Dive Brief:

• The Mayor of Edcouch, Texas, Eddie Gonzalez, has been indicted on two counts of misuse of official information, and one count of tampering with government records.
• It was alleged that the city accepted bids for solid and yard waste, even though it already had a contract with another company. The date was altered on the bid so the company, Quality Waste Management, could meet the deadline. Gonzalez also showed the competitive bids to the company.
• ​According to a manager of Quality Waste Management, the company does not currently service Edcouch, and the company did not win the contract.

Dive Insight:

The process surrounding the proposal were seeped in controversy from the start. Within a week of awarding the contract, the city manager had accused Gonzalez of rigging the bids. Gonzalez is still currently serving as mayor of Edcouch. He is also involved in a contract dispute with Allied Waste that is under litigation.