EX DEMO CHAIR ENDORSES ED IN NONPARTISAN ELECTION

By Juan Montoya
We hadn't heard of Dale Robertson in  along time.
When he wasn't hanging out with State Rep. Rene Oliveira, or kowtowing with former Port of Brownsville Police Chief George Gavito, Dale was keeping an eye out for real-estate deals in South Texas. Almost as an afterthought, he has become one of the leading legal minds in the Brave New World of Cyberspace.
So his appearance in a newspaper ad endorsing Texas Southmost College trustee Ed Rivera in his bid for a commissioner on the Brownsville Navigation District against incumbent Tito Lopez and challenger Patrick Anderson was mildly surprising. A few lifetimes ago, Dale served as the Cameron County Democratic Party. It is with reference to that position that he endorsed Rivera as a former classmate at the old Brownsville High School classmate, his business experience and his "community leadership."
We don't know how Oliveira would feel about it since he was carousing with Ralph Cowen – who is running with Lopez as a ticket – at the Cobbleheads Bar yesterday when Ralph celebrated his First Annual 5 de Mayo Grito there. And we don't know how Gavito might have taken the endorsement since he is pals with both Lopez and Cowen as his former bosses at the port.
Rivera returned to Brownsville – actually Laguna Vista, outside the port district – and ran for the unexpired term of TSC trustee Dr. Robert Lozano. The rest of his "community leadership" was spent on boards associated with Laguna Vista and South Padre Island.
And everyone knows that Ed borrowed his girlfriend's address in Brownsville to run for the BND board, something that borders on election fraud.
(BULLETIN: WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE RIVERA SIGN ON THE WOMAN'S LAWN ON 14 EBONY DRIVE HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN AND THAT RIVERA IS NO LONGER LIVING THERE. WE HAVE RECEIVED A FLOOD OF REPORTS THIS MORNING THAT ED IS GONE WANTING NO FURTHER INVOLVEMENT, EITHER.)
Nonetheless, someone should tell Dale that the port and college are nonpartisan elections and that membership in either party is not a requirement to run for that office. One has to admire loyalty to friends, but given the baggage associated with Rivera and his stint on the TSC board, his candidate might be found wanting in this race.
The nursing program is on conditional status and is not accepting any more enrollments. The EMT program is also in trouble, and the Dual Endorsement program is not attracting as many students from local high schools. River has acted like these students don't matter and prefers to let the programs go.
However, since the group that has given Rivera $20,000 in cash contributions and free advertising space on their billboards (Mike Hernandez's OP 10.33) also rented one of Dale's many real-estate properties for their headquarters, it is understandable that this endorsement might be a quid pro quo to return the favor. Sometimes party loyalty demands too much.
Election day is this Saturday.