THE DEMONIZATION OF COUNTY JUDGE EDDIE TREVINO HAS BEGUN

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Like clockwork, every four years when the Democratic Party primary elections approach, the predictable assault and demonization of the incumbents kicks into gear.

Every possible peccadillo – and some imagined ones – are pulled out, dusted off, and hurled against the wall to see what sticks. Predictably, those allegations usually appear during the run-up to the general elections in November, but this year, like the early bird, they have appeared before the March primary of both parties.

It's interesting to see that although these are usually employed by Republicans, they have now been joined by some Democrat cyber chaqueteros in tandem with MAGA morons seeking to topple Democratic candidates and establish their political bona fides.

One predictable target is Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño who has ben demonized for his performance dating back to his days in the elementary school playground (he pulled a girl's pigtails) to his stint as City of Brownsville mayor in 2003-2007, his professional role as attorney and as PUB legal counsel, and now his performance as Cameron County Judge, which began in 2016, and then – after Pete Sepulveda was appointed to fill Carlos Cascos' term – again in 2022.

In each case, Treviño was able to overcome the shrill cyber critics. Across the county, the voters disregarded his critics and he emerged the winner to their chagrin. It might be tedious, but it isn't much different this time around. Bloggers and podcasters – buttressed by MAGA heads – have started their campaign against the diminutive office holder. It has been rumored that some have even sought the identity of the pigtailed victim, now a gray-haired old lady, to seek her testimony to support their claims.

Everything that has happened in the county, from the Brownsville PUB-Tenaska debacle, the failure to gain voter approval for the arena referendum, and the approval of salary hikes for county elected officials (they never mention the long-awaited raises for rank-and-file county workers of bailiffs) is laid at Treviño's feet. Funny, we always thought that (as Cameron County Pct. 3 commissioner Dolph Thomae used to say) country boys know that it takes three votes by a majority of the county and city commissions, four from the PUB board, etc., for anything to pass. 

Hey guys, Treviño had one vote, two short of getting anything done at the county. A majority passed all those agenda items. Voters ended up re-electing them, too.

Critics point out that his law firm was paid for their work as local counsel in the Tenaska power plant project, but fail to point out that outside law firms were paid many millions more. Would they have preferred for that all of Brownsville utility ratepayers' money to go to outside vendors? And would Susan and Jerry work for free in their respective professions?

Way back before 2020, El Rrun-Rrun requested records for PUB legal fee payments over 10 years which covered the period from 2008 to 2018 and learned that of the 21 law firms, the PUB board approved payments to local-based Treviño-Bodden law firm for $1,995,600. In contrast, the PUB boards approved payments to San Antonio-based Davidson Troilo Ream and Garza for $16,283,612. That means that over that time, the PUB board approved the payment of just over 12 percent to Treviño-Bodden compared to what was paid to Davison, not even taking into account the millions they paid the other firms, the majority from outside the Valley.

 Add that to the $2,707,825 more the Davidson firm got paid in the year and a half since then and PUB approved for its ratepayers to pay them $18,991,437 in 12 and one-half years. 

Does that sound like the Treviño-Bodden law firm was gouging the PUB ratepayers? Nonetheless, the two challengers to the Democratic Party nomination for county judge that includes Brownsville Navigation District chair Steve Guerra and former County Sheriff Eric Garza are waving that red herring in front of what they hope are gullible Democratic voters to try to topple the incumbent.

His opponents in the Democratic primary have a lot of questions to answer to, as well. 

Eric Garza, as sheriff, was a well-known Don Juan on county time and was responsible for losing more than $3 million for the county over his mishandling of federal prisoners at the county jails, and Guerra, who has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, has been at the head of the port's board as allegations surface of "Steve" making the port his private domain placing his friends in cushy jobs and of Mexican cartel-generated Mexican huachicol petroleum products passing through the port.

There's a saying (dicho) in Spanish that it's "mejor el diablo conocido que el ángel por conocer,", or that it's better to have someone (diablo) known warts and all than to be surprised by the acts of someone who you think is an angel. 

As our Midwest snowbirds say, what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and we will be taking a gander at some of the issues involving this race as we hurl to the March primary. 

It will be interesting to examine the validity of the issues that will emerge from this particular race, but it is also an instructive endeavor to scrutinize the validity of the issues used by Treviño's Democratic primary opponents and their MAGA allies in the days leading up to the primary.