After an election season keeping quiet about claims made by OP 10.33-bought candidates Ed Rivera and Raul Villanueva about the Port of Brownsville's performance, the local boys (Ralph Cowen and Tito Lopez) have taken off the kid gloves.
Joining them in denouncing the antics of the Dallas-based cadre of OP 10.33 is port commissioner John Reed, who sent an open letter to voters urging them to vote for the incumbents. (Click on graphic of letter below to enlarge.)This after enduring a barrage of numerous slick mailouts, paid crews of pro-Rivera-Villanueva-(TSC candidate) Daniel Pizaña handing out their campaign literature, politiqueros hauling voters on the OP 10.33 volunteer list, and a newspaper ad campaign featuring misleading claims about the port's "dismal" performance under the incumbents.
On Sunday, also, OP 10.33 honcho Mike Hernandez III was featured on the front page story in the daily saying he will decline to invest in the renovation or purchase of the crumbling Jardin Hotel. In a previous article, Hernandez had been portrayed as a knight in shining armor who was going to restore it to its former glory.
In three ads (a half-pages and one quarter page) in Sunday's Brownsville Herald, incumbents Cowen and Lopez debunked claims made by both men (and paid by OP 10.33 moneybags Hernandez) that the port is seriously lagging behind others on the Gulf Coast.
They charge that the Rivera-Villanueva claim that "we can do better" flies in the face of the fact that the port has been having a banner year.
"The Port of Brownsville's performance is mediocre when compared to other ports in the United States."
These claims have been made, say Cowen and Lopez "...even though we've had a record year in terms of movement and, and have outperformed the Ports of Houston and Corpus Christi when the national trend for ports has shown a decrease."
In fact, says one of Cowen's half-page ads, "Our port has ranked in the top 3 Foreign Zones in the nation in the past three years and ranked Number I, two of the last three."
"(They) have never even attended a single port meeting, or visited the port other than to apply for the ballot or film a campaign video."
Lopez follows suit with his quarter-page ad which shows the Port Watch magazine indicating that the Port of Brownsville has led Houston and Corpus in in crease of tonnage.
"There was at least one port that ended the year as strongly as it kicked off 2015. Specifically, the Port of Brownsville took home top honors for all Texas ports with a 19 percent annual jump after a 4.5 percent monthly rise."And sources say that port commissioner John Reed, who did not have a challenger for reelection, was livid when Hernandez's reps told him he was in their debt because they did not field a candidate against him and should be grateful. If he does not comply with their wishes and their agenda for the port, he was told, he would have one next time around.
Miffed, Reed fired off a letter where he denounced the backing of Rivera and Villanueva by a "Dallas businessman and a local engineer (Carlos Marin) who have spent tens of thousands of dollars on their campaigns" and urged voters to support Cowen and Lopez.
"Because of this, you have to ask the obvious question and that is, what are they going to be asking in return for their large cash contributions?," Reed asks in his letter.
Rivera had first filed against Reed but unexplainably changed places later in the last day of filing for the position and filed against Lopez..
The question now has become: With only two days left in early voting (Tuesday is last day) and the election this Saturday, is the Cowen-Lopez response too late to save their seats and will Hernandez be able to buy this election?
Put 'em up! Put 'em up!
14 comments:
And LNG? Does their ad say anything about that? Asking because I have not seen the ad. Why did it take opponents to bring out this information so late in the election cycle? If I had known this, I might have voted differently. You shouldn't snub the constituency, that one vote could make all the difference in the final result.
When I reveive a political campaign "junk mail" from two candidates...I am concerned about collusion and will refuse to vote for either. This happened this year. I think Ralph Cowen is a dinosaur, but will vote for him
Rivera and Villanueva know nothing about the port or it's operation, they only want in to give their compradres jobs and contracts. You could expect nbenefits going to their financiers in the Ft.Worth area. Who give $40,000.00 to a couple locals without some sort of return. Or maybe these two locals are playing Mr. Hernandez simply for his money, because they have not known Hernandez for more than 6 months. Some sugar daddy!
he blimp said
"Mike Hernandez is either part of the corruption or dumber than shit and allowed himself to be played by Carlos Marin and others."
The backstabbing blimp strikes again dudes. This time it is Mike Hernandez of OP 1033 fame. The blimp would say Mike Hernandez was the second coming of Jesus....now he is a conman and dumber than shit! Go figure....the blimp turns on a source.
That is what you get Mike Hernandez, for talking to a crazed lunatic.
Da Blimp is reporting that CAPT. BOB SANCHEZ will be running for mayor. The Losers Coalition has come together. Blimp writes like an idiot and Sanchez thinks he invented he word "moron" for himself. Vatos perdidos. Son culos y nada mas!!!!!
The Blimp is not a news reporter; he is a gossiper, like las viejas bullshitting while hanging cheap rags on a clothesline. Picture a fat punk and that's Da Blimp. His mother reads El Rrun Rrun!
Let me paraphrase the ads, and the election, for the seven readers:
How dare you upstart political whores challenge us veteran political whores.
We see in the national elections this year how Party Politics and money are destroying our democracy....by controlling the candidate pool and thus deny popular power. I believe local leadership is necessary to end corruption and put some integrity back in government. We don't have a "leader" as mayor, we have an administrator as "Interim" County Judge. It is time to demonstrate "leadership" in government and not simply organize to control government. Most people here don't care as long as their government check comes in...this in particular opens the door for more corruption.
THE port issue right now is LNG. Much of all this other talk is distraction. Imagine taking out an ad in the paper and not mentioning these "great projects" that are going to "change everything"? A small group met with Mr. Villanueva and he said there was nothing that could be done about the lease options the LNG companies have (so much for a Harvard education) and he couldn't say he was against LNG (points for honesty). Actually, something was done about port leases at the state house last year, see HB1716. Then does OP1033 and Jose Angel Gutierrez think that a massive LNG critical energy infrastructure dump and the local livelihoods entrenched in tourism and shrimping can live in the same house? Destroy thousands of jobs for a few new jobs? Not a good plan or a Bernie move. With all due respect for Mr. Lopez, who signed off on a letter of support for the LNG companies, vote for Patrick Anderson, the only anti LNG candidate. Mr. Gowen has the advantage of being known, and as a native son many are left wondering why he would be walking/leading us down the LNG plank/path. But he is known. Period.
Question? Position #5, Port of Brownsville, has three candidates running. Does plurality win in the first round, or will there be a runoff if no one receives a majority? I know that for TSC position #3, there will be a runoff, plurality doesn't win in the first round.
Yes it does!
TO MIKE HERNANDEZ,
I HOPE YOU READ THIS. I KNOW ROGER LEE KEEPS YOU ABREAST TO WHAT THE BLOGS SAY.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW THAT YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE OPPOSED TITO LOPEZ AND RALPH COWEN?
AFTER YOU LOSE THIS ELECTION, I HOPE YOU LEARN A VALUABLE LESSON.
On that note: Roger Lee can quit trying ti convince people that Ed Riveria lives in Brownsville. They are not buying it.
"Yes it does!" - I assume in response to the question on does a plurality win? My natural inclination was to vote for
Patrick Anderson, but did not want to hand the election to Ed Rivera. He did enough damage at TSC - don't need him and his super-PAC buddies at the port. Voted for Tito Lopez, even though my views were probably more aligned with Anderson. Like any metastatic malignant tumor (super-PACS), one needs preventive surgery and strong chemotherapy.
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