Joe Rivera Pays Back Ernie, More SpaceX Psychology, Depressing Cheezmeh Watch Party

Perhaps it was payback for Ernie having his back on the $2,500 portrait fiasco, but according to Juan Montoya's  El Rrun Rrun blog County Clerk Joe Rivera allowed his administrative assistant Letty Perez, an Erin Hernandez supporter, to  introduce the  Justice of the Peace candidate to the County Clerk's staff.

If my vote was being cultivated in that inappropriate way on county time, no less, I might be inclined to vote the other way.

This might also be an indication that Rivera's department is overstaffed, with all that time to practice politics while being paid by the taxpayers.

Actually, Mean Mister Brownsville heard more than one report about staffs being asked/forced to work on the campaign of their boss.  Someone close to the Armando Villalobos' staff mentioned that several employees were working as many as 32 hours a week on campaign matters.  That's no surprise at all, since Villalobos has made several appearances at the Ray Marchan trial, taking copious notes, especially when his name comes up in the bribery scheme.  Is that on the county dime as well?

Speaking of staffs, Judge Elia Cornejo-Lopez seems to have lost hers during the campaign.  One of her staffers complained to me:  "She makes us work long hours on her campaign.  If anyone complains, she says "You're lucky I gave you a job!"  Someone else complained about my criticism of Lopez on MMB:  "Elia Cornejo-Lopez crooked?  She's a bitch, but I only think Limas is throwing shit at her cause he lost the election."  I have heard more detail about Lopez, but according to an informant, that information has been turned over to the F.B.I.  Patience, people, patience!

Just to confirm a rumor:  If anyone has been approached by phone by a City Commissioner asking for you to vote for Erin H. Garcia, please email or inbox me with your experience.

Brownsville Cheezmeh held their campaign watch party at the fantastic downtown coffee shop/live music venue El Hueso de Fraile, but it was not an altogether happy time for the candidates of the former watchdog group turned politiquera.  Their two TSC candidates both lost, while their JP candidate finished second.  Jared Hockema, candidate for County Chair, that campaign finance records indicate paid Cheezmeh $840 for advertising, also lost.   Only Carlos Masso, the District Attorney candidate tainted by links to the $21,000,000 "Bridge to Nowhere" and the unscrupulous Escobedo brothers, actually led in round one.


Carlos Masso, along with Erin H. Garcia may be the financial engine keeping the Cheezmeh train sputtering along.   In recent group gatherings the familiar "Got Cheezmeh?" shirts have become scarce.  The freshly printed "Got CheezMasso?"  seems to be the rage among the loosely affiliated members.


Elon Musk, the SpaceX whiz kid Brownsville's politicos are totally enraptured with, continues to play games with the region's psyche.  This was written in Mean Mister Brownsville 6/2/12:

"In a genius move, SpaceX owner Elon Musk threw our community a giant psychological curve ball by stating publicly that greatly factoring in his decision to locate his launch station among three sites, Puerto Rico, south Florida and Cameron County, would be how receptive the individual communities were to his overtures. That deftly shifted the microscope from peering at the merits of the project to seeing how high we could jump for it."

Now that our community is jumping like crazy, Musk puts the pressure back on Puerto Rico and south Florida: " Originally Puerto Rico and Florida had made stronger cases than Texas, but that may be changing." Our city and county officials have already given Musk the impression they will give him a blank check on incentives.  After all, they were already wearing "SpaceX" insignias on their blazers on the evening of the so-called public forum at ITEC.  So much for skilled negotiation with a company you're ironing out a business deal with.