SANCHEZ HAS HER SAN BENE CAKE, AND DISTRICT 37'S, TOO

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Try as we might, we have not heard of a special election scheduled by the City of San Benito to replace Place 4 City Commissioner Carol Lynn Sanchez. 

Sanchez is one of four candidates who filed to run in the Democratic Party primary for District 37 of the Texas House of Representatives. Her opponents include former county commissioner and state rep Alex Dominguez, former Texas Board of Education member Ruben Cortez, and former Justice of the peace Jonathan Gracia.

The winner in the March 5 Democratic primary  will face Republican incumbent Janie Lopez in the November general election. Lopez is running unopposed in the Republican primary. 

But Sanchez was either unaware (or doesn't care) that she automatically forfeited her position on the San Benito city commission by filing for the position, although her seat is not up for reelection in the city commission election May 6 . 

Her first campaign and office holder campaign report filed on January 16 lists a San Benito address (391 Palo Rosa) and the next one filed a month later on February 12 shows a Harlingen address (301 E. New Hampshire, Apt. 8).

JANUARY 16, 2024 REPORT

FEBRUARY 12, 2024 REPORT

In doing so, she apparently ran afoul of the San Benito City Charter which states that a city commissioner must reside inside the city limits. So does this mean that by reporting her residence on the report in Harlingen she relinquished her San Benito city commission seat?

And the highly mobile city commissioner is also in a spot of trouble on the House election, too. In her January campaign finance report, she lists her address as 391 Palo Rosa San Benito, clearly in District 35.

In Carol’s second Financial report she uses the Harlingen address that falls in District 37. But the Texas Election Code  states that: "He or she must have been a resident of the state for two years immediately preceding election, and for one year immediately preceding election must have been a resident of the district from which he or she was chosen."

You've got hand it to Sanchez for having so much chutzpah. When she announced for office December 2023, myRGV's Fernando del Valle reported:

“As a lifelong resident of the district, I’ve seen firsthand the struggles our communities have faced over the years,” Sanchez, an attorney, said in a campaign announcement."

There are other curiouser discrepancies, too. In her January report, she lists a political "office held" as a San Benito city commissioner, Place 4.

One month later, she lists "none" held.

Like we said, some people can have their cake and eat it, too. In her case, we agree that this district-hopping candidate takes the cake.