CAMERON COUNTY JUDGE JOHN WOOD AND D.A. CARLOS MASSO IN THE CARDS?

By Juan Montoya

With the entry of Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos into the fray for the new U.S. Congressional District 34 all but assured, the speculation now centers about who the remaining county commissioners will appoint to complete Cascos' term.

And, if expected, County D.A. Armando Villalobos jumps into the race as the Democratic candidate, that position will also become vacant.

According to many observers close to county politics, that opens the way for the county commissioners – Sofie Benavides, Ernie Hernandez, Dan Sanchez and David Garza – to make the appointments to fill both empty slots.

And the rrun-rrun around the courthouse is that the majority on the court would not mind placing John Wood to finish out the term once Cascos resigns to run for the congressional seat. Wood lost to Cascos by a mere 70 votes in the last go-round last year and counted Hernandez Benavides and Sanchez as his staunch supporters. Although Garza was not an avid Wood supporter, he might, for the sake of unity. throw his vote behind Wood. You never know when you could use a vote on the commission.

And they say that Masso, who has stood by Villalobos through thick and thin, would be the natural pick to finish out Mando's term at the D.A.'s office.

"He'd be a natural," said a Precinct 2 political operative. "Unlike Maria Deford, he's got a few years of experience under his belt in Mando's office. He was his trusted chief assistant for many years. He'd be a shoo-in."

That, plus the fact that the office holder enjoys a slight edge over othe challengers would boost his chances of emerging as the leading Democratic contender.

No one is ruling out the fact that both men (Cascos and Villalobos) will face opposition within their own parties before it's all said and done. Although state rep Rene Oliveira made noises about running, he pulled out of the race threatening to run after he completes "just one more term" to get to the magic 30-year mark as incumbent as state rep. Doubtless, another Democrat will emerge before it's all over.

On the Republican side, you never know which crazy might emerge from the woodwork given the boundaries of the ew district. The gerrymandered entity stretches from the banks of the Rio Grande to Lavaca County just east of San Antonio. It virtually assures that someone with a name consisting of mostly consonants could be urged to make a run for it.

But let's not look too far afield for a credible opponent. Texas Southmost College trustee Adela Garza has earned a reputation for herself for almost single-handedly reining in Oliveira and Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. and prevented them from allowing them to destroy the community college and hand over all its assets to the UT System.

Both these fine gentlemen were there at the genesis of the "partnertship" that allowed the UT System and its voracious queen Juliet Garcia to use the district as their personal cash cow and plundered the local taxpayers burdening them with millions in debt for their grandiose plans.

"Adela proved that she has the mettle to mix it up with the big boys and come away with the goods after the dust settles," said a Republican woman supporter. "She's straight-arrow as they come and she is not afraid to embrace the conservative values of the party. She'd make a great nominee for our party and a sure favorite with the Latina vote. This isn't going to be as easy as Carlos and his assistant (Cris) Valadez think it will be. She has a lot of support in the northern part of the new district."

However, many observers say that Cascos enjoys the support for the run of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who they say will time announcement to challenge Barack Obama in 2012. They say that Cascos has been invited to attend functions with Perry in San Antonio and Austin as part of the preparation for both men's announcement on Labor Day.

"Perry is running and he has promised Carlos financial support for him to make his run," said a GOP insider. "You can take it to the bank."

Aside from Deford, Masso also faces the challenge from Old Party contender Luis Saenz who's held the DA's position before. Besides being a proven campaigner, Saenz enjoys the support of the traditional Democrats such as Janet Leal and her numerous relatives, the southeastern p[art of the county and old families throughout the county.

"That's going to be a dog fight," said a Democratic Party stalwart. "We might have to flip a coin to see who's left standing."