WITH THE STATUS QUO AGAINST HIM, WE'LL PICK LOPEZ

By Juan Montoya
When Robert Lopez ran for the Texas Southmost College Board, the Juliet Garcia administration and her buddies at the IBC lined up behind Dr. Robert Lozano and pumped his campaign with serious money and conservative Laguna Vista votes.
As a result, Lozano came on the board and tried his damnest with David Oliveira and Dr. Robert Robles to carry out the Garcia scheme to hand over the college district to the UT System. Only the steadfast a majority of Rene Torres, Kiko Rendon, Trey Mendez and Adela Garza stymied their scheme.
Now Lopez, a Cameron County administrator, is running for the at-large seat Brownsville City Commission and again, the powers that be are out to derail his campaign and have lined up behind their pick Estela Chavez-Vasquez, a local attorney.
But she's not just a local attorney in the traditional sense. She is also closely allied to the Catholic hierarchy, being as she is, a member of the board at St. Luke's Catholic Church's Elementary School.
We already had the blessing of Brownsville Catholic Diocese Bishop Daniel E. Flores for the Martinez administration with his son T.J., a priest, and other priests and men of the cloth who were on hand during his swearing-in to give the affair a spiritual send off for the next four years.
And none other than Trey Martinez, son of new Mayor Tony Martinez, has contributed $1,000 to her campaign to defeat Lopez as have other local political and power structure heavyweights.
Luke Fruia, the Tiptons, Jaross of the shipbreakers at the port, and institutional construction monopolist Terry Ray, have all pitched in another $1,000 to get her on the same city commission that Martinez will control. Obviously, she is the malleable choice the political power brokers want on board.
Lopez, on the other hand, has used his own money to fund his campaign against this array of powerful interests. His positive message has been clear from the outset: "Make a Difference."
At the top of his list is job creation, followed by economic development, revitalizing downtown and implementing green initiatives and energy conservation.
On the other hand, Chavez-Vasquez, in a very unchristian thrust, has cast dark suspicions on the electorate that a vote for Lopez will signify a victory for "politiqueras" because in the May 14 results he tallied 216 mail-in votes.
As becomes a shady lawyer, she presents no proof that Lopez bought these votes, only that he garnered more such votes than did Martinez in the election race. We're somewhat surprised that the mayor, wielding as he does, a certain influence on his candidate, would allow those aspersions to be cast against her opponent.
"Just say no to politiqueras," and "Don't let the politiqueras decide who represents you," are her campaign offerings to the electorate."
Then, using local extremist groups as proxies, her campaign hints darkly about possible "investigations," and "scandals" that only they know but, conveniently, cannot divulge because of "ongoing" investigations.
This reminds us of the unfounded allegations against groups like the Opus Dei and the Masons by conspiracy theorists and have no place in an election where the representation of the residents on their public entities is at stake.
If this is the character that we can expect from a Martinez and Chavez-Vasquez administration, thanks, but no thanks.
If, like the TSC elections, it means we will get a counterweight to the status quo, Lopez is the logical choice.