Sunday, February 26, 2017

Henry R. Munoz III

sourcehttp://www.henrymunoz.com/ 

Follow it, it leads to true paths of understanding.

A religion? No, the money.

While not a Developer, a "design firm" boss of whom mysanantonio.com at this link, notes:

As CEO of Kell Muñoz Architects Inc., a local firm flush with public contracts, Muñoz over three decades has transformed the company into one of the city’s most prominent and influential.

Not an architect, Muñoz, 51, has described himself as a “very good salesperson.” He cultivates the image of a stylish maven in Latino culture and design and has made his name by donating prolifically to politicians, serving on an array of civic boards and staging flashy presentations in fights for lucrative public projects.

The latest: a bid to manage construction work for nearly all of the San Antonio Independent School District’s $515 million bond. Muñoz won the contract, along with $12.5 million in fees. But critics say he doesn’t fight fair and his over-the-top tactics can go over the line when he plays politics with taxpayer funds.

“The sad part of it is that he’s so talented that he doesn’t have to cross the line,” said one City Hall insider who requested anonymity. “That’s the problem with Henry. He pushes it to the limits.”

The son of a labor organizer, Muñoz was plugged into political circles from birth and since has grown into a heavyweight in Democratic fundraising.

[...] Such fundraising talent discourages some from criticizing Muñoz publicly. Said one former elected official: “I would certainly count on him for support in the future if I ever ran.”

What’s clear is that Muñoz’s long career blending public service and private enterprise has been bruised by controversy from the beginning; his lofty ambitions for himself and the region at times have soared above what’s possible; and his appetites for status and success at times have clouded his judgment. Muñoz betrays little regret.

“I’m not going to change who I am,” he said. “The democratic process or politics, maybe we have a bad feeling about it in the world today, but I wasn’t raised that way. My father and my mother raised me to believe that democracy was beautiful and that’s what made this country different.”

He added, “Realistically, there are things that everybody brings to the table. You have votes, you have dollars, and you have influence. I have my voice, and I have a right to that.”

He's a Democrat. Raising his profile by raising money. "No peso, no say so." In today's Podesta-Clinton Democratic Party, he talks not walks. How today is. In 2013, no surprise - DNC head financing honcho. No surprises today, Perez day, either.

Having a say so in 2012. Ongoing.

________________UPDATE_______________
"WE ARE. THE FUTURE." They say from the beltway. This footer:

Paid for by Latino Victory Project, 700 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Behind a paywall, unfortunately, but a killer headline

Muñoz would be disastrous as DNC chair
By Gilbert Garcia, San Antonio Express-News
November 15, 2016 Updated: November 15, 2016 9:36pm

With the paywall we cannot know if the item author was writing of Munoz personally, or of the status via a surrogacy.

____________FURTHER UPDATE___________
Not an easy person to categorize, getting a feel for who the real Henry R. Munoz III is may require a span of reading, e.g., here, here and the already linked item here. Not being familiar with San Antonio, those three items are deferred to as painting a complicated, possibly conflicting picture. An advocate for Hispanic culture, certainly that, and his firm's projects, however attained, have NOT been criticized as either ugly or less than structurally top flight buildings when completed.