VETERANS DAY, ELECTIONS, AND BACKDOOR POLITICAL DEALS

By Juan Montoya
Remember the scenario that was painted just last week about Cameron County commissioners Alex Dominguez (Pct. 2) and Dan Sanchez (Pct. 4) resigning and running for county judge as candidates in the Democratic Party primary March 1?
Well, as the saying goes, the situation is now fluid.
Sources tell us that Dominguez – wary of who might be appointed in his place by county judge Pete Sepulveda – may have opted to stay in place. Even more insidious than having an appointed county judge appoint an un-elected commissioner for Pct. 2, would be the fact that it would be up to precinct chairs in his district to nominate someone to be on the ballot in the November general election against a Republican candidate. Dominguez, we hear, doesn't relish the thought of a handful of political operatives anoint the next Pct. 2 commissioner, an unopposed candidate at that.
With precinct projects well under way, Dominguez fears that the direction that will be taken by a potential successor will not necessarily be in the best interests of his constituents.
That leaves former City of Brownsville Mayor Eddie Treviño, Sanchez, and Brownsville lawyer Elizabeth Garza in the running. Garza is a politicla newcomer and a fresh face in local politics. Treviño, on the other hand, has left  along trail of political patronage and fiscal recklessness in his wake. He publicly made it known during the recent Democratic Party meeting that he was  candidate for county judge. We know, for example, that his law partner Conrad Bodden has already gone to speak with current judge Sepulveda.
Meanwhile, Sanchez – a la John Wood – has been playing coy on announcing. He knows that once he makes it public, he automatically resigns from his office since there is more than 1 and 1/2 years left on his term.
The deadline for filing in the party primary extends from March 14 to Dec. 14.  From now until then, Sanchez can lay low and see who jumps into the fray before announcing he will run.
Tomorrow, Nov. 10, he and his brother, 444th District Court Judge David Sanchez, will host a Veterans Day celebration in front of the Cameron County Courthouse steps.
Numerous people who have received the invites are questioning the appropriateness of the invitation to the celebration hosted by the two elected officials without them getting the prior approval for use of the county facilities from the county commissioners court.
And they also question the fact that the affair is planned at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday on the steps and closed street in front of the courthouse will be held during working hours. Or is this a clever maneuver to hold the event just in time for the court house employee crowd to exit the building at the time the event is being held? While Dan is not running for office (yet), David is running for reelection in 2016.
There are other questions.
How did they get approval to use the mass email directory of the county's Information Technology department to email the invitations to all county email users during county working hours?
The invitation on the email did not identify the sender. It merely invites the county employees as if it were a county sponsored event.

From: Public Announcement <public.announcement@co.cameron.tx.us>
Date: November 4, 2015 at 9:41:57 AM CST
To: County <County@co.cameron.tx.us>
Subject: Veterans Appreciation Celebration, Tuesday November 10th, 2015

Good Morning,

Please see the attached invitation to a Celebration in Appreciation of our Veterans, Thank you 

And lastly – and even more important – how was it that it was only the two office holders that are hosting the event and not the entire county government? Did the Sanchez's take it upon themselves to host the event without letting anyone else participate?
Since David  is running for reelection as 44th District Court judge, some people – like any potential challenger for the office – could interpret that to mean that it was a political event meant to enhance the chances of his reelection. He is, also, on the other hand, the judge of the newly-created Veterans Court.
You have to look mighty close at the invite to see the Iwo Jima silhouette sandwiched between the two momentous names of the Sanchez brothers. Dan, of course, is "Continuing to serve with proven results," while David sports his State of Texas seal.
The question becomes then: Is this a political campaign event for the Sanchezes? Has the invite become a de facto announcement that he will be running for office? Or will he pull the rabbit out of the hat and announce right then and there? For county judge, perhaps?
Other sources tell us that the deal has already been cut between Sepulveda and Dan so that the appointed county judge will not appoint his replacement after he resigns and that he will allow the commissioner to sit as holdover on the court until after the March 1 primary.
In return, they say, Sanchez will cast his vote in favor of the county establishing a countywide Transportation Reinvestment Zone that will dedicate a percentage of future property taxes and new industry (LNG) to be used to fund Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority projects.
County residents already pay a $10 surcharge on their vehicle registration to go toward funding the CCRMA. Sepulveda is its Chief Executive Officer besides being county judge and draws a $230,000 salary from that entity.
The county's administrator David Garcia – and Sepulveda's former assistant – used to get paid a $70,000 stipend by the CCRMA until commissioners had the CCRMA pay the county for Garcia's time instead. He now gets paid $187,000 as administrator. Garcia placed the agenda item for the TRZs on the county's agenda for discussion and possible action.
Has the deal been cut to funnel county taxpayer money to the CCRMA in return for allowing Sanchez to act as a holdover on the court until the outcome of the primary process?