WtP Primary Candidate Endorsements

There are serious Statewide Democratic Candidates this year that could make the fall elections interesting, but first they have to make it out of the primaries. Meanwhile the Republicans battle serious divisions in their own party both locally and statewide.

Opposed Republican Primary Candidate Endorsements

US House of Representatives District 27
R. Blake Farenthold
Pick - William “Willie” Vaden
Jessica Puente-Bradshaw (No information)
James Duerr

The race livened up this year as James Duerr, who operates a local online event calendar called Corpus Christi Daily, decided to jump in after getting some name recognition for raising the issue of the Appraisal Board’s saving of tax money to build a new office building. Duerr who has no other experience, joined another no experience candidate, radio sidekick to Jim Lago, Blake Farenthold.

Both are out to challenge perennial Republican Candidate Willie Vaden. Vaden got more than his normal share of the news this year by going after Ingleside Mayor Stella Herman and upending the Local Redevelopment Authority membership responsible for excess property from Naval Station Ingleside. Vaden inadvertently set up a situation that allowed long term enemies of the LRA, Port Chairman, Ruben Bonilla and Nueces County Judge Loyd Neal back on the LRA. This infuriated Congressman Solomon Ortiz Sr. who diverted $3 million dollars to Homeland Security that was coming to the authority. Shortly thereafter, Homeland Security gave $2.9 million to the Port for Ruben’s navy.

In spite of Vaden’s sometimes bull in a China shop behavior, he is straightforward, committed to his beliefs (even when wrong) and probably best represents the populist views present within the current wave of change in the Republican Party. Since the Ortiz campaign will probably crush the Republican opponent again anyway, Vaden best deserves another shot, we know what he stands for, and he will provide the most memorable quotes. Besides he at least has been on the Ingleside City Council for several terms, unfortunately for the Republicans that’s boocoo more experience than his opponents.

Governor
Rick Perry
Kay Bailey Hutch
Debra Medina

Rick Perry has been an absolute disaster for the average guy in the State of Texas. With no large corporation too distasteful for Perry to suck up to no matter what the consequences to his state, he has routinely failed to help the Coastal Bend. Most recently his failure to find it in his heart to help with an economic incentive package for Global Watt, a solar panel manufacturer looking at the Coastal Bend who went to Michigan after Perry’s pet project slush fund, the Texas Enterprise Fund turned down any state contribution to the effort.

Meanwhile on the education front in Texas is #49 in verbal SAT scores in the nation (493) and #46 in average math SAT scores (502) and is #36 in the nation in high school graduation rates (68%). Perry just weeks ago turned down the opportunity for Texas Schools to compete for $700 million dollars in federal money because one of the requirements is embracing national curriculum standards, which Perry opposes. Somebody needs to tell him to look at the track record, Texas students deserve better.

Pick - Kay Bailey, certainly no bleeding heart or big government liberal at least knows you have to work with folks in the federal government that have control over the dollars. Her help with Packery Channel and cooperative attitude with Solomon Ortiz Sr. on military funding have been very beneficial to the Coastal Bend when Perry instead has chose partisan disregard for the area.

Debra Medina is part of the civil war with libertarians, independents, and tea partiers going on in the Republican Party. While not a contender, how many votes she draws will tell you a lot about how unified the party really is.

Railroad Commissioner- No Call
Victor G. Carrillo
David Porter

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3 – No Pick
Jeff Brown
Rick Strange
Debra Lehrmann
Jim Moseley
Rick Green
Rebecca Simmons

Justice, Supreme Court, Place – Rose Vela, always root for the home team.
Pick - Rose Vela
Eva Guzman

State Representative, District 33 - no pick
Raul Torres – Torres, a Portland CPA is going for a second run.
Nicholas Rodriguez – An TAMUCC student trying out his political wings.

