The RACE is on and here come a whole slew of would be public servants vying for a few positions of power in Webb County.
While the Lizard has said it won’t endorse any candidate — and it won’t — you’ve got to wonder why some of these folks are running for office.
In Precinct 1? Well there are plenty jobs available, now that Frank Sciaraffa has been caught with his pants down, so to speak. Probably about 5 “jobs” a week. Frank is desperately trying to cling onto the only real gig he can get… other than a fluffer in the courthouse. Bruni? Please! Loony Bruni is doing this because he’s still trying to get his money back from Sciaraffa and wants to hurt his former water carrier. Montemayor probably wants to serve, but his motives and background has been virtually ignored amid the circus in the South between Frank and Loony.
In Precinct 3? Five candidates, one job. Two candidates — John Galo and Danny Lopez Jr., don’t need jobs; they’re already successful in business. So you’ve got to assume they’re all about service. One — Hector Cortez — probably needs the work, seeing how he’s taken on everything he can, including being a “municipal judge” in Encinal.
The other two, Poncho Casso and George Altgelt, have had a hard time holding onto work throughout their careers, so, like the constable candidates, they probably figure they can fool voters into giving them a well paying job with benefits they can keep for four years. Why hasn’t anyone asked George why he was “asked to leave” his teaching job in the school system AND his job with the District Attorney’s office. Why hasn’t anybody asked Poncho why he was fired from the Texas Comptroller’s Office? He makes a big deal out of his being “recruited” to go there, but that’s kind of where the story ends.
No wonder the two of them appear to be tied at the hip like Siamese twins!
In the race for State Representative, Jerry Garza has got to be looking for the swag (benefits, consulting jobs, etc.) that comes with a $700/month job in the State House. He got himself between a rock and a hard place declaring for District 31 against Ryan Guillen and then couldn’t back out and run for his old job as County Commissioner. When the courts redrew the maps, he found himself with very little money running against Tracy King, one of South Texas’ longtime powerhouses and most skilled campaigners.
It would be good to have two state reps from Laredo, but Garza is gonna get rolled like the Pillsbury doughboy. You can’t really blame him for being confused here … a victim of circumstances … and you know he isn’t lying awake at night thinking of how good the Mexican food is in Austin. So why is he doing this to himself?
We know that in the 341st District Judge race, for example, one candidate actually wants to be a judge, and the other wants to be a titre in a growing machine reminiscent of the old Patron system (actually, he already is.) The third candidate jumped in when the first one started his self-destructive shenanigans in the courtroom against the lady in red. Don’t think there’s much doubt who’ll win that one.
Half the county is wallowing in the mud for the right to wear a badge and wave a gun while delivering warrants. We don’t even want to get into the dungflinging that’s been at the heart of the Constable races. Every accusation has been thrown about. We do expect there to be something about a sheep before this week is up. Maybe a whole flock of sheep! But it’s pretty clear that in the world of law enforcement, the easy way to get ahead is to become a constable … especially if you’re not good enough to get up the ladder in LPD or the Sheriff’s Department. Or if you can’t get a job anywhere else.
Fact is, that a constable is about as much a cop as a JP is an attorney or judge. We could do a lot better, save a lot more money and probably be a lot safer if all of these positions were abolished and administered by the courts, city and county.
But ALL of these guys are in it for the steady gig. Make no mistake about it. That, and the deadly power we put in their hands.
But the big question about this and the other races is will the voters know the difference between the public servants and the job seekers, those who step up to serve the people versus those who are looking for a steady job at our expense?
We’ll know in a couple of weeks.
It’s going to be interesting! The Lizard recommends you VOTE!