SOME ENDANGERED COUNTY EMPLOYEES JUMPING SHIP?

By Juan Montoya
The recent appearance of broadsides and leaflets taking Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos to task for the delay of the West Rail Bridge has some political observers saying that indications are some county employees are angling for a position with a new administration if Cascos should lose.
That, of course, has yet to be seen. Cascos has won two hotly-contested races for county judge and acts like he has his ducks in order.
On the other hand, his opponent Democratic nominee Joe Rivera has the backing of the state Democratic Party chair Gilberto Hinojosa who has made it clear that he intends to carry the county to make up for his defeat at Cascos' hands eight years ago and the defeat of his standard-bearer John Wood in 2010.
One of the slick fliers attacking Cascos is a letter drafted by the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority in 2010 bearing county administrator Pete Sepulveda as a contact under the county seal of the county judge's office announcing the breaking of ground to construct the West Rail Bridge about 15 miles upriver from Brownsville.
It is published under the Friends of Joe Rivera PAC.
The letter in 2010 states that the bridge would open in December 2012. The flier is then followed by a mass mailout taking Cascos to task for an article in the Brownsville Herald posted in April 2013 quoting Sepulveda as saying that numerous causes for the delays, including violence in northern Mexico and the installation of an X-Ray machine.
The ads blame "Republican" Cascos for the delays and says "No More..Four Years of Waiting, 4 Years of Broken Promises."
It's unusual for any political contender to pull out the original letter in apparent pristine condition and some suspect that the copy of the letter came from where it originated – the county administrative offices.
But they say that it wasn't necessarily Sepulveda that might have distributed the letter, but rather someone with an ax to grind against Cascos.
Many point to county administrator office assistant David Garcia. Garcia, until the  county commissioners pulled the plug, was the recipient of s $75,000 stipend from the CCRMA while at the same time getting some $115,000 a year from four or five different county departments. When people started complaining, the county entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the CCRMA to have the authority reimburse the county instead of paying Garcia. Overnight, Garcia lost access to the additional $75,000.
"In fact," said an insider, "it was Garcia who wrote the letter way back when."
Cascos supporters know how politics work and one of you underlings helping out an opponent in the hopes of bettering their lot is nothing new. They say that Garcia has been asking vendors for contributions for the Democratic Party nominee, Rivera, here and in Hidalgo County.
When one runs for office, one takes help from where ever one can get it. Rivera – or any other candidate – is not to blame for someone offering to help. That's why it's called a political campaign. You're fighting for votes and for your political life.
If you're at the mercy of the Powers That Be, however, it s a dangerous game to play, and if by some chance the chips don't fall where you expect them, there might be more than a $75,000 stipend to lose. You play the game, you take your chances.