Sylvia Garza-Perez, Roger Ortiz Stifle Election Commission Efforts to Curb Voter Fraud

Tony Yzaguirre

Tax Assessor Tony Yzaguirre is flirting with an accomplishment that could vault the perception of his quarter century of public service  from nondescript to historic, should he act to correct what he well knows to be a county plagued, crippled and haunted by flagrant voter fraud.

Long-tenured County Clerk Joe Rivera could do something to actually earn having his name inscribed on a county building, where his expensive portrait hangs, if he has the courage to take a stand against this threat to destroy representative democracy in the county he professes to love.

County Judge Carlos Cascos, before departing to whatever job beckons on the state level, could secure his legacy as that ONE public official who  not only talked the talk of clean elections, but walked the walk by spearheading the cleanup of Cameron County elections.

Frank Morris, the Republican Party Chairman, could establish himself as a patriot who reached across party lines to eradicate the politiquera problem, the abuse of mail-in ballots and the selfish manipulation of our elderly, disabled and mentally-challenged, rather than using the problems largely associated with the Democratic Party for partisan benefit.(We hold our description of the roles of Election Commission members Sylvia Garza-Perez and Roger Ortiz for the climactic closing paragraphs of this article.)

The special meeting of the Election Commission held this morning(10/4/2012) at the Dancy Building to discuss voter fraud may have simply been an opportunity to vent for citizens who took advantage of public comment, a vehicle for the Election Commission to collectively say:   "We tried.  You asked for us to look into this.  We did, but our hands are tied."    Unlike the August 17 meeting in Cascos office, no bloggers were invited.  That is not surprising since following the July 31 election fiasco with massive voter fraud, the bloggers have collectively torn the Election Commission a new one, with Mean Mister Brownsville suggesting that all five should be fitted for orange jumpsuits for their complicity in permitting voter fraud.

Make no mistake.  Five individuals with skills COULD create the necessary momentum to eliminate the threats to democracy in our county.  As distasteful as it sounds, an Election Commission of Juan Montoya, Jerry Mchale, Jim Barton, Nena Barton and Mary Helen Flores would not be floundering in apprehension, reticence, fear and cowardice in facing these challenges.  They would investigate, learn the options, find the creative solutions and get it done, but none of the above are electable or even inclined to seek office.  We are stuck with what we have and so appeal to their professed love for our county and its people.

Part of the problem stems from the fact that all of the elected officials on the commission are indebted to a system that includes the use of politiqueras and voter fraud for their own election.  To now stop voter fraud, they must, in effect, bite the hand that has fed them.  As we've seen recently with recent indictments in our judicial system, a corrupted system seldom involves just one person.  Why would any elected official call for an investigation that could eventually involve his own campaigns?

Observer Juan Quixote Ciudadano, an observer at the special Election Commission meeting, gives us a window into the proceedings.  We rely on his sense of the mood, substance and direction of the commission.  Below is a portion of our conversation:

Mean Mister Brownsville:  Juan.  Thanks for calling.  How did the special meeting go?  Did Mary Helen finally get her eighteen questions answered?

Sylvia Garza-Perez

Juan Q.:  "Jim, I can tell you what I observed as I had to leave around 11:00 AM.  I don't know if Mary Helen got her questions answered as Cascos and Ortiz promised.  You will have to ask her.  What I did see was that Sylvia Garza-Perez, the new Democratic chair challenged everything relative to mail-in ballots and the use of politiqueras.  She responded to every scenario by saying it was a "gray area."  This lady seems to have the Secretary of State's office on speed dial.  Unlike her aunt, Herminia Becerra, this is a politiquera with a high school education.  She thinks like a criminal, which is scary. I think the next few years are going to be pretty rough for the Democrats in Cameron County."

Mean Mister Brownsville:  I hear ya, Juan.  I've met the lady.  She threatened to sue me when I referred to her aunt as the "Queen of the Politiqueras".  When I made her threat public, two lawyers offered to represent me pro bono.  I mean, that would be a great case with Norma Hernandez and Herminia finally forced to testify instead of cowardly going into hiding as they did in the Pena-Hernandez voter fraud trial of 2010.  Juan, what about Roger Ortiz.  Was he put on the hot seat?

Roger Ortiz

Juan Q.:  "The commissioners did have some suggestions for Roger, like for example, mobile units that would monitor the early election polling places.  Roger's answer always was he doesn't have enough manpower or funding.  Then, when Cascos said, let the county commissioners put it on the agenda and worry about the funding, he said unless his administration was involved it might not be done according to the election code. So, he had an answer for everything.  You know, Roger is not as dumb as people think."

I agree with Juan.  Sylvia Garza-Perez is perhaps the only person in Cameron County who will not be an upgrade at Democratic Chair over Gilberto Hinojosa.  She was raised in the politiquera culture, absorbing its stench like a sponge.  Barring her recall, honest Democrats will have trouble getting elected in this county in the next four years.

As for Roger Ortiz, I think Juan has him dead on.  He is not dumb.  He is reminiscent of the convicted felon who, sitting in a jail cell for a decade, becomes thoroughly convinced and convincing of his own innocence,  Roger has sat on his ass as Election Administrator for ten years, thinking every which way how to NOT do his job.