IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR COUNTY TREASURER, WE NEED A FRESH APPROACH

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

I notice that after local attorney Jonathan Gracia announced he is running against incumbent Cameron County Treasurer David Betancourt, the latter suddenly got reformer's itch.

In a Democratic Party primary race that promises to be a barnburner, it is fast becoming a contest between a new generation – "new blood" – and the old guard. Gracia represents the young Turks while Betancourt – a 20-year incumbent – is part of the entrenched families which have grown comfortable in their cushy jobs while Republicans increasingly nibble away at traditionally blue Cameron County as shown by the fact that is went red for Trump during their watch.

It is interesting to note that as county treasurer, Betancourt got a $12,693 salary hike for FY 2025-2026, lifting his total compensation from $83,676 to $96,368. Commissioners said that they have lowered county property taxes for the last three years, but you and I know – as taxpayers – that they have been offset by spiraling property appraisal values that have made those decreases meaningless.

For example, residential property values rose by 3.1 percent and commercial properties y 4.6 percent in Cameron County and precious few were supported in their appeals to the Cameron County Appraisal board. In some cases, the appraisal values skyrocketed by 100 percent. So much for the so-called "lower taxes." 

Incidentally, it is worth noting that Betancourt, after seeing the Gracia campaign signs supporting change and his pledge to fight for "lower taxes," he ran to the nearest office supply vendor and made  stickers that he plastered over his existing signs where he claims – almost as an afterthought – he is "Helping to lower taxes." 

 Democratic candidate for Texas Governor Gina Hinojosa is right. 

We need to face squarely what happened in 2024. Voters here didn’t shift red because they suddenly agreed with every part of national Republicans’ agenda. They shifted because for too long, too many politicians – like Betancourt – stopped listening. Families saw rising prices, school closures, and health care costs eise beyond the means of working Texans while the political class offered headlines instead of solutions. She correctly stated that residents don’t need politicians who just parachute in for votes every four years.

It is troublesome that a recent Democratic Party meeting we learned from Cameron County Democratic Party Jared Hockema that it is near impossible just getting appointed precinct delegates to show up for meetings, and what's even worse is that of the 101 Democratic precincts, there are 51 vacant seats. 

Even more telling was the fact that during the 2024 primaries of 231,260 registered voters, a total of 18,987 Democrats voted in their primary and 14,857 Republicans voted in theirs, indicating that if both constituencies remained loyal to their parties' candidates, Democrats would win in a walk. Although the turnout is low for both parties, we need to work harder, because they are.

Cameron County needs leaders who show up for our residents every day, understand the challenges they’re facing, and fight for real solutions to make life better. It's not just about picking up your check every two weeks.

Periodically, we voters need to remind our Democratic elected officials that they are running in our March primary to represent the Democratic Party's platform against the other party's nominees in the general election in November 2026. That means fighting for good-paying jobs, strong public schools, housing the average person can actually afford, and a future for kids right in their own communities.

Betancourt's sticker might fool someone passing by, but to the voter who has lived under his 20-year "leadership," it is about convincing as a clearance tag hiding the original price. The community is not interested in reactive fake promises patched on to stickers, we are begging for a change.