VOTERS WARY OF HERNANDEZ POLITICAL HEGEMONY: VILLARREAL, CHAVEZ-VASQUEZ WILL LOSE

By Juan Montoya
Four years ago, Ernie Hernandez was licking his wounds after a trouncing by Pat Ahumada.
Ahumasda not only spent less money in the campaign than did Ernie, but he also thumbed his nose at the power srtucture and kingmakers like developers N.O. Simmons, Renato Cardenas and Klan, and the likes of Terry Ray.
Then, in an amazing feat of political savvy and well-placed propaganda, Hernandez went on to defeat newcomer-to-Brownsville-attorney Ruben Peña in a closely fought race with both sides fighting for the poltiquera votes.
The legal issues came to naught and Hernandez not only was elected to a politically superior position than was Ahumada, but also to a paid one.
Today, Hernandez is not shy about telling people that he has a majority on the Cameron County Commission, and rivals County Judge Carlos Cascos in deciding the direction of county policy.
However, all is not rosy with the political fortunes of this political Phoenix. While on the one hand he is admired for his survival skills and political acumen, many voters among the electorate think he may be overreaching by trying to intrude into the City of Brownsville Commission election.
He has made it clear that he will be supporting the candidacy of his attorney daughter Erin to run for the Justuice of the Peace seat left open by the late Tony Torres. And he is not shy (or his family sporting the political decals on the back of their trucks) that he is also supporting John Villarreal in the runoff race for Distict 4 against Tony Zavaleta.
"That's too much power in one family's hands," said a a party-goer this weekend. "My friends and I feel hat if we voted for Tony it will provide a counterweight on the city commission to keep an eye on the new mayor, Jessica, Gowen, and Melissa. The only one who can counter them is someone who doesn't have to depend on the power structure for his stands."
Peña, meanwhile, who had made noises that getting rid of politiqueras was his life's mission, turned a cold shoulder to Zavaleta when he went to enlist his aid in blunting the Hernandez mail-in machine.
"It really wasn't his race and he didn't seem all that interested in getting involved in this one, depsite his mission," Zavaleta said.
The race, however, will be very close, since Villarreal, before he became mired with the Hernandez family, had built up a reputation as a native son who had worked on his family's business and had used his education (MBA) to further their fortunes.
But many county observers are pointing to the role that Hernandez will have as county commissioner on the selection of the interim justice of the peace. In one way or another, Erie – through his vote on the commission for the interim or by rallying his resurrected political support on behalf of his daughter – will have a dedicing vote on the selection of both.
Will the Hernandez connection prove fatal to his candidacy? Zavaleta, who is counting on his experience in city office and as a college administrator is hoping it will.
In the other race for the At-Large position, Estela Chavez-Vasquez has turned off many voters who have seen her in action due in part to her personality and the narrowness of the issues.
She faces Robert Lopez, a Cameron County administrator who came very close to defeating Robert Lozano in the runoff for Texas Southmost College trustee last time around.
The political arena is rife with rumors of a "smoking gun" that Chavez-Vasquez supporters say that she has on Lopez. But, unless she pulls off a Hernandez and reveals something in a court document somewhere, it is doubtful that mere allegations will carry the day without solid evidence or a judgement.