DISTRICT 37, CURSED WITH NEARLY FOUR DECADES OF "REPRESENTATION" BY RENE OLIVEIRA

State Representative Rene Oliveira

No one can make a reasoned, rational case for Rene Oliveira's re-election as State Representative.  His 35 year performance for the district has been a net deficit.  En otras palabras, he's done more harm than good.

Oliveira, in recent days, has been spending some of his huge war chest on uninspiring TV commercials inaccurately giving himself credit for SpaceX locating near Boca Chica Beach, then mumbling like an 8th grader reluctantly giving a book report:  "Thank you.  Make your vote count today!"

 Although several politicians, city, county and state, have laid claim to "bringing" SpaceX, the truth is that the rocket launching outfit was attracted by LATITUDE, not incentives.  Boca Chica Beach, at 25.9928578, is even closer to the Equator than Cape Canaveral at 28.396837, facilitating the launch of rockets into space.(Both locations border on the sea, enabling launches over non-populated areas.)

My first interaction with Oliveira was 7 or 8  years ago.  Nena and I were parked at the UT-B book store when the driver of a full size car negotiated the space next to us with difficulty.

Out of the car stepped Rene Oliveira, somewhat disoriented, asking me:  "Where is this place?"

I recall simply pointing across the street to El Gran Salon, UT-B's assembly hall, then watching Oliveira amble up the stairs to attend the campaign event.

A year or so later, we encountered Oliveira at the Galleria 409.  He was seated with Jerry McHale, both men drinking Mark Clark's wine.  Jerry might normally have invited me to join them, but he likely knew I was not a fan of his table mate.

Oliveira, never a friend of Brownsville, but paid handsomely to shill for the Linebarger law firm, has an undistinguished tenure "representing" District 37 at the Texas State House of Representatives. 

In 2001 Oliveira spearheaded a committee to remove a line in section 3308 of the tax code limiting the delinquent tax collection fee to 15%, subsequently including language allowing a tax collection fee rate of 20%. That bill sailed through the Ways & Means Committee of which Rene was chairman and was passed by the entire house. Considering Linebarger's near statewide presence in tax collection, how many millions of dollars did this sleight of hand add to the agency's coffers? 

Now, fast forward to 2012. With Rene Oliveira retained by BISD as interim counsel, but still connected to Linebarger, the February 2, 2012 board meeting agenda contains an action item INCREASING the tax collection rate by 2.5%, netting the collection firm an extra $125,000. And who is that newly named firm? Linebarger, Goggan, Blair and Sampson LLP. Who pays this extra fee and the millions of dollars collected since 2001 by the passage Rene Oliveira's house bill? The tax payers, the very people Representative Rene Oliveira claims to represent.

We must not limit Oliveira's traitorous betrayal of Brownsville and Cameron County to tax matters, forgeting Oliveira's treacherous attempt to effectively nullify the 4-3 vote to preserve Texas Southmost College. Rene totally misrepresented the will of the people by trying to overturn that vote with a house bill essentially for unification. Only by the efforts of TSC Trustee Adela Garza to lobby the committee, carefully laying out the actual situation at UTB/TSC was Oliveira's attempted sabotage thwarted. Yes, Rene Oliveira has served as a representative, but not of the people of Brownsville, Cameron County and District 37.