Can a third-place finisher in the City of Brownsville District 1 race parlay the 486 votes he garnered into a bargaining chip to garner money and appointments for friends to city boards?
The rumors are circulating among political operatives that already, some supporters of incumbent Ricardo Longoria - perhaps without his knowledge - are making entreaties to third-place finisher Michael Rodriguez that he endorse the 16-year politician who came in second behind top vote-getter Nurith Galonsky.
Galonsky and Longoria are facing each other in a runoff June 22, as are mayoral candidates Trey Mendez and Carlie Cabler and At-Large "A" contenders John Cowen and Jessica Puente-Bradshaw.
Toward that end, we have learned that they have dangled an offer to pay his campaign expenses and a pledge to fund his campaign against At-Large "B" incumbent Rose Gowen in her next election. We have not heard what response, if any, Rodriguez gave that entreaty, but he has confirmed elsewhere that the meetings have taken place with both sides.
But there is also another twist to this dynamic.
It seems that Rodriguez supporters - among them Brownsville Independent School District Erasmo Castro - approached a close Galonsky associate and proposed that his votes may swing her way if they would pay off Rodriguez's campaign expenses and appoint Castro to the Public Utilities Board hen she got elected. Galonsky is now sitting on the PUB board and only one city commission member, the mayor or, sits on as an ex-oficio member.
If she is elected, it would leave her seat open on the PUB.
It would seem that these carrots being dangled by the various interests may attract some in either camp to leverage the third-place finish votes that Rodriguez got in the May 4 election.
But this is a very simplistic way to judge the election results. Rodriguez ran against Longoria and those who voted for him were voting against the incumbent. If he, in turn, endorses Longoria publicly, he will lose the respect of those who followed and voted for him and against Longoria.
But the fact that they voted for him doesn't necessarily mean that they will follow his directions in the runoff and vote for whichever of the two candidates he endorses. At most, Rodriguez can urge his family and close friends to vote for one or the other, but he does not control 486 votes to swing one way or the other.
Anyway, the District 1 candidates should eschew the intrigue and focus on convincing the dwindling runoff voters the old fashioned way: that they are the best candidate to serve them on the city commission.
The other reason that trying to sell (or buy) those votes is despicable is one of principle. The votes cast in that district come from one of the poorest people in one of the nation's poorest cities.
If you engage in the buying and/or selling of these votes you will be no better than the money changers that Jesus cast out from his father's temple. The exercise of the right to vote should not be used as a way to leverage money or political positions any more than a pimp forces a prostitute to sells his/her body - also a sacred temple.
23 comments:
Once a piojo always a piojo
Stupid browntown mexicans fighting over crumbs.
Lies, Montoya. None of this is true, Guey! La Southmost no se vende!
Worms got to eat
@May 14, 2019 at 1:10 PM
You forgot "GRATIS" guey!
Rodriguez only cares about money, he is not a “family man” or “business man”
He sells himself cheap, and he could give 2 fucks anout the city
If this is true...terrible....terrible....
People need to get jobs and stop thinking they are in positions to SERVE themselves....embarrassing.
Lol!! Erasmo CASTRO ? PUB BOARD? Hahahaha
You gotta be shitting me! This guy is just looking for ways to get attention
It is not Rodríguez, it is Castro’s greediness using him to get a seat at PUB Board.
Richard Longoria has been on the City Commission too long and has done too little for the people of this city. He seems proud to sit on the commission and do nothing....just salves his ego. What has he done for the city and for his district....NADA. Nuri Galonsky is a Stanford University graduate and has the intelligence that we need in Brownsville...to solve problems with smart policies that will move us forward. Vote for Nuri and the city will prosper.
Rodriguez needs to know...people voted for Change in his district. If he goes against that momentum he will shoot himself in the foot...
So...either go with the direction of the voters or stay out of it...
You will be burned early in on your political career.
Ese Erasmo no vale para nada! Es un gordo muy feito. Oye no tiene espejo en su casa. Verdad que no.
So what did she do at PUB raise rates??? Is she going to approve the purchas of some more city property for his daddy??? She doesn't live in the soutmost area and does not even go there.
Montoya, you know people in Southmost are poor but honest.
Michael Rodrigues is like this:
Tú sabes que soy parejo
ya te lo dije una vez
si yo no te causo penas
no quiero que me las des. (Jose Alfredo Jimenez)
Michael Rodriguez was our GALLO
and he is a true Southmost leader.
He needs to start preparing for the next election.
He needs to focus on the next election. He has to become better and work harder and work with the new District 1 commissioner.
Michael: Southmost wants you to win next time.
What happens is only 10 percent of the voters take the time to go vote. We get what we pay for.
Doesn’t Rodriguez know he lost because of his association with the unemployed Erasmo Castro? If he does not know someone needs to tell him. Feel bad for Rodriguez.
Los piojos no votan they have no say so in the operations of the city or the county and BISD and 10% is way too high.
That is the way we roll, here in Barrio Mata Norte.
She's now using a hispanic name? What won't they do? What's at stake here? No dignity
Michael lost because he did not walk the barrio,did not talk with the people at Southmost.....people did not know him. He has to change his tactics. He has to visit all the churches, all the restaurants, all the raspas stands, and start doing this ahead of the election, when he has free time, and not jeopardize his job and income.
Erasmo Castro probably told him just to wait for the votes.
Michael Rodriguez has become The Sparrow of Southmost. I have never heard so much me,me,me,I,I,I from a losing candidate pandering to sell his endorsement, which due to his current mouth running marathon has become worthless.
Nobody cares about Rodriguez. He carries no weight. Well, he does carry Erasmo Castro so that is some weight. Both are city losers.
Write-in vote VOTE ERASMO CASTRO BEST QUALIFIED
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