Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Is Filemon Vela Running on Ideas or Family Laurels?

Filemon Vela, the Shipbreaker
Despite crushing seven democratic rivals in the primary election, Filemon Vela did receive criticism for a campaign that seemed devoid of specifics, with an emphasis on heritage.

Attending several Vela functions, Mean Mister Brownsville left with nothing scribbled on his notepad.  Yes, the candidate, his wife and their team were warm, hospitable and engaging, but it was hard to pinpont what Vela stood for or how he would represent one of the poorer regions of the country.

Starting in mid-September, the Vela campaign shifted gears with a series of newsletters that contain specifics, ideas to promote, energize and enlarge the role of the Port of Brownsville with emphasis on existing industry and ties to Mexico.

In the 9/17/2012 newsletter, Vela honored Louis Cobolina, referring to him as the "Father of the Port of Brownsville", having initiated work to create the port in 1910.  Vela finished the article with this platitude:  "My vision is steadfast -- to continue developing economic hubs, including the port, for current and future generations of South Texans. I will work to create new prosperity for the region; to pick up visionary projects began by others and carry them until they are complete. We must all work together to maximize each other’s potential and that of our beautiful region. My pledge is to foster the cooperation that will carry our visions forward."

In his next letter, Vela listed all the commercial activities currently engaged at the port:  "Currently, the port houses 230 companies that already understand its value - their activities include: construction of offshore drilling rigs, ship repairing and dismantling, steel fabrication, boat construction, rail car, rehabilitation, liquid petroleum gas storage and distribution, waste oil recovery, use of bulk terminals for miscellaneous liquids, and processes involved with shrimping."  Then, Vela mentioned his longterm goal:  "I believe that with proper attention and further investment, the range of activities can grow. This will expand our districts economy and potential. More economic activity will benefit the people of the 34th Congressional District of Texas and will improve opportunities for the 230 businesses already present. If elected as your next congressman, I will work to raise the economic floor at the Port of Brownsville by fostering cooperation between entities that are vital to its advancement and growth. That is my pledge."

Of course, those are just words, but, at least it is an area of focus and it is specific.  Probably, one of the least sexy industries at the port involves tearing up old ships for the steel and other valuables they possess: shipbreaking.  While Vela looks a bit ridiculous with a hardhat perched on his head, his description of the value of this industry to Brownsville does not seem ridiculous:   "Nearly 80% of activities within this industry, that deconstructs decommissioned ships for recycling, happen at the Port of Brownsville. Large pallets and rolls of steel sourced from these ships are then used to make car frames and other goods. One Naval suppercarrier can return 60,000 tons of steel and other various metals. We are at the center of the shipbreaking world in the western hemisphere.It takes many skilled workers to break down a decommissioned ship. One vessel can support 200 jobs for two years. The industry supports 1,200 jobs by some estimates. If we cooperate to increase business opportunities at the port, the shipbreaking industry could create more jobs. This industry is a vital part of the district's economy. I am committed to ensuring that the Port of Brownsville remains the preeminent location for shipbreaking. Creating jobs in our region and revitalizing our country's economy are my top priorities."

In other letters, Vela hypes the Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railroad and Keppel AmFELS.  He goes into some detail how the growth of those two firms could enhance our local economy.

We've been asking the heavy favorite in the general election for the District 34 congressional seat for specifics.  It seems that he is giving us that.




27 comments:

  1. Vela is clearly the more qualified candidate. I, and my whole family, are voting for Vela

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    1. [I, and my whole family, are voting for Vela]

      Groan. And double groan...

      Rey

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    2. and who were you supporting Rey? Villalobos?

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    3. Rey, you ARE the Grammar Nazi. ja ja ja ja

      W

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    4. Having daddy's name doesn't make him qualified for dog catcher or mayor. Elmo Aycock a vetran is more qualified than daddy's boy.

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    5. Hey 7:40 am: You must've been a bundle of joy for your folks.
      Elmo Aycock is a veteran. He was qualified. Voters said no. You are angry.
      Drop your obsession with Judge Filemon B. Vela - your anonymity is all that saves you from the help that you need. Voice these thoughts to those around you and you'll surely end up with plenty of psych referrals.

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  2. Filemon Vela definitely has my vote on this one. At first, he did seem kind of vague with his platform but over the past few weeks and months maybe, I have gotten to like his platform and what he stands for. I trust that he will work hard to pursue higher education goals in the Valley, save Medicare and Medicaid for the elder, and provide hundreds of more jobs for our region.

    During the runoff, Denise tried to portray him as a Republican. The funny thing, in my humble opinion, is that Denise is the one that took a picture with Jessica Puente Bradshaw. Ah Denise, first you point fingers and now you have others pointing fingers at you!

