MELTDOWN: GOP AIRHEADS FOR CAMPOS. CALLADITO TE VEZ MAS BONITO

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Meet Jonathon Campos. A new face from Cameron County Young Republicans and part of  lame duck chair Deborah Bell’s stable. His cheerleading squad involves Susan "Scorched Earth" Ruvacalba and a smattering of disgruntled former "Scratch Family Values" Mayra Flores campaign workers, and of course, "Clang Clang"  Bell.

(As an aside, Mayra and Bell are at odds, with Bell and Ruvalcaba turning against family-challenged Mayra – who installed her as Cameron County Republican Party chair – and leaning toward another inviting bloom, namely Eric Flores.) 

At a speaking engagement at the Brownsville Republican Club, while only promoting things that cost tremendous amounts of tax money for construction development, he attempted to deflect his opponent’s core issue Barbie Lopez's main plank of lowering taxes with this observation: 

“County Commissioners have very little to do with the tax rate. That is set by the Appraisal District.” With over 30 people in attendance, this was not a gaff. It was either a lie or just plain stupid. In either case this means that everything else he has said and continues to say needs to be critically examined. 

It is notable that his campaign was quickly edited to include property tax relief (Barbie's main plank), but from someone who talks about spending money, this late edit comes off as simple pandering. If you go look, you will notice it is a naked issue with absolutely no plan at all to accomplish it.

(The winner in the Republican primary will face incumbent Democrat county commissioner Joey Lopez.)

He believes that we have an aquifer that can be drilled for meeting our water needs. This was his keynote speech at his announcement party. It is posted on his campaign Facebook and is now impossible to walk back. For those who are not familiar with aquifers, they are basically huge limestone formations that act as natural filters for draining ground water that create large underground lakes. 

(In fact, scientific studies minimize the possibility of using saline or brackish water under the ground in Brownsville. Costs to treat chemical and soil particulates here would be prohibitive.)

https://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/reports/numbered_reports/doc/R279/R279.pdf

Statewide, the most famous one is the Edwards Aquifer, which serves as drinking water for San Antonio and the surrounding areas. It sweeps from Kerr County, through Austin and San Antonio in an arc down to Uvalde County, which I don’t need to remind you, is not even close to Cameron County. Do you hear the echoes of “We can visit the sun, but we have to go at night”?

On the subject of energy needs, he is clear: We need a nuclear reactor. Forgetting for the moment that they require huge amounts of fresh water, which of course we should be able to drill for, right? They cost more than many years worth of the county budget, but I am sure that they are paid for by magic money that has no effect on property taxes. 

When challenged on this issue, he maintained that it was the Valley thinking that was the problem.

But for argument’s sake, let’s say that Republican primary voters ignore all the facts, drink heavily of the Deborah inspired Kool-Aide and give him the nod? He gets the classic 60/40 beatdown in the general election because he offers the Democrat voters nothing that they don’t already have, These Republicans need another Tony Garza or Carlos Cascos. This ain’t it.