By Juan Montoya
In one of my previous lifetimes, I used to work for Cameron County Pct. 1.
During the race for state senator in 1992 where Bob Krueger was challenged by Kay Bailey Hutchinson, I was called by one of the many ladies who used to collect mail-in votes from barrio elderly because – unlike the way they did in local races – there were no heavyweight local office holders running that year.
The ladies had a problem. They had collected about three HEB grocery bags of mail-in votes but had no money to mail them at the post office. Since there was little interest in the race (Krueger lost handily), I had to hustle for stamps from the likes of former District Clerk Aurora de la Garza and County Clerk Joe Rivera.
It made no difference in the race, but they had to stay in practice for the later races that would come.
![Image result for javier ver, reed, cowen]()
I recall this because we have seen a change in the use of mail-in voting in the county and state. Nowadays both parties court the elderly note and send mail-in ballot applications to their constituents over 65 years of age. But where there's a will there is a way and room for mischievousness.
Just the other day we heard that Brownsville Navigation District Ralph Cowen was seen at a local lounge tet-a-tet with some well-known politiqueras. The port and Texas Southmost College are holding elections May 5, but early voting starts April 23 and ends May 1. In fact, mail-in ballots for that race are already arriving at local voters' homes.
The increase in mail-in votes following the sudden drop after the prosecution of politiqueras here four years ago gave some people room to pause. No doubt that it has also piqued the interest of local law enforcement wondering whether the local "political activists" have gone down the straight and narrow or are contemplating returning to their bad old ways. We're told they are keeping an eye on things just to keep them honest.
Ralph Cowen, and his colleague on the board John Reed have a lot riding on this election. Cowen's brother John Cowen runs a brokerage firm that does extensive business with the port tenants. Ralph, we are told, does some of the administrative work for his warehouse operations. And Reed's brother-in-law is Mark Hoskins, runs Gulf Stream Marine, the largest stevedore company at the port. Ideally for them the makeup of the board won't change, especially the seat that will be vacated by Carlos Masso, now locked in a runoff race for the 197th District Court with Adolfo Cordova.
Those running for Masso's seat are former port candidate Esteban Guerra and Javier Vera. Guerra is a local businessman with extensive ties on both sides of the border. Vera is the CFO for John Cowen's brokerage firm, and has been for the last 20 years. So we know where his loyalties lie.
If Vera wins, John Cowen can rest assured his interests will be protected with his employee on the commission, his brother Ralph also on the board, and Reed, with whose brother-in-law he does extensive business at Gulf Stream Marine protected.
We've already heard of the Reed-Cowen one-two act where they are calling port tenants discouraging them from contributing to the Guerra campaign. With the nail-in ballots now arriving at homes, we are wondering just how involved they will get to get the early and mail-in vote out for Vera.
Will they be successful in maintaining this incestuous "club" at the Port of Brownsville?
In one of my previous lifetimes, I used to work for Cameron County Pct. 1.
During the race for state senator in 1992 where Bob Krueger was challenged by Kay Bailey Hutchinson, I was called by one of the many ladies who used to collect mail-in votes from barrio elderly because – unlike the way they did in local races – there were no heavyweight local office holders running that year.
The ladies had a problem. They had collected about three HEB grocery bags of mail-in votes but had no money to mail them at the post office. Since there was little interest in the race (Krueger lost handily), I had to hustle for stamps from the likes of former District Clerk Aurora de la Garza and County Clerk Joe Rivera.
It made no difference in the race, but they had to stay in practice for the later races that would come.
I recall this because we have seen a change in the use of mail-in voting in the county and state. Nowadays both parties court the elderly note and send mail-in ballot applications to their constituents over 65 years of age. But where there's a will there is a way and room for mischievousness.Just the other day we heard that Brownsville Navigation District Ralph Cowen was seen at a local lounge tet-a-tet with some well-known politiqueras. The port and Texas Southmost College are holding elections May 5, but early voting starts April 23 and ends May 1. In fact, mail-in ballots for that race are already arriving at local voters' homes.
The increase in mail-in votes following the sudden drop after the prosecution of politiqueras here four years ago gave some people room to pause. No doubt that it has also piqued the interest of local law enforcement wondering whether the local "political activists" have gone down the straight and narrow or are contemplating returning to their bad old ways. We're told they are keeping an eye on things just to keep them honest.
Ralph Cowen, and his colleague on the board John Reed have a lot riding on this election. Cowen's brother John Cowen runs a brokerage firm that does extensive business with the port tenants. Ralph, we are told, does some of the administrative work for his warehouse operations. And Reed's brother-in-law is Mark Hoskins, runs Gulf Stream Marine, the largest stevedore company at the port. Ideally for them the makeup of the board won't change, especially the seat that will be vacated by Carlos Masso, now locked in a runoff race for the 197th District Court with Adolfo Cordova.
Those running for Masso's seat are former port candidate Esteban Guerra and Javier Vera. Guerra is a local businessman with extensive ties on both sides of the border. Vera is the CFO for John Cowen's brokerage firm, and has been for the last 20 years. So we know where his loyalties lie.
If Vera wins, John Cowen can rest assured his interests will be protected with his employee on the commission, his brother Ralph also on the board, and Reed, with whose brother-in-law he does extensive business at Gulf Stream Marine protected.
We've already heard of the Reed-Cowen one-two act where they are calling port tenants discouraging them from contributing to the Guerra campaign. With the nail-in ballots now arriving at homes, we are wondering just how involved they will get to get the early and mail-in vote out for Vera.
Will they be successful in maintaining this incestuous "club" at the Port of Brownsville?