HEAVYWEIGHTS RIVERA AND DE LA GARZA WANT COUNTY LEGACY

 "Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names."

By JUAN MONTOYA
The Yturrias have done it, as have others like the Lucios, the Cardenas, the Stillmans, etc.,

Whether it's a ranch, a piece of highway, a public building or some other public facility, these families have sought to leave a legacy for future generations. Usually, these efforts are made at the tail end of a lifetime.

Now, if the efforts of Cameron County Precinct 1 Commissioner Sofia Benavides are supported by a majority of her fellow court members, residents of San Benito will be blessed with the renaming of the county's annex there after county clerk Joe Rivera and district clerk Aurora De la Garza.

Both of these officials have been in office for more than 30 years, and besides drawing their full  retirement pay and their annual salaries, they will be able to point proudly at the county building to their future descendants.

Both are heavyweights in the Democratic Party and usually win by large margins when they have an opponent. Both are paid $77,145 which includes a $5,400 car allowance.

But as usually happens in  these kinds of endeavors, Benavides' ruse to honor her fellow elected officials  is not sitting well with some San Benito residents and elected officials.

"Apparently, some people in San Benito aren't real happy that a commissioner from Brownsville (and South Padre Island) wants to name a building in their precinct after those two," said a court insider. "I hear there are a couple of letters that were mailed to the court protesting the naming of the building after Rivera and De la Garza."

The building in question is the former Levi-Strauss plant that was purchased by the county and remodeled for use by the various county departments, including the county and district clerks and the tax assessor-collector as well as the health department and others.
Benavides, who faces reelection next year, is also said to be vying for appointment as the Cameron County county judge Pro Tem. If she manages to get two more commissioners to go along with her to name the annex after Rivera and De la Garza, the duo's support in the Democratic primary probably wouldn't hurt.
"It'll be very interesting to see what happens in court Thursday," said the observer. "We wonder why Banavides submitted the item instead of the commissioner for that precinct (David Garza). Things could get awkward."