Monday, May 4, 2015

ARE TAXPAYERS PAYING FOR DA'S REELECTION CAMPAIGN?

By Juan Montoya
If you are a student of the social media via the blogs and Facebook (and we confess, we are),
then you have probably noticed the sudden proliferation of pro-Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz on everything from his page to the Hooked For Life fishing event.
Now, we have never heard of Saenz being involved in the Hooked For Life event before.
His campaign isn't one of the sponsors, and he has never been associated with it in the past since David Mendez (now deceased in graphic at right) brought the event to introduce fishing to local children.
But, judging from the number of photos on Saenz's page, it appears that the DA and the new guy on the hook from now on he will be principals in the event.
This is due, observers of the FB scene say, because his county-paid Public Information Officer Melissa Landin runs both his FB page, and the DA's website. Saenz has let it be known that he intends to run for reelection in 2016 and at least one other candidate – his nemesis Carlos Masso – has already had his announcement party at Cobbleheads. Present at that affair were none other than the entire Hernandez clan (Ernie, Norman, Erin) and the new Cameron County Clerk Sylvia Garza-Perez.
The arrival of Landin as PIO has resulted in her managing the Saenz FB and Twitter pages, the DA's website and also the coordination of the propaganda for Operation Bishop, the anti-eight-liner crusade upon which Saenz made his mark and got elected.
But that, too, is wearing thin.
It is ironic that Landin's former mate (Mendez) was the originator of the Hooked For Life event and that now the person featured in the photos is her current mate Cornelio Landin, and on Saenz's FB page, the DA himself. Neither, according to the Hooked For Life pamphlet, are financial sponsors of the event.
But, as they say in the PR business, any publicity is good publicity.
If you go to Saenz's FB and Twitter pages, it is apparent that someone has been very very busy promoting the Hooked For Life event and even features a photo of the DA holding Landin's new baby (who by the way isn't wearing one of Luis' Texas Exes T-shirts, but an Texas A and M Aggie one). We remember when Saenz used to be in with a local blogger close to Landin who suggested just such a shot: Let's see if we can fish that email from Robert Wightman to Melissa. Oh, yes. It states:

From: Bobby Wightman-cervantes
Sent:  Friday, November 07, 2014 9:58  AM
To:     Melissa Landin
Subject: RE: Heads for Luis on Gran Jury Referral on Rose Gowen

"If Luis releases a press release in response to the lawsuit please get permission to provide it to me. You can see I have been very fair to him on Lincoln Park and have made clear he deserves every dollar of political capital he is getting from  this...Please send pic of your beautiful baby when she/he arrives. I will not post it - I just love babies...Luis can hold the baby like in that Lion movie and say "A future DA of Cameron County..." 
Well the occasion finally arrived and here's Luis and the Baby!
Since we know that Landin is running all these social media on behalf of her boss, it is a fair and legitimate question of public policy to ask: Should the taxpayer be paying for Saenz's reelection propaganda?

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Melissa is a board member for Hooked for a Life. She has been part of this event from the very beginning. Her husband is a coach at Faulk. His students helped to load fish into the resaca along with students from Vela. Read the paper much?

Anonymous said...

The event is awesome and it's free for the kids. Who cares about this petty stuff? Only you because it involves Melissa again. Get over it already. Leave her and her family alone. You write about her to the point of harassment.

Anonymous said...

You are using a photo of someone's baby in an article aimed at hurting that child's mother. Children should be off limits in your attacks.

Anonymous said...

I went to the DA's facebook. Those pics were posted on a Saturday night. Luis was a judge for the catfish cookoff so he was at the event. I don't see a problem.

Anonymous said...

Saenz is as awkward and uncomfortable holding that baby as he is telling the truth.

Anonymous said...

Melissa Zamora Landin wrote comments 2:41, 2:54, 3:06 and 3:15…..all on working hours. Just like her goofy friend Jessica Tetreau, they write and play the same old card of leave the poor, innocent,do no bad, woman shtick. Stop posting comments on the tax-payer's dime Melissa. You are as scummy as they come.

Anonymous said...

Zeke Silva at it again......grow up asshole !

Anonymous said...

Using a child, a baby, really Juan!!?

Anonymous said...

Use a Modicum of Civility, Montoya. Leave children alone.

Anonymous said...

How stupid to after an innocent baby! I give up on this blog.

Anonymous said...

