they know and when did they know it?

Even more, WHAT DID they DO or SAY to help mitigate this major scandal? Because their counterparts in El paso way certainly SAID and DID thing for the best interests of the PEOPLE, both those with illnesses and the taxpaying public.

WHY NOT HERE?

MHMR does not post when their regular monthly Board of Trustees meeting is although I have seen that they take place in the MONCRIEF ROOM.

Such a McDermott political a$$-kissing thing with our tax dollars.

We heard somewhere that MHMR's little ceo tried to intimidate the paradise folks last month by hiring a tough looking private security guard POSTED at the ready in front of the meeting room--- with a large side arm. Any truth and/or proof for this leak from an MHMR employee?

Inquiring minds want to know.

LOCO Control said...

S*****, I just realized something that might help explain these two ceo's and mhmr scandals: jim mcdermott was the leader in the state a few years ago who fought like crazy for almost total "local control" by each mhmr center.

Now I see why he and his collegues did that, well-intentioned by most mhmr leaders probably. THE LACK OF ANY OVERSIGHT OR SCRUTINY IS LIKELY A KEY REASON THAT THE LARCENER GUY AND THIS MCDUHH WERE ABLE TO DO ALL THEIR MISDEEDS TO START WITH.

Local control for these two crooks meant the more control THEY could have over their salary contracts, employees, and their rubberstamping Board of Trustees, and even in McDuhh's case --control of the local body that is supposed to provide the needed check-n-balance thing. Instead the Crooked Executive Officer wrote out checks and tilted the "balance" of power and control his way.

From all indications, the Tarrant County Commissioners Court and Executive are the "dog" that's being wagged by the "tail" McDuh/MHMR. What sorry dogs and, ahem, tails (or insert your own equivalent term here).

Local control= abuse of power and neglect of public trust. Nice going, Texas Legislators who bought this B.S. fed by the guy from the B.S. capital of Texas.

sick in FW said...

Fort Worth should be embarrassed because the El Paso Times is kicking the lame ass Startlegram. The Times sure acted like a real newspaper while the local one acts like a small town rag running mostly fluff pieces but afraid to tackle serious public interest stories.

We should be scared as well since the silenced free press is a sign of an unhealthy society. FW is a sickly town.

Anonymous said...

Hey ElPasoans, we k ow you've been following this scandal in Cow BS Town. What do you think about getting your city's genuine newspaper to report on this stinking scandal since FW doesn't have one any more??

Anonymous said...

Props to the County Commissioners Court of El Paso for having the cajones to whip their crooked mhmr center back into shape.

The Tarrant county counterpart has been neutered by McDermott the sissy butcher. Sad. Especially for the County Judge who seemed respectable enough to be elected President of the National ass. Of county governments. If only his peers knew how McDuhh has got him by the you know what.

Anonymous said...

Something is really wrong with your city and county. We'll keep praying for you.

Suzette said...

It's gonna take lawsuits to get these bureaucrats and politicians to tell the truth. Bend over, taxpayers. Thanks to lawyers and these dummies.