OUSTED BY NAVIGATION DISTRICT FOR MUDRACES, MARTINEZ RUNS FOR PCT. 1

By Juan Montoya
It is interesting to gauge the motivations that derive some people to seek public office.
Some need a job. Others run to seek personal recognition. And yet, others run to settle scores or grudges.
We were looking thought the list of candidates for public office who have filed an appointment of campaign treasurer with the Cameron County Elections Administrator's Office and noticed that at least two candidates had filed to run against sitting Cameron County Precinct 1 Commissioner Sofia Benavides.

We recognized one who had said he intended to run some time back from the Southmost area. That was Fausto "Pato" Martinez, of 3015 E. 25th St., in Brownsville. The other was one Robert Martinez ( no relation, we assume), who listed his mailing address as 1535 E. 13th Street, also in Brownsville.

We knew that "Pato" Martinez was an assistant coach at Porter High School and has family in the Southmost area. What we didn't know was who the other Martinez, Robert, was coming from.

Asking around, we learned that this was the same Martinez who had staged mud races for large four-wheelers on Brownsville Navigation District property just south of the Highway 48 boat ramp. We remember him then.

The BND had allowed the races to be held on the mud flats there until it got to be nuisance. Mud racers are a boisterous bunch. Besides liking to tear up the ground with their loud off-road vehicles, they like to party and basically, let their hair down. After the races (or even during the competition), they like to bring out the grill, the ice cooler, and generally enjoy the day quaffinf some cold ones.

The trouble (and Martinez's candidacy) began when the BND decided that perhaps the delicate ecology of the mud lats were not the appropriate venue for the wear and tear that came about as a result of the mud races. To add insult to injury, some of the racers weren't too tidy with their refuse and left heaps of it when they left for others to clean up.

A county employee said that after the BND pulled the plug on the races, Martinez took umbrage with Benavides because he felt that she had not backed their side in the dispute with the port.

"We didn't even have a say-so in the matter," said a Pct. 1 employee. "That was the decision of the Navigation District and he (Martinez) got mad because he thought we had something to do with it. He promised then that he would run against the commissioner."

Now, the registration fee with the Democratic Party is now $1,300. Martinez will either have to come up with the money or raise signatures to get on the ballot. The same Pct. 1 workers said he had his doubts that Martinez had either the cash or the signatures to get on the ballot.

"Martinez is mad because the port stopped him from staging those races there and he's taking out his anger on the commissioner," he said. "As it is, having the same last name as Pato, from Southmost, is bound to confuse voters. Whatever his reasons for running are, being angry at someone isn't really a good reason to seek to represent the voters of precinct 1."