New Cameron County Democratic Chair Facing Challenges

Amber Medina Contemplating
The Road Ahead

When the newly installed Cameron County Democratic Chair was asked for a picture for our intitial story on her selection, she declined.  Later, when my wife Nena took this candid shot,  outgoing County Chair Sylvia Garza-Perez fumed:  "Don't take an ugly picture.  If you're gonna do that, let us pose for a picture."  Like a stern mother hen, Garza-Perez grabbed Medina's arm for the posed picture posted below.

The new chairperson, Amber Medina, 35, a McAlester, OK native, now residing in Brownsville, faces stiff challenges in coming months to organize the local party seemingly in disarray.  While the Cameron County Democratic Party website on Facebook no longer has the current list of Precinct Chair ineligibilty and vacancy, an earlier list reflected 109 total precincts with 23 ineligible to vote and 38 precincts without a chair.

While the Brownsville Herald has failed to report anything about the October 11 meeting at El Mercadito to elect officers, Jeff Duvall(Oso Ddb Polar on Facebook) reported that Carlos Masso was selected as Vice-Chair, William Skaggs as Treasurer and Teresa Saldivar as Secretary.

Tony Martinez

Mayor Tony Martinez, representing himself as the Precinct Chair for Precinct 38, was not allowed to vote at the meeting.  After the selection of Amber Medina, the mayor walked out of the meeting, reportably angry. District 4 Commissioner John Villareal was allowed to exercize his vote for Carlos Masso before departing. Notable for their absence were longtime Democratic power brokers Norma and Ernie Hernandez.

Former Vice-Chair Jared Hockema, a loser in the 2012 campaign for Democratic Chair, despite contributing $80,000 of his own money to his campaign for the unpaid position, politely declined any office in the county party, saying the "voters had spoken."

Sylvia Garza-Perez, Amber Medina in posed picture