District Judge, 148th Judicial District
Guy Williams - Williams wasn’t sure which office or which party he was going to run for until he got to the party office, only deciding on running for the 148th after he discovered the race he wanted to run for had to be filed for in Austin. Guy is a great guy, but he needs to give the perennial campaign activity a break.
Pick - David Stith - A very bright and fair-minded young man with a promising future. He understands the obligation of the office and takes it seriously, while maintaining a down to earth but very legal minded demeanor. He could give Republicans their best ever chance of unseating Judge Marisela Saldana.

County Commissioner, Precinct No. 4
Pick - Chuck Cazalas - Cazalas who has been accused at times of not being Republican enough, has kept a careful balance between promoting measures that combine preserving natural hurricane barriers such as dunes and wetlands and the promotion of rational growth on the island. He also has been a consistent fiscal conservative on the County Budget.

People forget Cazalas was in the minority for a long time and did well in his trades to get funds to his district and has continued to do so under the new Republican majority. Packery Channel Park, restoration of County Park buildings, launch facilities and relationships with state agencies such as the General Land Office have been a boon to locals, tourists and business alike.

Joe McComb - McComb is fast becoming another candidate in search of an office and losing once too often. His misjudgment of the community’s desire to tear down the Coliseum was an embarrassing defeat, and an insight into McComb’s understanding of his potential constituents.

Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 2, Place 2 –
Pick - Jim Rector- Jim Rector has an impressive background in law enforcement, education and community. He says his main desire is to bring common sense and respect of the parties in court back to the bench. Its time for a change and Rector fills the bill.
Larry G. Cox

County Chairman
Ronald T. McLain – Ironically McLain is a trial lawyer for Thomas J. Henry who represents a mix of challenging interests, tea partiers, Ron Paulers and discontented libertarians still mad over the last county convention.
Pick - Michael Bergsma - Bergsma is organized and experience, if elected he will present real challenges to traditional Democratic offices.
Watch this one, it will tell you if tea partiers have any real base.

Opposed Democratic Primary Candidate Endorsements

Governor
Pick - Bill White – A boring speaker, White is a great leader and has Houston on the fast track of rebuilding its core. The state of Texas could use that kind of thinking.
Alma Ludivina Aguado
Felix (Rodriguez) Alvardo
Bill Dear
Farouk Shami – An inspirational campaign, but basically a another Tony Sanchez, too much money, too little government experience.
Clement E. Glenn
Star Locke

Lieutenant Governor
Pick- Ronnie Earle - The most important race in the state to the Democrats. Earle who prosecuted Democrats and Republicans with equal zeal was in charge of Travis County (& hence state government) corruption prosecution. He could bring a powerful Democratic presence to the Texas Legislature in the State’s most powerful office. An Earle victory, with a Kay Bailey (or White) win could further Texas on the bipartisan path started under new Speaker Joe Straus, and move the state forward in the challenging times ahead.
Linda Chavez- Thompson
Mark Katz

Commissioner of the General Land Office - No Pick
Pick- Hector Uribe - former Senator with a long history of public service, wants to maximize the GLO's income for schools.
Bill Burton

Commissioner of Agriculture
Pick- Hank Gilbert – I got to know Hank Gilbert well the last time he ran. He is a brilliant man, forward thinking and can be a big boon to Texas agricultural policies for both consumers and family level producers from the small organic farmer to large cattle ranchers like himself.
Richard “Kinky” Friedman – Please go write another book.

Nueces County Judge - No Pick
Juan Reyna
Clarissa Gonzalez
Once again the Democrats have failed to develop a candidate that stands to challenge Republican incumbent Loyd Neal. Reyna has more knowledge as a lawyer who advises on government law, but until recently was a Republican, and previously ran as one. Other than vague (Republican type) smaller government sound bites it’s difficult to understand why he is running. Gonzalez is an insurance agent with no previous government experience making her first run for office.

District Clerk
Patsy Perez – incumbent - The Caller Times who endorsed Perez forgot to mention big gaps when she left and returned to the District Clerk’s office when an employee, instead reporting it as one continuous long term employment. Even they were forced however to mention the low morale it is so bad.
Pick- Sylvia T. Cueva –Low morale of district clerk staff and the deep dissatisfaction of attorneys over the current management of the district courts’ operations, led them to encourage Cueva, a retired employee with 25 years experience, to run. They’re right, its time for change.

