Southeast Bexar County Awareness: Southside ISD "team" go after Board Member Craig Knapp

2010, Sylvia Ruiz Mendelsohn cut funding from fire departments and put the students and district employees safety in danger. The district, with Mr. Knapp on the board, filed an injunction against Sylvia Ruiz Mendelsohn and the ESD #6 board she reigned over. Ms. Mendelsohn had a grudge against the Metzger family (as per an audiotape of a conversation from former ESD#6 treasurer Ms. Vargas) who ran the Sandy Oaks Volunteer Fire Department and had shut them down as one of the first casualties in her plan to remove the three volunteer fire departments in the southeast bear county area. The Sandy Oaks VFD was the only department with a ladder truck that was capable of service the two story buildings within the district. Without them, the children and staff were put in a dangerous position should there be a fire.

Ms. Mendelsohn then squandered most of the funds for fire protection on a community center project that she wanted run by Theo Castillo, president of the Thelma Area Neighborhood Association, the school district felt they had no choice and filed an injunction.

On Nov 30, a temporary injunction was agreed upon that would force Ms. Mendlesohn to pay the $29,000 to Sandy Oaks VFD to cover the payment on a much needed piece of equipment. It also forced the $8000 payment to AtaBexar VFD as well.

Strengthening Ms. Mendelsohn's discourse of Mr. Knapp. And continuing to campaign for ESD#6 members to run for the Southside ISD board.

It seems that Ms. Mendelsohn has a long history of butting heads with Mr. Knapp. Since 2001, when Mr. Knapp was fighting with members of the Southside community to protect their water rights, Ms. Mendelsohn was on the other side of the fence, supporting her Thelma Area Neighborhood Association in a lawsuit to try to stop an election that, if passed would make the South Bexar County region a part of the Evergreen Underground Water Conservation group and have water protected rights. Ms. Mendelsohn was a supporter for the co-founder of the Thelman Area Neighborhood Area Association, Mr. Jimmie Lopez, who became a member of Bexar Metropolitan Water Corporation, owning water wells in the proposed annexation area.

This began in 2001 and ran it's course through 2002, when it went for a vote.

While records show that the election was lost by a handful of votes, nonetheless, the annexation failed and S.A.W.S. was allowed to move into the area and began pulling water and treating water in their new treatment center in the farthest southeast point of the Bexar County line. What it created, was an enemy in the eyes of Ms. Mendelsohn, who has been known to carry a grudge and want to instill revenge on those that have "wronged" her.

Case in sample as per her own board member: Luisa Vargas (audio) in 2010, "The ESD6 contracts "will never be", Sylvia doesn't like the Metzgers of Sandy Oaks VFD or the Farinnaci's of AtaBexar VFD." Present day, neither of the two fire departments exist within the ESD6 district.

May 2007, Mr. Knapp seeks re-election to school board, having been elected in 2004. His opponent in 2007, Isaac Griego (October of 2013- appointed by Commissioner Rodriguez to serve on the ESD6 board and hired at the Southside ISD as well). Mr. Knapp won that election, 374 votes to 455.

A member of the community with knowledge of Mr. Knapp and his family lent information to the board proceedings and important insight to the "indictment" that was filed against Mr. Knapp in 2007, just in time for his re-election bid.

While the documents were to be sealed as stated on the Susan Reed website, members of the community to include Sylvia Mendelsohn, Alma Estrada and Mr. Brewer obtained copies of said indictment and made a flyer to pass to the community members. Those in attendance to help with the flyers, according to Mr. Luna (2011 elected and resigned from SISD school board); were "the girls", Sylvia Mendelssohn and Alma Estrada, "it was their idea and he had nothing to do with it."

Others in attendance were Mr. Luna, Loren Brewer and his then wife Ruth Luna Brewer, Larry Villarreal, Danny Rodriguez (former board member and his wife), Mr. Rodriguez, no relation to former board member. The strategy was to get out as many flyers as possible before election day.

After election day, nothing was said or heard of the indictment again except the fact that there was no merit to the allegations and that Brian Collister, news reporter had also investigated the allegations and found nothing to substantiate their claims.

Leading to believe that this was all a political move for power by Ms. Mendelsohn and her "team".

There was never an indictment, according to the flyer, it was simply a grand jury summons to appear for questioning.

As board members, Texas law requires them to sign a disclosure statement that simply says that they will not use and have not used their influence to make money off the district or know of any other members that have done so.

*Notice: It says that this is to remain "secret" and cannot be disclosed to anyone, yet Ms. Mendelsohn and her team had a copy of it and were passing it along in the community.

According to an article in Texas Lawyer on April 2007; Says that the DA's office had faxed 3 summons to the school district for documents and ordered the Superintendent to bring the documents and testify before the grand jury; but he could not disclose this information to any members of his own board. The district then fought in court to inform the board as a whole.

This case according to the article was not to defend any particular individual, but the right to make open knowledge of the information pertaining to it's district, to its board members, who were elected by the community to oversee the districts needs.

The Superintendent had since left the district and acting Superintendent provided documents without appearing before the grand jury. The DA's office case was denied.

The "team" at Southside ISD chose to open a case that was found to have no merit over eight years ago. The case that was brought to light by Mr. Brewer and his team eight years ago when Mr. Brewer served as board president, has resurfaced again since his re-election and appointment to board president at Southside ISD.

The board quickly voted to hire investigative council. Once again using district attorney's to help them on what could be seen as a witch hunts. The board without a doubt spent tax dollars on a frivolous case that cost the district even more money. They hired Bob Schulman as special council to investigate a case that had been closed since 2007.

According to the District Attorney's office they found no wrong doing and therefore, there were never any charges filed against Mr. Knapp.

The board trying to resurrect a case that is 8 years old and past the statute of limitations shows that the team was simply trying to grind an ax and spend taxpayer money on personal vendettas.

Mr. Knapp removed himself from the board several months ago after suffering the personal losses last year of his father and his son. According to his resignation letter, Mr. Knapp was not pleased with the direction the board was heading in as well.

Mr. Knapp had not been a member of the Southside ISD school board since early 2014, yet Ms. Mendelssohn's 'team" once again took to bashing Mr. Knapp; taking it to social media. The attacks included calling him a devil worshiper and Abecedarian as per something they found on an information website. What they forgot to take into consideration was to verify their facts. As it can clearly be seen in the photos (attached), the site Zoominfo gather's information on individuals. The individual can purchase the use of the site, correct or update the information. Ms. Mendelsohn, Mr. Brewer, Ms. Guzman and Mr. Cannon can also be found there with affiliations to Hubpages, Inc. as information was gathered for this site from articles on Hubpages.com.

Example:

Kayla Hernandez

April 17 ·

humn. disgruntled ex board member.? coincidence for all the false school info.?
http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Craig/Knapp

Once again showing how malicious Ms. Mendelsohn, her "team" and their supporters are with members of their community that don't follow their agenda.

The insecurity and fear of Ms. Mendelsohn, their "team" and supporters have them attacking innocent people in their own community because someone is speaking the truth and pointing out the facts, instead of changing their ways and doing what is moral and just.