SPECIAL MEETING MONDAY: SYLVIA'S BOND, JUDGE APPT.; RICOS ELOTES, CON MAYONESA, CHILE Y LIMON!

By Juan Montoya
The stage is set for the continuing saga of the approval by commissioners a $500,000 surety bond for Cameron County Clerk-elect Sylvia Garza-Perez and the proposed appointment of a county judge pending the departure of Carlos Cascos to be Texas Secretary of State January 20.
Once Cascos takes the oath and partakes of the four tons of brisket (at $10 a pop) to be served at governor-elect Greg Abott's inauguration on the capitol lawn, there's the slight matter of selecting his replacement to serve out two years of his term and then run again in the next party primary and general election. If the candidate wins, he will serve again for the next two years and run again in the primary and then general election.

In all, the lucky candidate will be running four race in four years (two party primaries and two general elections).
In Monday's January 12 meeting to be held at the Dancy Building at 9 a.m., item D calls for "discussion and possible action regarding the Cameron County Judge's position vacancy." and the agenda indicates that it was placed there by (CHC-County Judge), or Cascos.
In the past, Cascos ahs said he would like to have a say-so in the selection of the top county executive, something that some commissioners have indicated they don;t think he should have. Cascos took the oath of office administered by Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz. Now, usually, the County Clerk administers the oath, but any competent public official or judge can administer it as well. It just so happens that holdover county clerk Joe Rivera was the Democratic Party's nominee who ran and lost against Cascos in the general election. The incumbent has stated in the past that if he had his "druthers" the appointee should be someone that the voters haven't rejected, a pointed remark many took to be aimed at the likes of Rivera, John Wood, and Ruben Peña, among others.
However, the rumblings in the commissioners court indicate that some commissioners would rather wait until Cascos is eating his brisket at Abbott's. Many observers say the item will be tabled and that Cascos will not be able to get the three votes he needs to take a vote on a possible replacement. They say that he might get a second on the motion from Pct. 3 commissioner David Garza and that that's as far as the item will get. We shall see.
Another item on Monday's special meeting agenda will be the approval of the $500,000 officeholder surety bond submitted by county clerk-elect Garza Perez who was unable to get a Cameron t-based insurance company to sell her one. She, as the rumors go, was able to get a bond issued by a n Hidalgo County insurance company form a company based in Illinois.
The specifics on the company, or whether there were any co-signers involved that might pose a conflict of interest have not been divulged. So far, aside from some vague mention of "bad credit" problems from the candidate, no one is saying – least of all the insurers – what made her application for their sureties toxic.
But with commissioners court legal eagle Bruce (I'll have to research this and get back to you) Hodge, apparently satisfied that the bond was issued by a company that is approved to do business in the State of Texas, the commissioners should have no qualms about approving her bond, if only to end the embarrassing spectacle putting Cameron County in ridicule again.
During this meeting, incidentally, commissioners will also listen to a report detailing the status of construction projects, a proposal to equalize salaries at the district clerk's office as well as to proclaim a Day of the Conservation of the Ocelot in March, and the appointment of a member of the board of the Cameron County Appraisal District. They will also consider issuing beach and mobile vending permits at Isla Blanca park that include  El Rey del Elote, El Elote Loco, and Elotes del Tio. Hopefully, the taxpayers of the county won't get mazorca in the commissioners considerations.