County Commissioner, Precinct No. 2
Pick- Gloria Caceres – Caceres understands something her predecessor Betty Jean Longoria knows, work hard for your constituents, that’s what they elect you for. Caceres has great constituent skills as she proved when she worked for Solomon Ortiz Jr. running the County Democratic Office, and later his legislative office in Corpus Christi. She also showed leadership building the local Texas Democratic Women to the largest chapter in the state.

Jesse Noyola – Jesse would have to decide between his full time employment and this job in order to match what Caceres is offering in experience and time.

Joe A. Gonzalez (JAG) – When Judge Jag decided to resign from the JP Court and run for County Commissioner many asked why. The judge was popular with his education program giving kids a second chance and in many cases getting them to turn their lives around and go to college. He had a good gig why give it up for a dicey commissioner’s race? He may be asking that question himself now.

As part of his leaving an audit revealed the Judge failed to insure the funds moving through his court and time credited for community service were accounted for, and that standard accounting practices were followed (see article on www.wethepeoplenews.net).

On top of that the judge was telling defendants that if they gave to one of the charities on an approved list, they could get two for one off their fines. This is not only a violation of County policy; it could very well violate state statute. The County lost two dollars for every dollar donated.

The first place on the list is the Nueces County Senior Citizens Association, which lists itself as a non-profit 501 (C) 3 and it is the organization JAG funds his Del Mar Scholarship program from. Checks are sent in care of Joe Benavides who is running for JAG’s open seat. This creates a slush fund out of the control of the County by redirecting court money to private hands.

A second audit said “the adjustments made to reduce the amounts owed to the county were not considered fraud, but rather an abuse of office…”

The programs that JAG built have produced a lot of good, but why not go to the commissioners and ask for a percentage of all of the fine money collected and propose a legal way to support the program instead of stealing half and giving a kick back of half to the person who is supposed to be “learning a lesson”. “JAG” has been reportedly saying he knows he broke the law, “but it was for the kids.” Need we say more?

Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 1, Place 1-Unexpired Term)
Ray Madrigal – His primary issue at debates seems to be the coliseum, we’re not sure how that relates to being JP.
Joe Benavides – Benevides was “JAG’s” right hand man and runs the Education is Our Freedom program that JAG was diverting county funds to. Checks to the Nueces County Senior Citizens Association that was funding the program were directed to be sent to the Association Attn: Ms. Gabina Bazan, reportedly JAGs aunt and sent c/o Joe Benavides. Benavides has pledged to continue “the judge’s good work”.
Larry Rucker Young – a qualified and great candidate who got a late start with publicity and has good potential to be a great JP.
Pick- Bea Molina – Molina the court supervisor in Judge Santana’s court for ten years gets the nod. She has great experience and expertise at running a court and we know she can clean up the mess JAG left behind.
Nick Adame – Would be a great JP on the bench, but right now the priority is court management experience, that he lacks.

Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 3 – No Pick
Adolfo G. Contreras
Roberto R. “Beto” Gutierrez

County Democratic Chairman
Pick- Rose Meza Harrison – Harrison, an Assistant Nueces County Attorney had a big impact in San Patricio County when she took over there. She coordinated the biggest fundraiser in SP party history, re-energized the precinct get out the vote effort, fought for and won longer hours and more days for early voting and insured Juan Garcia carried San Pat County while Nueces failed to do so. With no allegiance to the various factions, she could lead the party in a much needed new direction, cross your fingers.

Trina Garcia – A party loyalist and a great lady, strongly aligned and promoted by the current very weak leadership.

Coretta Graham – Coretta is a hard worker and a tireless campaigner, although headed in the right direction, there are still a few skills missing from the set.

Democrats should hope that if Harrison wins, both Garcia and Graham will join her in unifying the party, they have the relationships and skills to help her build the party and create a ladder for future leadership. Three women running for County Chair, it’s about time.