HAIL! HAIL! LINDA'S POLITIQUERO(A)S FRIENDS ARE ALL HERE!

Judicial Canon 2B of the code of conduct states “a judge shall not lend the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others,” and 5(2) of the code of conduct states “a judge or judicial candidate shall not authorize the public use of his or her name endorsing another candidate for any public office, except that either may indicate support for a political party.” 

By Juan Montoya

Why is it that things happen in Cameron County which are not allowed in other parts of the state?
Take the endorsement of political candidates for office by local justices of the peace and judges.

We saw it in the case of the Sanchez brothers when David Sanchez, a district judge, not only endorsed his bother Dan for Cameron County judge, but now JP 2-1 Linda Salazar openly endorsing City of Brownsville mayoral candidate Charlie Cabler.

We can't blame the candidate for accepting anyone's endorsement. That's what campaigning is all about. But Salazar, who's been a justice of the peace for the last 16 years should know better.

On June June 6, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct issued a public reprimand of Rio Grande City Municipal Judge Leonel “Leo” Lopez Jr. for violating the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.

This was before he was indicted for operating a bribe scheme with contractors of the Weslaco Water Plant. What did he do that garnered the reprimand from the commission?

News reports indicate that "he lent the prestige of his office in support of J.M. “Chuy” Alvarez, the current Democratic nominee for Starr County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 who was running for 229th District Attorney at the time, by sharing one of Alvarez’s campaign advertisements on his Facebook page sometime around Jan. 21, 2016.

The commission found he also lent his support to Rio Grande City Mayor Joel Villarreal and City Commissioners Rey Ramirez and Dave “Chachi” Jones, when they ran for re-election in 2016.'

So if Lopez gets  formal reprimand from the commission for allowing his name to these local contests, how can Salazar flaunt her position endorsing a local candidate for mayor and there are no consequences?  Could it be because Cameron County D.A. Luis V. Saenz is also in the photo? If you have the DA on your side, what prosecution can you fear?

And that's not all. She and local politiquero Amadeo Rodriguez Jr. have
been making the rounds of local adult day care centers trying to ingratiate herself into their good graces currying their vote. Rodriguez and other members of his family were an important cog in the Erni-Norma Hernandez-Erin Garcia vote harvesting machine. One of his sisters, Gracie, is also in the photo.

Rodriguez and others have been linked with harvesting mail-in votes from elderly residents. In fact, in her recent announcement for reelection, Salazar pulled out all the stops and took photos of herself surrounded by well-known politiqueros and politiqueras.

 Most candidates have been approached by the likes of double-dealing Natividad "Nati" Arzola, Ramiro Amaya, and the school bus union leader Petra Ramirez, Minnie Leal, Minnie de los Santos, Marisa Leal and political operative Linda Castro and her husband. The people in the photo labled "GK" are her grandchildren used as fillers to give the impression of a large following.

In one picture of her supporters under a tent, Margarita Rangel Ozuna
who pleaded no contest to illegally assisting the elderly in voting in 2010. She admitted she prepared ballots without their direction, and then deposited the carrier envelopes without providing the proper information on the envelope. She received a sentence of probation. She is sitting directly behind Arzola.

If this is "Team Salazar" does this mean we should expect the Bad Old
Days of vote harvesting, mail-in voting fraud, and abuse of the elderly at day care centers to rear their ugly heads again on behalf of Linda's campaign?