Will DA Luis Saenz "Cut Off the Head of the Snake?"

During the last county-wide election, the most visible operative for Luis Saenz was asked:  "Will Saenz, if elected, prosecute documented cases of voter fraud, voter abuse and the misuse of mail-in ballots?"  I'd been assured that the statute of limitations had not run out even on the reported violations during the Ruben Pena-Ernie Hernandez 2010 County Commissioner election, let alone the election just past.  Affidavits are notarized and witnesses stand available.

Candidate Maria DeFord and Chuck Mattingly had both been asked the same question and answered in the affirmative, although we never got a chance to see their resolve acted out.  Outgoing DA Armando Villalobos had given us his anwer during his years of non-service to Cameron County.

Ernie Hernandez

So, what was Saenz' answer to our question?   His campaign spokesperson gave me an interesting reply:  "Luis is smarter than most of us.  He's not going after the small violations.  He's going to cut off the head of the snake."  When I asked if he meant Ernie Hernandez, the rep said:  "What do you think?" as if the answer was obvious.  While pleased that Saenz would go after Hernandez once elected, the response to dealing with election law violations was disappointing.  Ernie Hernandez has been a principle fomenter of political corruption, election stealing in the county for over two decades.  He has also deprived many honest businessman of their due livelihood by using his political offices to unethically do business with all the local entities; county, city and BISD.  But, election stealing is what got Ernie elected in the first place along with his daughter Erin.  For Cameron County, doing things the same way will always get the same results.

District Attorney Luis Saenz

So, the biggest challenge facing newly elected DA Luis Saenz is to provide some impetus in someday having clean elections in Cameron County.  Saenz and newly selected Election Commissioner Chris Davis need to formulate a gameplan for the county's sake.  The Hernandez machine has permeated nearly every facet of the county election process with handpicked election judges, lookouts, politiqueras, with even management of the housing authority-owned adult high-rise cooperating fully with the Hernandezes.

Also on Saenz' plate is the illegal attempt to hire Ernie Hernandez' brother-in-law, convicted felon Robert Cadriel detailed in this report last year on MMB: 

"The next time we heard the name Robert Lopez was when Ernie Hernandez tried to ramrod his convicted felon brother-in-law Robert Cadriel into a job as a bridge guard with the county. Dumbass Cadriel failed the required civil service test with a score of 31 and then 33. Then, a female employee in Robert Lopez' Human Resources office took the test for Cadriel and scored in the 90's. Ernie's brother-in-law had a job. . . . for a day. When the hanky panky was discovered, Cadriel was fired. That very same day, Robert Lopez quit his lucrative county position to "pursue other endeavors."

All of the players for this attempt to circumvent civil service rules, illegally hire and unethically use political office for personal gain are still around to be interviewed by Saenz.  If he is serious about going after slimy creatures who slither in the grass, this is his opportunity to act. 

Melissa Zamora

So, for Luis Saenz, the challenge is to provide the county taxpayers with substance, not merely public relations orchestrated by newly hired spokesperson Melissa Zamora. Having a community liaison like the loyal Zeke Silva can't hurt but it won't cut off the head of the snake. That has to come by an active, vigorous, pro-active district attorney.