𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗭𝗘𝗗 𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗨𝗥𝗚𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗦𝗖 𝗕𝗢𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗜𝗥 𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗔 𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗭𝗔, 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗟𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗗

Diagonally from L bottom to R top, three bloggers; Jim Barton, Juan Montoya and Jerry McHale

 In recent weeks, this blog has accentuated its difference from two other, long-standing local blogs, El Rrun Rrun and the McHale Report.

We have no personal animosity with Juan or Jerry, just felt the need to make some demarcation between our differing approaches.  Simply put, those two are bloggers-for-hire while I am not.

I tried to tactfully make that difference clear in a recent two hour conversation at DK's with one of Juan's younger brothers, a hero during the collapse of the Queen Isabella Causeway. 

Some of my readers understand as this recent comment makes clear: 

"Thank you Jim for always clearing the air for the majority of us. 

I appreciate how you don’t hold back and just report honesty. 

El Rrun rrun is a joke and Mchale flip-flops depending on who he’s recently had a drink with. 

To anyone thay reads el rrun rrun, you best know it’s all paid for, a manufactured bias with no reasoning or substance. 

Just a simple pass of the cash for a negative article. 

I learned the hard way, working with Montoya then being a victim of his no more than a month later. 

In regards to your article, I must agree that De Leon and Silva seem to be the most viable candidates for this election.

Silva brings her experience with her along with her ability to not play politic.

De Leon, for me out does his opponent with his experience, energy to improve, and ability to hold his ground and not fall to Adela’s political wishes/games. 

If you haven’t voted yet I recommend those candidates myself. A board with a no-experience in education pharmacist and a yes ma’am to Adela would not conjure any growth, I can pretty much guarantee that. 

If elected those candidates will just fall-in-line with Adela’s wishes not knowing any detrimental effect they could be causing. 

Vote and stay informed with real information."

While Montoya has made only one tiny reference to this blogger in recent months, both McHale and Montoya have consistently written articles in support of the two replacement candidates recruited by TSC board chair Adela Garza to run against Eva Alejandro and J.J. De Leon. 

McHale admits to "bubbling the ovals" for Adela's handpicked flunkies, Lopez-Harris and Camarillo, he claims to have done so "with a clear conscience," a very defensive remark to be made by a grown man unnecessarily sharing his voting booth selections.

We share McHale's rationale for his votes published today along with a brief, unsolicited resume' of his credentials: 

"Needless to say, I was at the polls on Monday morning at eight. As an ex-BISD teacher and coach for 40 years as well as a part-time instructor at UTB's Language Institute in the early 2000s, I know something about education in Brownsville. With a clear conscience and without second thoughts, I bubbled in the ovals for Dr. Norma Lopez-Harris and Camarillo."

Montoya, in his latest article about the TSC runoff, chastised Place 6 TSC Trustee J.J. De Leon for being ungrateful to Adela Garza for her "helping hand," mentioning that its not the "first time De Leon had gotten help from powerful women," in a reference to BISD administrator Rachel Ayala.

Next, Juan Montoya invokes the name of deceased TSC Trustee Ruben Herrera, claiming to remember the exact derogatory words "Herrera" used to describe De Leon, words that Montoya never pretended to remember until evidently engaged by board chair Adela Garza to trash a fellow TSC board member.

We'll continue to monitor the efforts of these two bloggers-for-hire, not in some sort of personal recrimination, but simply to differentiate among information sources within our local blogosphere.