THE 1988 ROSENBAUM-RAMON RECOUNT SET THE TONE

By Juan Montoya

The recent narrow win by Brownsville Independent School District incumbent board member Minerva Peña over surprise challenger Marisa F. Leal by eight votes brought back to mind the epic Cameron County Pct. 1 commissioner's primary runoff between Lucino Rosenbaum Jr. and former county judge Ray Ramon.

Ramon served as judge of Cameron County from 1970 to 1981. He had literally overtunred the Democratic machine when he beat D.J. Lerma for county judge. Riding his Georgetown education and his knowledge of the administration of federal programs, he soon became a lightning rod for political organization of working-class Hispanics in the county. 

But it was 1988, and Rosenbaum had joined three other county commissioners to support Tony Garza against Ramon , who came out of political retirement to run for county judge. 

The other two commissioners who signed on with Garza were Pct. 3 commissioner Dolph Thomae – who hated Ramon – Pct. 2 commissioner Mike Cortinas, and judge Lerma, who had been appointed after Jack Goolsby died in office.

All four – except for Pct. 4 yellow-dog Democrat Tivie Valencia – signed off on an endorsement that was published in newspapers across the county. 

Their support for Republican Garza was historic. The future Ambassador to Mexico would become the first Republican since Reconstruction to occupy that office. Only Carlos Cascos has been able to duplicate that feat.

Ramon was bitter in defeat. He promptly filed to run against Rosenbaum for Pct. 1 commissioner and assembled his old team to battle in the trenches of Southmost, Rosenbaum's stronghold.   

It was a close and hard-fought primary election. After the smoke had cleared, only nine votes separated the two candidates, with Ramon lagging behind the incumbent.He asked for a recount.

At the time I was Rosenbaum's Admin Asst. and I was asked to represent him in the recounting of the voting machines. Mo Vela, a former county judge, represented Ramon, and the late judge Melchor Chavez was the arbitrator.

We were just about to get started counting the results of each of the machines when Vela, who could sometimes be rude and abrupt, stunned both of us when he turned to me and said "You stink!"

Chavez and I looked at each other surprised, and decided to ignored it as we both turned to the task at hand.  

After the vote, Ramon had narrowed down the Rosenbaum victory to just six votes. There was no Republican in the November elections so Rosenbaum stayed on for another term.

Ramon died in May 2017 and Rosenbaum, after serving two full terms, lost to Pete Benavides, a former Brownsville city commissioner who died in office and Sofia Benavides, his wife, was appointed to the position. She has held that office from November 20, 2006 until today, winning every election since then.

Rosenbaum is now serving on the board of the El Jardin Water Supply District.

What would have happened if Ramon had won that recount? And to think a mere six votes cast the future of the county and the precinct back in 1988.