FOR MARY ESTHER, A RESPONSIBILITY TO FAMILY LEGACY

By Juan Montoya
When Maria Esther Garcia raised her right hand shortly after midnight New Year's Day and took the oath of office from Cameron County Court-at-Law #3 David Gonzalez to become the first Precinct 2, Place 3 Justice of the Peace, she was capping a legacy of public service that went back all the way to her grandmother Esther Cornejo who served for more than three decades in the county clerk's office before she retired.

Her grandfather, Juan Cornejo, also served his country in combat and was an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars after he left the military.
Her mother, Cameron County Pct. 1 commissioner Sofia Benavides has held that position since she was first appointed to replace her late husband Pete Benavides on Nov. 20, 2006 and has won re-election to that position since. She last won re-election in 2012.
With her swearing to uphold the oath of serving the public as a justice of the peace to the county's newest court, Garcia has closed the circle started by her grandmother.
Garcia's road to taking the oath from Gonzalez was not a walk in the park. She faced three challengers in the March 2014 primary including Pete Avila, a former constable, Minerva Peña, a sitting Brownsville Independent School District trustee, and Albert P. Garcia, a former lawman and businessman.
She garnered a little more than 30 percent of the vote and ended up in a runoff election with Avila, who was then endorsed by Peña, who came in third. That May, she beat the former constable in the runoff election by a little over 1,200 votes to get her name placed in the general election ballot in November without any Republican challengers.
During the runoff, she campaigned on the strength of her public service against Avila, who was not helped by the fact that a former office employee had filed (and settled) a sexual harassment lawsuit that ended in a $150,000 payoff by the county.
However, voters were swayed by the fact that Garcia had served as the County Court-at-Law # 2 administrator for six years (2007-2013) where she had processed 19,569 new criminal cases, not including the civil and probate dockets. Previously, she had held a number of public service positions, including as an administrative secretary to the Pct. 2 commissioner from 2003 to 2006, a permit clerk with the Engineering Dept. from 2002 to 2003, a deputy District Clerk from 1997 to 2000, and a deputy County Clerk from 1996 to 1997.
When she was campaigning for JP, Garcia said she would "hit the ground running" based upon her experience in the courts and in public service.
If her family's track record is any indication, there's little doubt that she will.