Luis Saenz and Mellissa Zamora deserve each other. They will fail together.

Anonymous said...

Yes the pack rats are supporting Masso !! Crooks helping crooks ,, pura basura !!! The Hernandez want a job for Erin and the garza. Perez wants to steal votes from the elderly

Anonymous said...

@ 2:54

Indeed, this is a great event for the KIDS. Not the POLITICIANS. He looks like an idiot campaigning out there. Where was he when it wasn't an election year? Someone should have hooked him with those ugly catfish whiskers.

Anonymous said...

Libelous and misinformed, yet keeps writing anyway. Why? What's your agenda? Or who's paying you to get to your "followers"? Do research before you start your articles. Have some respect for yourself by way of credibility. And I strongly suggest keeping people's children out of your articles. That's one way to get yourself into some REAL trouble.

Na'Tassia Finley, Los Fresnos

Anonymous said...

Shut the fuck up Na'Tassia Finley, what are you doing reading blogs anyway? Trying to get scoops to stories? Why don't you have a little more respect for your craft and go out and find stories...not try to steal them from blogs....and by the way, if people want to keep their kids out of the "limelight", they should stop parading them on social media for all to see...the parents are at fault. So shut your pie-hole and go get a story girl.

Anonymous said...

Juan is using the baby????? I beg to differ----seems like the one using the baby is Bigoton and whoever let him pose with the baby. And those e-mails---well just wow. I am also tired of these broads acting all ghetto and then wanting respect like damsels in distress. Find a new tune already---you want equality--then roll with the punches and stop your whining!
You know that wanna be journalist, Duardo, has your back.
Oh BTW C/S.........

Anonymous said...

There goes Smelly Melly again, playing the victim card. It is getting old Melissa. You do the same thing over and over...put some stupid comment or picture out on FB....you know people are going to comment on, and when they do, you get your panties up in a bunch and start saying why they would dare use pictures of children. Post them for your friends and family...not for everyone to see, if you do not want others to get them. Are you capable of doing that?

Anonymous said...

I seriously doubt 9:17 AM is Na'Tassia Finley.

Regardless, if you got that pic of Saenz from the internet, it's fair game for you to publish, Juanito. If parents don't want their child's pic exploited, DO NOT publish it where it can be exploited. Be more selective who you allow access to your pics.

And, by all means, be more selective who you allow to hold your baby. You don't want any of that corruption getting into your child's bloodstream.

Anonymous said...

Luis Saenz was not campaigning at the event. He was a judge for the catfish cook off, therefore he was invited to attend. The only candidate out there that had someone out there pushing campaign literature was a volunteer for CESAR DE LEON.

Anonymous said...

The PENDEJA melissa was the one exploiting her baby to keep her job. Backfired you idiot.

Anonymous said...

Se parece el baby a Luis?
The cachetes sure look similar?
pobre cornie" el cornudo"?

Anonymous said...

9:17 Natiche la Metiche, I don't think so? It must be smelly Nelly?

Anonymous said...

Melisa was seen smooching with an ICE agent. What gives?

Anonymous said...

Mellissa Zamora (Landin) there is one thing you are not is smart. You posted on the DA facebook page (05-02-2015) The Cameron County District Attorney's Office proudly supports. That was on a Friday during business hours. We don't want to pay for Mr. Saenz re-election and by the looks of it that is what he hired you to do is run his campaign and make him look good. What you are doing real good is making him look bad and more like a desperate politician hungry for attention at all costs. The fact that you keep posting defending yours and his actions only makes you two look more and more guilty. Your husband may work as a coach for Faulk but nothing he is wearing shows school spirit. The fact that he is promoting his college shows really how immature he is and how disrespectful he is to BISD and the children of Faulk Middle School.

The fact that Cornelio Landin is married to you is the only reason he was there. Cornelio is only a coach that should have been for the Principal or the Asst. Principal but nooo you made sure your husband gets the glory for having nothing to do with Hooked for Life until he got you pregnant and marrying you 8 months into your pregnancy.

Hooked for Life is a non profit and should abstain from Politics and that is something you are doing is using a good thing to benefit your self by promoting your Boss the DA and your husband, not to mention that we are paying you to take pictures of Mr. Saenz. You got caught lying again Mellissa.

Anonymous said...

What is her official job description? Is she getting paid through tax payers money? How can the DA hire a person with such questionable reputation.

rita