CASCOS VS. RIVERA: LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

By Juan Montoya
With just a tad over one month left before the November 4 general election, the Cameron County Judge's race has become a free for all.
As Democrats in Cameron County seek the unity necessary to keep the necessary 16 to 20 percent crossover vote from those disaffected in their party and deny Republicans the foothold to win their races, the first shot across the bow was the one fired by 357th District Court GOP candidate Oscar X. Garcia to defeat longtime Gilberto Hinojosa associate Juan Magallanes.
Garcia has effectively linked Magallanes to (now Democratic Party State Chairman) Hinojosa and to being an intimate friend of convicted district judge Abel Limas.
Garcia has done this through a series of advertisements in the local newspaper and blogs showing that Magallanes loaned Limas $30,000 while he was sitting as judge in a case where Magallanes was counsel for one of the parties.
On the stand in a federal trial, Limas admitted that taking the money and not informing opposing counsel was, at best, "unethical."
Now we have incumbent Republican county judge Carlos Cascos who has forwarded a voluminous complaint filed with the Texas Ethics Commission charging that Rivera – through at least two Political Action Committees, the Friends of Joe G. Rivera and Vote To Elect Joe G. Rivera County Judge – has failed to comply with the TEC and violated close to 20 dictums of the Texas Election Code.
Rivera – in response to the filing – struck a combative pose and told the local newspaper that "if this is the only thing he's got against me," he's got a big problem. We'll meet at the election, you know. Let the people decide."
But with some local bloggers and social media pundits making hay about the exclusion of the words "for" and "re-elect" from the campaign literature of some candidates, then the alleged non-reporting and violation of the election code is clearly more significant.
Cascos was quick to pounce on the alleged violations and told the Herald's Emma Perez-Treviño that Rivera's campaign reports "can only be described as unethical and egregious circumvention of the requirements of both candidates and officeholders."
Cascos charged that he couldn't believe that Rivera – after 40 years as a candidate and office holder charged with the public duty of promoting transparency and ethical practices  – didn't know any better that these "transgressions" were occurring.
Among the charges leveled in the Cascos missive to the TEC were:
* That in the 2012 and 2013 TEC reports, did he file a declaration of the creation of a PAC
* Never detailed their financials as required by law
* Never notified the proper authorities of any appointment of its treasurer
* Never documented their existence, practices, administration and operation
* Never filed the PAC financial reports with the Cameron County Election Administrator
In an attachment to the TEC complaint packet, Cascos documented the fact that Rivera's campaign treasurer – Brownsville Independent School District president Otis Powers – was not named until December 11, 2013, despite the fact that Rivera had reported in excess of $22.500 in contributions as early as August 2013. The report, Cascos claims, "reflects expenditures in excess of $21,200 incurred prior to the designation of Powers as a campaign treasurer.
In all, Cascos' complaint to the TEC lists some 20 alleged violations of the election code and suggests that Rivera "could be liable for civil and criminal violations."
Rivera has not filed his response with the TEC concering the issues listed in the Cascos complaint.