Cameron County Democratic Party Rejects Carlos Masso as Chairperson in Shocking Vote!

Carlos Masso

Carlos Masso must feel incredibly snakebit.  To quote Bob Dylan and Blind Lemon Jefferson before him:  "If it wasn't for bad luck, he'd have no luck at all."
You see, Masso was standing next to outgoing county chairperson Sylvia Garza-Perez at this Friday's Cameron County Democratic Party meeting with anointing oil at the ready.  So confident was Masso that he'd be named Cameron County Democratic Chair that he didn't bother to summon his supporters for the meeting.

In a clandestine, sneaky meeting held September 7, 2013, with a reported 20 in attendance including prospective candidates at El Mercadito, two rooms on the ground floor of the old Majestic Theater owned by realtor and Democratic Party power broker Larry Jokl, Masso had been named county chairperson.  That decision didn't hold as the wife of former Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa, Cynthia Hinojosa screamed foul, citing party rule violations.

Amber Medina

The make-good meeting held October 11, 2013 in the same meeting rooms was somewhat better attended.  Out of 109 Cameron County Precincts, 37 were there to cast votes with Masso garnering 18 of those.  Unfortunately for Masso, the relatively unknown Amber Medina, 35, from McAlester, Oklahoma, received 19 votes and was installed as Cameron County Democratic Chairperson.  Mayor Tony Martinez, sitting next to outgoing Chairperson Sylvia Garza-Perez, visibly annoyed at the selection, did not join in the applause following the announced results and promptly left the room.


Several party operatives, still in disbelief after the vote, expressed the view that the local party had

Sylvia Garza-Perez, Amber Medina

been blindsided by former County Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa and his wife Cynthia.  "This woman(Amber Medina) has never even attended our meetings.  Now we're in for the same old, same old Hinojosa control," stated a depressed, but angry, party operative.

Sylvia Garza-Perez, overseeing her last county Democratic meeting, admonished those in attendance:  "Now, we expect all of you to be at every party meeting from now on," a subtle jab at those who showed up only to support the Hinojosa candidate for chairperson.   Garza-Perez announced that subsequent party meetings would be held at the same location one Saturday a month at 10:00 AM.

For Masso it was another second place finish. In July 2012 Masso lost the District Attorney race in the Democratic Primary to Luis Saenz by a mere 351 votes, despite his alleged heavy reliance on politiqueras to solicit votes.  Stoically, Masso was reported to have given a last minute monetary assist to the reported financially strapped campaign of Erin H. Garcia for Justice of the Peace, Place 2-2.    Erin H. Garcia's father Ernie Hernandez attempted to repay Masso by creating another JP position for him following the election but that idea was shot down.  Now, Masso loses out on the county chairmanship after appearing to be the frontfunner backed by the Ernie Hernandez-Tony Martinez-Sylvia Garza-Perez forces.

As Sylvia Garza-Perez and her husband ushered us out of the meeting rooms, we were told that the county Democratic Party is behind one month on the $375 rent for the facilities.  "My husband and I were paying the rent and the utilities," stated Garza-Perez, as she locked the door.

Amber Medina from McAlester, Oklahoma has her work cut out for her:  Catching up on the back rent, generating participation from 109 precinct chairs and winning over Mayor Tony Martinez.