BROWNSVILLE, Texas (September 26, 2017) - Brownsville City Commissioner District 1 Ricardo Longoria, Jr. has issued the following statement in response to audio recordings that have recently been made public:

“As a public official and resident of Brownsville, I whole-heartedly disagree with the comments made in the audio recordings and cannot, in good conscience, condone the use of derogatory language.

The allegations made by Commissioner De Leon regarding my character are unfounded. At this time, he has not provided an explanation for the baseless comments. I, for one, am not asking for Commissioner De Leon to step down from his post as is being demanded by some of our citizens. If he chooses to take any action it will be done by him, and him only, as he is the person that is dealing with this matter.

I believe that the Commission should refrain from voting on any and all issues pertaining to the findings of the Audit Committee as it has been stated that it will placed on the October 3, 2017 Agenda.

Furthermore, it is my recommendation that a third-party forensic auditor be contracted so that an unbiased review of any and all findings be achieved. I also believe that the business of the Audit Committee should be discussed in executive session, not to hide anything from the public, but because of concerns that its contents may have litigious implications which warrant protection.”

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