GARZA GETS HIS LEGAL COUNSEL, RUIZ NO WAREHOUSE

By Juan Montoya
Almost unnoticed in August 16 Special Meeting of the Cameron County Commissioners Court was the interviewing and selection of a legal counsel to replace Bruce Hodge, who retired recently.
Almost everyone thought that person would be interim legal counsel Juan Gonzalez, but at least one commissioner had a different idea.

The item – as are all personnel items – was discussed in executive session and when the commissioners emerged Pct. 3 commissioner David Garza quickly made a motion to offer the opening to Frank Martinez, a former Asst. DA to former Cameron County District Attorney Yolanda de Leon.

Pct. 4 commissioner Gus Ruiz seconded the motion and when the vote was called, Pct. 1 commissioner Sofia Benavides and Pct. 2 commissioner Alex Dominguez voted against with Garza and Ruiz being joined in the "ayes" by County Judge Pete Sepulveda.
Insiders say that Sepulveda had expressed his support for Gonzalez, but that Garza had lobbied for Martinez and eventually got his vote for Martinez.

"Garza has a lot of influence on the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority and he leaned on Pete to swing his vote," said a court watcher. "Even though Pete had promised to vote for Gonzalez, he knuckled down to Garza."
Sepulveda – besides being the appointed county judge until the next general election – is also the CEO of the CCRMA, a position which pays him $230,000 plus a monthly travel allowance.

Every commissioner on the court appoints a member on the CCRMA board.
However, Garza has taken a personal interest in the CCRMA and has traveled widely in Texas and elsewhere to get a leg up on transportation issues. For example, he attended a past Hidalgo County Commissioner’s Court meeting asking for approval of a resolution in support of the Cameron County RMA project which would provide for a second causeway to South Padre Island, joining the mainland and the island at the northern end and alleviating much of the heavy congestion that is currently experienced along the Queen Isabella Causeway. During a December 2014 meeting of the Cameron County Commissioners Court Garza presented the Texas Department of Transportation Road Hand Award given to him by for his labors at the Alliance of I-69.

Garza is the secretary-treasurer for the group and he frequently travels upstate to perform his duties aside from those of a county commissioner and a pharmacist in San Benito. According to a Alliance I-69 press release, the award "is a TxDOT tradition to acknowledge those who have made major contributions to improving transportation in their community and in the state."
Garza is a long-time member of the board and is credited for making dozens of appearances before the Texas Transportation Commission to keep the spotlight on the fact that until 2013 the Lower Rio Grande Valley was the largest metropolitan area in the nation not served by the Interstate Highway System.

Garza, along with other leaders of Cameron County and Valley communities, worked with TxDOT, state lawmakers and members of Congress to attempt to convert US 77 and US 83 to freeway standard and to push successfully for legislation to allow these completed I-69 system sections to be added to be designated as interstates.

So Sepulveda could not really say no to Garza's choice for county legal counsel since he will be working closely with him on all those projects and will need his support when he has to leave office in January 2017 and work full time at the CCRMA.

Ruiz, who was still smarting from the negative feedback of his request to buy some real estate in Harlingen and move the county warehouse, joined Garza to support Martinez and Sepulveda grudgingly voted with them.