1-VOTE DIFFERENCE IN PLACE 6, MINNIE WANTS RECOUNT

 

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

If you look at the above results giving Place 6 Brownsville Independent School District candidate Marisa Leal a one-vote advantage over 12-year incumbent Minerva Peña, you could view it in in two different ways.

The most obvious, of course, is that if you are Peña, you will ask for a recount to see if you can convince a recount worker to swing a vote or preferably two over you way and you can remain on the board. With any luck, you might succeed in overturning the results.

On the other hand, if you have been in power for the last 12 years, you might step back and realize that after all that time, of the 43,639 votes cast in the three-person race 27,105 voters (66.11 percent) do not want you to remain in office and voted for new blood over you and BISD board barnacle Joe Rodriguez.

Peña whittled down her 10-vote election day deficit by nine after a complete count of provisional, late mail-in and overseas military ballots was completed Tuesday afternoon. 

Former BISD board member Rodriguez, who has been on the board numerous times, was expecting the female vote to be divided and to waltz into office. 

But anyone who has seen him lately can't but admit that he appears to be on the verge of collapsing as he walks. Denying that is ignoring the obvious. The man would be better off reliving his glory days at home surrounded by his grandkids and great-grandchildren.

But that has never stopped some people from seeking public offices to which they feel entitled as "Coach" Joe does.

Peña is entering this recount saddled with revelations during the Dr. Sylvia Atkinson bribery and conspiracy trial in federal court where the former BISD board member indicated Peña had asked and received $2,000 of a $10,000 bribe to push forward a purported film project.

Atkinson said she made the donation to Miles of Hope on Peña's behalf. At the time she was the public relations director for the Christian-based organization. Atklinson said also said she made a similar $2,000 donation on behalf of board member Phil Cowen, who lost his reelection bid.

Peña was also a main mover and shaker back in 2013 to hire board counsel Baltazar Salazar even though his firm ranked well below the rest of the law firms which responded to the BISD's Request For Proposals (RFP) for legal counsel.

During the hiring process, when Salazar made his pitch to the board, he looked directly at Peña and said "some of you" already know me and know that "I won't stab you in the back, I'll stab you in the front."

And during a discussion by the board concerning his termination, it was Peña, Drue Brown, and Atkinson who sided with Salazar and helped him stay on as legal counsel. Atkinson has since been convicted on eight counts in her bribery-conspiracy trial and is awaiting sentencing in federal court. 

The Salazar termination issue was tabled by Cowen, who had seconded the motion by former BISD trustee Laura Perez-Reyes. Perez-Reyes won the race for Cameron County District Clerk.

Salazar knew he needed Peña on the board to protect his $325,000 annual salary, second highest only to the BISD Superintendent Dr. Rene Gutierrez. Toward that end, he contributed lavishy to her campaign with generous in-kind gifts as did other BISD vendors.

Salazar's contributions were $4,978 (in-kind) for paid political advertising, another $1,975 for mailouts, and insurance vendor Joe Salazar pitched in $1,000 for political mailouts, and Liz Vera, Baltazar Salazar's sister and a Realtor, also contributed for mailouts.  

Peña told the Brownsville Herald she would ask for a recount. 

At $60 per each of the 47 precincts, she needs to come up with $2,820. During a past race where she lost for Cameron County JP 2-3 against Mary Esther Sorola, Peña received a little over $2,000 from the Firefighters PAC for a recount. At the time, former BISD trustee Carlos Elizondo donated the amount through a PAC donation which his fellow firefighters charge he was not authorized to make.

Elizondo lost against board member Eddie Garcia for Place 7 in the Nov. 3 BISD election and is facing trial on theft charges from the firefighters' PAC.

With Elizondo and Atkinson gone, will Baltazar or Joe Salazar, an insurance vendor who has contributed to her campaign, step to the plate and pitch in the amount?