HACEP commissioners voted to table two items relating to hiring Gerald Cichon as the new executive director early Wednesday, but did come to an agreement in principle as to the terms of the contract.

The contract will be considered Dec. 19, said Bob Blumenfeld, HACEP attorney.

The board apparently pulled back from the brink of a full rupture with HUD and others watching the events unfolding at the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso. [npt story]

HUD had recommended against taking any action at the meeting, pending a review of HACEP operations. And Mayor John Cook, who has not taken a position on issues at HACEP -- which include questions about a contract, a mass exodus of top employees, and complaints about micromanaging -- said Tuesday that while he would not tell the board what to do, "I think it would be prudent for them (HACEP board) to hold off until the HUD report is done."

The mayor makes board appointments, but has no direct role.

Before the meeting started, board Chairwoman Kenna Ramirez read a prepared statement in which she referred to HUD's recommendation. The board's insistence on meeting "will call into question this board's commitment to transparency," she said.

She also made reference to a letter she sent HUD Dec. 5, which she asked be incorporated into the minutes, in which she raised issues first noted in an NPT story related to HACEP's contract with Aliviane. [npt story]

Commissioner Kevin Quinn said her posture was "pretty much factually inaccurate" and called her letter "smoke and mirrors."

Commissioner Jaime Rubenstein, who promoted the contract with Aliviane that is under review, said that the meeting was duly posted as required by law, and "every commissioner here agreed to the time as posted."

That was an apparent reference to Commissioner Larry Medina, who had a family matter and had asked the meeting to be postponed. Medina has emerged as Rubenstein's chief protagonist on the board.

After the back and forth with Ramirez, Quinn and Rubenstein, Commissioner Reyna Brantner asked HACEP attorney Bob Blumenfeld to read a statement into the record in which she denied she was being lead by Rubenstein, as Medina has alleged. Brantner commonly votes the same way as Rubenstein, but in her statement said it was due to her own efforts. The statement called it insulting to be accused otherwise.

The statement also noted that she would not talk to HUD officials because she was humiliated that they did not make an effort to contact her on their recent trip to El Paso.

Ramirez made a motion to cancel the meeting, which died for a lack of a second, and Rubenstein then motioned to go into executive session, which the board did. However, just before the board went into executive session, it voted on an item asking HUD to review procurement, salvage and warehouse operations of HACEP.

Ramirez said HUD already was reviewing HACEP, "but for smoke and mirrors, as you say, you can go ahead and approve it."

The board then went into executive session.