IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY, YZAGUIRRE WILL BE TOUGH TO BEAT

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

If you had asked the average resident of Cameron County as little as six years ago what the chances of Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre had of staying in office and getting re-elected, they would have probably just shaken their heads and written him off as a lost cause.

At that time, on January 2016, Yzaguirre – who's held that office going on three decades – had been very publicly arrested at this office along with a few members of his staff and hauled off in handcuffs before television cameras in an orchestrated effort that grabbed the headlines.

Prosecutors that included investigators with the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, Texas Rangers, and the Texas Department of Public Safety and other assorted agencies, swooped on the tax assessor-collector's office and arrested him and other office employees.

In their indictments, prosecutors accused Yzaguirre of accepting cash bribes in an investigation related to processing motor vehicle title transfers. Yzaguirre was charged with eight counts of bribery, six counts of abuse of official capacity, and one count of official oppression.

Authorities arrested him and a few of his employees in January 2016 as part of a two-year investigation dubbed “Operation Dirty Deeds." Yzaguirre was arrested at his office along with Lt. Joe Mireles, chief of investigations and enforcement, Sgt. Pete Garza and Omar Sanchez-Paz

It would be a full year, in February 2017, that a Nueces County jury heard the case and would find him not guilty on all 15 counts, exonerating him. The charges against the other men were also dismissed.

103rd District Court Janet Leal granted Yzaguirre an expungement order to destroy and/or delete all files held by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and courts and prohibiting their possession or distribution by the courts and individuals under penalty of law.

In a classic example of understatement, he admitted recently that it was "a trying time."

"My good name, my family and my staff were tainted with the events for purely political reasons," Yzaguirre said. "It took a long year and cost me a lot of money to prove that the allegations against me were unfounded. But I had faith in the system and counted on my friends' and family's support to see me through those tough times."

Now, two political cycles later, he is seeking another four-year term and has emerged as the leading candidate to reclaim the office. 

At his recent re-election announcement November 7, it appears that  Yzaguirre has persevered and is well along on his quest to remain in office, with the entire commissioners court present to endorse his bid. And if crowd size is any measure, his opponents – both Democrats and Republicans – face an uphill battle to overcome his political support across the county. 

Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, as did the other four commissioners and various cities' elected officials, lauded his efforts of to ink various agreements with cities to establish satellite offices and drive through services so that residents there would not have to travel to Brownsville or Harlingen to do business with the county. 

Treviño rattled off a list of accomplishments that Yzaguirre has achieved that has resulted in the county and the various taxing districts and municipal entities collecting the tax revenue to keep them afloat, even in the face of the COVID-19 restrictions that restricted the normal functions of the office.

Among the list lauded by Treviño and that Yzaguirre has implemented are the 11 satellite offices in seven cities across Cameron County in Brownsville, Harlingen, San Benito, Los Fresnos, Port Isabel, La Feria, Rio Hondo, and his leadership in the construction of the a tax office in the Southmost area scheduled to open its doors to the public in January. This last one is close to his heart since Yzaguirre grew up in the Southmost area, now one of the fastest growing population centers in Brownsville and the county.

Other achievements mentioned by Treviño included:

* The establishment of a Call Center to answer citizens' questions regarding the services available for at the Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office. The call center will be implemented to assist customers over the phone by accepting property tax payments with the use of a debit card, credit card, or checking account and by answering any property tax and auto related questions.

*The remodeling the Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office in Los Fresnos to enhance customer service and alleviate congestion during peak periods, the Los Fresnos Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office will construct two additional teller workstations, a ticket counter, increase seating area, and enhance the Constable’s office.

*The Remodeling the Historical San Benito Bank & Trust Building will house the Tax Assessor-

Collector’s Office, Justice of the Peace Offices, and the Constable’s Office.

*Implementing the enhancement and upgrading all H-E-B services to issue registration renewals, a service inaugurated in 1997 and continuing today

*Continuation of the 2021 agreement with Lonestar National Bank to collect property taxes and provide registration renewals 

*The establishing of a system to create appointments prior to arrival at offices countywide for faster

service.

"I have  yet to hear what any of my opponents have to offer county residents," Yzaguirre said. "I am proud of my record and stand by it."