The Edinburg Debates...Part Two...Conclusion

There is a plaque outside the Edinburg Auditorium that reads "Erected 1926. Eighty years. How many school plays, community meetings, and political debates has this building seen in all of those eighty years? What was politics like forty, fifty, or sixty years ago? In my opinion, they probably haven't changed much. Only now that we as political bloggers and political activists in general are trying to change the status quo. But on to the debate which was almost cancelled due to a few candidates not showing up. Take for instance, the race for 92nd District Court. Candidate Eric Jarvis-Cardenas failed to show up for his debate against candidate Ricardo Rodriguez. In a statement read by a member of the Young Democrats, he apologized for not being able to attend because his campaign demanded so much of his time, he was simply unable to attend every function he was called upon to attend. A likely story, and one most of us would take with a grain of salt, and understand where he's coming from. But if time management isn't his strongest suit, how do we expect him to run one of the busiest courts in the county? Will he only hear one docket case a year at at time? Wasting not only valuable time, but taxpayers money as well? It's like Ricardo Rodriguez stated in his only public comments of the evening, "I too am running a campaign, and I found the time to be here". That's someone we need in office. Someone that shows character, and responsible time management. Not someone who would divide his time between 'important' media P.R. oppurtunities, and some lesser covered debate sponsored by a 'high school' group that may or may not gather the votes you need. The only debate that occured that night was the debate between Arturo Guajardo Jr., and Sgt. Joseph Campos. Both candidates fielded the questions by the Young Democrats very well, but it wasn't until the final question was asked that got me worried. The question had to do with why the citizens of the county should cast their votes for the candidate. Sgt. Campos speaking in true military fashion, short and to the point, responded by saying that the citizens of Hidalgo County should not focus so much on work experience, but rather experience in leadership, and everything else would fall into place. Guajardo responded by stating the number of years he's worked at the County Clerk's office, six years, and how he was part of the team that made the award winning office it is today. Fine. But what he said next wasn't so much intimidating as it was scary. He paused mid sentence and leaned into the podium to tell the crowd in attendance what was what. He started ranting about how we should do our homework as responsible citizens. Run background checks, credit checks, and see that he is the only candidate with a clean record. "I've never been in trouble with the law, I've never even bounced a check". The scary thing isn't so much what he said. He raised some fine points that we should all take into consideration when we're faced with electing a County Clerk, County Judge, Mayor, or School Board Member. What frightened me was the way he drove his points home. The was an air of superiority in his voice that echoed he would smile with all those that followed every word he said, and frown upon any one who questioned his every action or motive. Hence the clean cut never done anything wrong in my life attitude. That's dangerous in ways most voters don't realise until an official DOES do something wrong. Then we're stuck with the "Didn't he say?" Right. The question shouldn't be about what you may or may not have done in the past, but what your inclination would be once you're given a position of authority and power. That's the same problem that runs rampant every time the local media chooses to cover all of the illegal activities by elected officials here in the Valley. In the end the choice is always the individual voter's. Guajardo is banking on his experience in the County Clerks Office to push him through. Campos is banking on the voters taking a shot in the dark to get him elected. That's dangerous too, given that we took a shot in the dark with a dark horse candidate a couple of years back who was running for District Clerk. That one didn't turn out too well, did it? Then again, they don't call it RGV Politics for nothing.