Controversy Swirls Around Justice of the Peace Candidate Erin Hernandez Garcia

 

by Jim Barton on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 2:55pm

    
    
     The most heated of the primary races is the Justice of the Peace District 2-2 race involving Erin Hernandez Garcia and Yolanda Begum. The rivalry intensified this week as Ms. Begum posted pictures on the internet of mutilated campaign signs and then later posted pictures of locations from which signs had been removed. There was also some public criticism purportedly from the Hernandez camp criticizing Begum for speaking English with a pronounced Spanish accent.
Respected local blogger Jerry Mchale issued this statement in his blog Brownsville Blues:

"Yolanda Begum is the target of the smear tactics learned from the Hernandez playbook. Hernandez's supporters have been ripping the respected sixty-year-old lady for speaking English with an accent. Begum's signs have also become a target."


Juan Montoya, publisher of the extremely popular El Rrun Rrun blog gave a thorough report of the incidents, adding a list of facts for his readers:

1. Only Begum's signs were destroyed

2. The perp used a sharp instrument like an Exacto knife, a popular tool in graphic businesses

3. Erin Hernandez's sign on her daddy Ernie Hernandez's lawn nearby was undisturbed

4. Ernie and his family cruise through the same route daily to and from work and probably bore the offending Begum signs for at least a few days since they were put up

5. The Hernandez family owns Fiesta Graphics, which is a place of commerce where Exacto knifes are widely used

6. The Hernandez family sees Begum as a credible threat to Erin (and her family's) overweening ambition for political power

7. What do our three readers think?

     Our own experience with someone who responds to comments addressed to Erin on this blog has been very informative. Of course, these comments are made anonymously. There is no way to verify that they are actually from Erin Hernandez Garcia, but I will add them here for our readers to make their own determination:

Jim, how stupid can you be. When you decided to start a blog and pretend to know about politics, you should have figured out that Evelon Dale was bad news. Everyone who knows just a hint of valley politics knows that. This is classic Evelon Dale behavior, she knows that Yolanda is in ann uphill battle and she has to do almost anything to show pity on Yolanda's campaign. I have no disrespect for Yolanda, but if you are so quick to point fingers at the Hernandez campaign, and you claim to have witnesses. POST THE VIDEO! The fact of that matter is that you all don't have anything to back up your accusations, otherwise you would have already posted your alleged surveillance.

     This is only the latest attempted explanation from a person I believe to be Erin Hernandez, trying to blame Ms. Begum's campaign manager for staging the destruction and removal of campaign signs.
It gets even more interesting:

I think Ms. Begum has more personal enemies than she bargained for. Isn't it true that her late husband was married multiple times before he married Yolanda? Don't be so quick to blame any of your opponnents, those acts could have been done by anybody.

     Here, the anonymous writer(I suspect Erin) shifts the blame to the ex-wives of Ms. Begum's deceased husband as possible perpetrators of the sign mutilation and thefts.
Here is a typical comment recommending that only lawyers be permitted to serve in the JP position:

I agree with 11:18 a.m....we must evaluate the candidates and what is required of the position they seek....as for this position...this is a jp court..I mean...it may be the jp court...but they do handle actual cases and evictions....so my question is this....mrs. Begum is an artist...now wants to be a judge. Doesn't make sense to me...another thing that doesn't make sense to me is why the legislature doesn't require the jps to be actual attorneys like the county courts and district courts....it seems to me that the jp should be an attorney or at least someone with a law degree...


Texas Southern University, Erin's alma mater

     To be fair, Yolanda Begum is not the only candidate receiving criticism in the campaign. Some have even criticized Erin Hernandez Garcia for seeking her law degree at predominantly black Texas Southern University, as if the notably lower academic standards at the school somehow facilitated Erin's pursuit of a law degree.
It will indeed be an interesting spring!