AND THEY'RE OFF AND RUNNING

By Juan Montoya

In last Sunday's ad in local newspapers, Migdalia Lopez criticized the professionalism of her opponent, former Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra, for bringing goats and other livestock (including a rooster) in his protest against those he perceived as harboring a vendetta against him.
Guerra is challenging Migdalia for the bench of the 197th District Court in the Democratic primary.
On Tuesday, with the beginning of early voting, there was a horse trotting on the sidewalk bearing signs of political candidates.
It wasn't exactly a dog-and-pony show at the beginning of early voting, but there was enough variety to entertain those around the courthouse. If it wasn't the horse, it was the chicken barbecue giveaway at the far northwest corner of the block where David Gonzales and his campaign crew had erected a tent to hand out plates to potential voters.
In last Sunday's ad, Dolores Zarate, one of the three other contenders to the County Court-at- Law III court placed emphasis on the word "independent" to subtly insinuate that Gonzales would be beholden to Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos.
Previous new accounts have indicated that Villalobos has made in-kind contributions to David's campaign as have other assistant DAs in his office.
But Gonzalez quipped that Zarate was confusing the voters who might think she is running as an Independent, and not as a Democrat.
"If they have something to say, I wish they would come out and say it," he said. "We had more than 300 people come though here today to pick up a plate on the way to vote. People have been very supportive and I feel good about the response."
The Gonzales BBQ Voting Express moves to San Benito next Saturday, David's hometown and stronghold. He said he has opened his campaign in Brownsville because his polls indicate that there were a few pockets of voters that were not fully up on his candidacy.
Supporters for candidates EV Garcia and Robert Mendoza weren't visible Tuesday, but Mendoza told us that his campaign was there.
"We've been working quietly talking to people about running for more than a year," he said. "We'll see whether it pays off come March 2."
Meanwhile, the Precinct 2 race moved along after a bombshell article last Thursday indicated that Dr. Enrique Escobedo was not a medical doctor nor a PhD. Sources quoted in the article included a director of the medical school in Tampico where Escobedo received his certificate who said the four years of instuction did not qualify him to claim either a medical title or a doctorate.
On Sunday, Escobedo's PR company placed a full-page ad with a photocopy of the certificate where it plainly stated he was a "medico cirujano."
"We're all confused now," said a voter as she walked across Harrison Street to cast her early vote. "We don't know who to believe."
The newspaper article indicated that Escobedo refused to show the reporter the alleged medical degree from Tampico.
Regardless, the fact the the apparent front-runner had hit a snag enlivened the other five candidates in the race. On Sunday, Ernesto De Leon ran a front-page banner ad stating – among other things – "You can fool some people some of the time...," a slogan De Leon insists was not meant to point to the Escobedo affair.
"That ad was put together before the article came out about the doctor," De Leon said. "As a matter of fact, I spoke to him and told him so."
De Leon and his family have been busy rallying the vote through bowling tournaments, dinners, and door-to-door campaigning. With two weeks to go before the March 2 election, every contact with the voters is important, he said.
Meanwhile, Pastor Victor Alvarez continues his dogged campaign to wrest the Democratic nomination from the other brothers. His Cameron Park base is expanded by his alliance with other Baptist and Christian congregations. Also, he is counting on his community involvement though city and county boards to give him an edge.
"We have five buses bringing in people to church every Sunday from every part of town," he said. "People are going to be surprised."
Ruben Peña's ads and mailouts emphasize the candidate's willingness to give up $10,000 of his salary. De Leon's literature emphasizes the fact that he has saved voters million of dollars though his personal contacts.
Alvarez said he will give away a full year's salary to local charities should he get elected.
Gerry Linan isn't promising anything except a "better future," unlike Ernie Hernandez, whose ads highlight his role in passing public-minded legislation.
"I've always been there for the people," he said. "After 14 years in office, they know I will hit the ground running. There's going to be no learning curve with me."
Meanwhile, the battle of numbers continues between Cameron County Treasurer David Betancourt and challenger Tad Hasse.
On Sunday, Betancourt's ad repeated his claim that he has earned the county $6 million in interest through investments of the county's funds and reminded readers of his family's record of public service.
"Check out the claims being made very carefully," he says.
Hasse countered with his continuing claim that he will abolish the treasurer's office and save taxpayers $1 million over the next four years. Additionally, he challenged David's numbers by pointing out that the returns on the county's investments were much lower than the previous treasurer's totals and far less than those of other counties without a treasurer.
"Never try to throw out numbers with a mathematician," he laughed. "You're talking my game. I don't think David ever expected this to be a campaign."