COVID-19 not only sent the world's economies into a tailspin, is killing 100,000s around the world, and - of all things - has deprived red-blooded Americans of a baseball season and soccer-crazed fans all over the world of their favorite sport, including the Olympics, at least for a time.
This was new. No one knew what to do when every system stood still, sputtered, and then is trying to get going again. The courts have closed. The administrative systems have ground to a halt. And some systems don't seem to respond well to the jump starts being applied.
Our system of electing people to office is among one of those.
For good or ill, the danger of getting voters infected with the virus by going to the polls not only delayed the primary runoffs of the political parties from May 23 to July 14 and burdened the surviving candidates with an additional two months of campaigning, it has also extended the terms of the office holders at the Brownsville Navigation District and Texas Southmost College by nearly six months.
That means that office holders like Texas Southmot College board member Art Rendon who chose not to run for reelection will get an extra half a year in office after his six-year term, but also gave him additional time in office because of the Texas "holdover" provision that requires him to serve until his replacement is elected.
Imagine, what if there is a runoff between the three candidates at TSC running for Rendon's position? Will it be early 2021 before the election is decided in that race?
Those elections are nonpartisan affairs and traditionally poorly attended, but now that are pegged to the November general election during a presidential year it assures them of a huge turnout.
And in the case of those who were set to run for reelection this May with an opponent - like TSC chair Adela Garza and Port of Brownsville chairman John Reed and board trustee Tito Lopez - this will allow them to either solidify their incumbency or, conversely, for their opponents to establish name ID to make a credible challenge they would have been unable to achieve if the election had been held in May.
That postponement, of course, was mandated by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott when it became clear that the approaching COVID-19 infection could expose the voters to the disease and perhaps even kill them. Different incumbents reacted differently - depending, ironically, on whether they are Democrat or Republican - but it is obvious that they were at a distinct advantage over their opponents, all three of them newcomers.
Whether the additional time would have worked for or against one candidate or another will have to be borne out by the results of the election. In the port, it's a plurality of the vote that will win it while at the college, a runoff might be necessary.
There are three seat up for grabs on the BND board, Places 1 (Ralph Cowen, incumbent, no opponent), 3 (John Reed incumbent) and Place 5 (Sergio "Tito" Lopez, incumbent).
Brownsville hotelier and investor Sergio Grana is challenging Reed for Place 3 and Lopez is facing Bill Berg, associated with the "No Road" movement in Brownsville's West Side.
At TSC, Adela Garza faces Jorge Luis Sifuentes for Place 1. Alejandra Aldrete, Ancelmo Naranjo Jr. and Antonio Guevara, are candidates for Rendon's Place 2. Delia Saenz faces no challengers for Place 4.
Saenz has been lucky.
She had been appointed to replace Trey Mendez, who was elected City of Brownsville Mayor. And with no opponent, she will have another two years before his term was set to expire. She will take office two month before her husband, Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz takes office in January, and will be running in the November general election ballot without a Republican opponent.
But it is the fact that the incumbents who did not have to run in May, but until November, will have a hand in shaping their respective entity's budget that is passed by October that rises in importance. Even though a budget is just one vote, it shapes not only the finances of the entity for the next year, but also the policies that go hand in hand with the implementation and the allocation of this budget cycle funds.
It's no secret that the port and the college got off to a rocky start on collaboration on workforce training and a proposed center to be built there. That still remains a bone of contention, albeit one that they have been smoothed over to a degree.
But the plans for that very issue and the financial commitments made by both in their upcoming budgets should give one an idea of the seriousness of their plans and whether those allocations are made in the spirit of collaborative partnership.
Regardless of the outcome in both races, the die will have been cast when both adopt their budgets - with the incumbents sitting at the table - and before the outcome of the elections. New members on the board will have to live with the results until the next election cycle gives them a hand at tweaking the numbers.
Funny to what degree an invisible little germ is capable of intruding into the election and budget process, isn't it.
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