MIFFED BY RIVERA, OCHOA MAY SEEK COUNTY JUDGESHIP

By Juan Montoya
Back before the 2014 Democratic Primary, when rumors of possible candidacies for countywide office roiled the county's political waters, Port Isabel's Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Benny Ochoa said he had been considering throwing his beanie cap in the ring for county clerk if Joe Rivera wasn't a candidate for that post.
Rivera had told his supporters he was hoping to be county clerk for another term to complete 40 years in that office.
"I told Joe that I wouldn't run if he was running," he told a close friend. "When Joe said he was running for county clerk, I pulled out."
In what became known countywide as the Great Shells and Pea Game of 2014, Rivera opted to run for county judge instead, and Sylvia Garza Perez switcher her candidacy from running for county judge and ran for Joe's position at the last moment, effectively cutting Ochoa out of the game since it was too late for him to file.
Rivera eventually ended up losing to incumbent Carlos Cascos, and after the county commissioners appointed administrator Pete Sepulveda, he retired after 36 years as county clerk.
Now, with the caretaker Sepulveda administration set to expire in the next election cycle, Ochoa is eyeing the possibility of throwing his hat in the ring in the next election cycle which is the Democratic primary in 2016. If he wins that, he wold eventually face the Republican contender – if any – in the November 2016 general election.
Ochoa, of course, wouldn't confirm the rumors of his candidacy for county judge since the law would require him to vacate his position if he declared. But close supporters say his friends are urging him to run and give him a good chance to snare the Democratic Party nomination.
At the time of his appointment, Sepulveda suggested he won't run for the office as an incumbent, which was a selling point for outgoing County Judge Carlos H. Cascos, who nominated him for the position.
Now, we know how things can change in a heartbeat in Cameron County politics, so don't consider that etched in stone. But for now, all eyes are looking toward windswept Port Isabel to see if El Principe Charro will make the move.