MAILBOXGATE PHASE 2, ILLEGAL ANTI-COWEN MAILER PRINTED FOR MAILING OR PARTIALLY MAILED

From the editor:  Tonight's video call with fiancee Ana was interrupted twice by callers reporting a weird flyer, either partially mailed or set for mailing in the city.(The copy sent me has a stamp affixed.  See if you think the stamp has been cancelled.)

The flyer appears aimed at three of the Cowen family, currently serving in local and state offices,  asking "Does Brownsville need another?," an obvious reference to John Cowen, now running for City Commissioner At Large "A." 

Front side of illegal flyer

My first inclination is to think the originator of this flyer is a person with more money than sense.  John Cowen is almost a lock to win the City Commissioner At Large "A" race, having narrowly missed winning without a runoff.(The other three are not currently running for office.)

The flyer is illegal, based on a simple reading of the Election Code, Section 255.001:

Sec. 255.001.  REQUIRED DISCLOSURE ON POLITICAL ADVERTISING.  (a)  A person may not knowingly cause to be published, distributed, or broadcast political advertising containing express advocacy that does not indicate in the advertising:
(1) that it is political advertising; and
(2) the full name of:

(A) the person who paid for the political advertising;
(B) the political committee authorizing the political advertising; or

(C) the candidate or specific-purpose committee supporting the candidate, if the political advertising is authorized by the candidate.

Nowhere on the mailout does it indicate who paid for the advertising in clear violation of the code.  Just like the flyers illegally attached to mailboxes in District 1, this mailout appears silly, devious, a feeble attempt to put someone in a bad light or to influence future policy.

Jessica Puente Bradshaw, John Cowen's opponent in the At Large "A" race, has been running her campaign on a proverbial shoestring.  This mailout, if it actually gets sent, could indeed be expensive.

Roman Perez, who some say gives Bradshaw a political guiding hand, is a stickler for following the election code and would be unlikely to be connected with such an amateurish mailout.

Carlos Marin?  He's certainly behind the scenes in all these races.

Rodrigo Moreno of Pink Ape Media, Inc.?  He's been paid over $200,000 to run the races for the so-called "Holy Trinity," Cowen, Mendez and Galonsky, but does he need such a silly trick to justify his fees?

Mike Hernandez III?  Hernandez was/is  brilliant at car sales and leasing, but definitely a bit on the goofy side since his entry into local politics.  Remember he pushed hard against Ralph Cowen in his run for the Port of Brownsville board.  Is this flyer with anti-Cowen narrative connected to Hernandez?

Someone pointed out that a flyer with no identifiable source could easily be printed in Mexico and would be difficult to trace.

Perhaps one of the Cowens will file a police report concerning this illegal flyer.  That would go a long way to demonstrate that this is not a juvenile attempt to seek sympathy votes.