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    1. You mean this: http://imgur.com/bD6cb

      More power to them...women sticking together for causes like dismantling the Department of Education. Did Denise actually endorse Jessica and her radical, anti-middle class & "let the poor struggle" policies?

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    2. The local Democrats don't do anything but point fingers at others to hide their own corruption. "Democrats" like Lucio who voted with the Republicans in support of the trans vaginal abortion thing, who are they to call anyone else a hypocrite or closet Republican... Denise and Ortiz couldn't put enough brains together to get a single thing done for Cameron County in 27 years apart from scare away all of our industry jobs.

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    3. Fil is a Republican. Everybody knows that. Us Dems screwed ourselves AGAIN.

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    4. Going to keep that up? It's that condescending attitude that screws our party. Acting as if Democratic voters don't have the mental fortitude to vote their interests. I feel sorry for the person who thinks that they set the standard of thought and excludes all others. You aren't the gatekeeper.

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    5. The local Democrat party people are just scared. They realize they no longer call the shots. They instructed voters to mindlessly cast a ballot for Denise Blanchard, Carlos Masso but the voting Democrats had another plan. All the Cameron County Demo party stands for is nepotism, voter fraud, and corruption. That's why they resort to stealing elections, and when that fails, badmouthing the candidates that Democrat voters choose overwhelmingly, like Vela.

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  3. Filimon is the man for the job. He is well educated and is a local family man no skeletons in the closet and he will represent us all. Denise never stood a chance she was haning on the coatails of Solomon ortiz who could not be saved by slick willie.

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    1. I agree I think Filemon will do a great job.

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    2. Oh Fred. Did Fil offer you that job that Blake couldn't give to "help" vetrans out of his district office? Funny you bring up the closet and the Vela clan.

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  4. Everything Vela wrote sounds reasonable. The Port is one of the Valley's strongest assets and puts us on a playing field with other parts of the nation in industry and shipping. Don't quite understand your cynicism

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    1. His cynicism is probably because of the Ortiz factor and all those trips Fil paid for Ortiz to travel to Asia.

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  5. Jessica on dismantling the department of education - Jim, get your hands on it!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM7FL0XFcI8

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  6. I'm a strong supporter of Denise Saenz Blanchard. She ran circles around her opponents with her knowledge of issues, I hope she runs again. The republican agenda in Washington is bad for South Texas, therefor we all need to get behind Filemon Vela and hope he does support the agenda of the democratic party like he said he would.Mitt Romney does'nt believe in Jesus Christ as our savior and Paul Ryan follows athiest Ayan Rand. Vote Filemon Vela

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    1. Unfortunately, I think Denise is behind Tea Party Candidate Jessica Puente Bradshaw. It's sad for the Democratic Party, but judging by the candid photo of them shopping together, Denise has done what she criticicized Vela for.

      Mitt is cooked. Conservatives will say he was a bad candidate, or not conservative enough (as usual). GOPs real problem is not the candidate, it's the ideology, message, and followers. They just don't have the voting power to support blaming the poor for the greed of the rich. Their time has passed.

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    2. It's time for new faces in the party. the Democrat party needs a major overhaul and to get back to basics. The old Cameron Democrats are purely corrupt. They certainly are struggling to raise the money as they once did and no wonder, the big donors are staying away. Voter fraud, corruption, the fallout of Villalobos, Limas, the local party seems to have dropped to an IQ level of about 60.
      but, the Republicans have become too extreme and their message is kind of a joke. Their most convincing and unifying issues like fiscal responsiblity and clean voter rolls are lost in their weird obsession with abortion, gays, and blaming the poor for others' greed.
      It would be nice to see some new people take the reins in Cameron who combine the best ideals of both parties with a degree of intelligence. Gladly voting for Filemon Vela and eager to see what he can bring to the table.

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    3. That's a shame about Denise. Hanging with the Tea Party now?? Ouch!! Guess all her bleeding heart Democrat stuff was just for a paycheck.

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  7. Filemon Vela is not the answer. Too arrogant and cares less for the common person. If it weren't for the name, he wouldn't even be considered. Zero experience and no real solutions to offer that will get us out of being the poorest area in the country.

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    1. hehe you obviously have never spoken personally with Filemon Vela or else you would realize how intelligent he is and how prepared he is for the job. Face it, he's the man for the job whether we like it or not.

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    2. Vela is extremely bright. It's something I have noticed his father and several relatives show as well, mathematics abilities and most likely a photographic memory, combined with extreme dedication to hard work. You don't become one of the more successful attorneys in south texas by accident. We couldn't ask for anything better than finally to have a Congressman with a high aptitude and work ethic, willing to direct his abilities toward solving the problems facing south Texas. anticipating creative solutions to some longstanding issues and it's about time. I'm optimistic for Vela

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