By Juan Montoya
Can a third-place finisher in the City of Brownsville District 1 race parlay the 486 votes he garnered into a bargaining chip to garner money and appointments for friends to city boards?
The rumors are circulating among political operatives that already, some supporters of incumbent Ricardo Longoria - perhaps without his knowledge - are making entreaties to third-place finisher Michael Rodriguez that he endorse the 16-year politician who came in second behind top vote-getter Nurith Galonsky.
Galonsky and Longoria are facing each other in a runoff June 22, as are mayoral candidates Trey Mendez and Carlie Cabler and At-Large "A" contenders John Cowen and Jessica Puente-Bradshaw.
Galonsky beat Longoria by 92 votes (690 to 486) and Rodriguez by 208 (690 to 486). Apparently, the Longoria supporters are hoping that he will endorse the incumbent to ward off the Galonsky challenge to his 16-year reign in the Southmost area.
Toward that end, we have learned that they have dangled an offer to pay his campaign expenses and a pledge to fund his campaign against At-Large "B" incumbent Rose Gowen in her next election. We have not heard what response, if any, Rodriguez gave that entreaty, but he has confirmed elsewhere that the meetings have taken place with both sides.
But there is also another twist to this dynamic.
It seems that Rodriguez supporters - among them Brownsville Independent School District Erasmo Castro - approached a close Galonsky associate and proposed that his votes may swing her way if they would pay off Rodriguez's campaign expenses and appoint Castro to the Public Utilities Board hen she got elected. Galonsky is now sitting on the PUB board and only one city commission member, the mayor or, sits on as an ex-oficio member.
If she is elected, it would leave her seat open on the PUB.
It would seem that these carrots being dangled by the various interests may attract some in either camp to leverage the third-place finish votes that Rodriguez got in the May 4 election.
But this is a very simplistic way to judge the election results. Rodriguez ran against Longoria and those who voted for him were voting against the incumbent. If he, in turn, endorses Longoria publicly, he will lose the respect of those who followed and voted for him and against Longoria.
But the fact that they voted for him doesn't necessarily mean that they will follow his directions in the runoff and vote for whichever of the two candidates he endorses. At most, Rodriguez can urge his family and close friends to vote for one or the other, but he does not control 486 votes to swing one way or the other.
Anyway, the District 1 candidates should eschew the intrigue and focus on convincing the dwindling runoff voters the old fashioned way: that they are the best candidate to serve them on the city commission.
The other reason that trying to sell (or buy) those votes is despicable is one of principle. The votes cast in that district come from one of the poorest people in one of the nation's poorest cities.
If you engage in the buying and/or selling of these votes you will be no better than the money changers that Jesus cast out from his father's temple. The exercise of the right to vote should not be used as a way to leverage money or political positions any more than a pimp forces a prostitute to sells his/her body - also a sacred temple.
Can a third-place finisher in the City of Brownsville District 1 race parlay the 486 votes he garnered into a bargaining chip to garner money and appointments for friends to city boards?
The rumors are circulating among political operatives that already, some supporters of incumbent Ricardo Longoria - perhaps without his knowledge - are making entreaties to third-place finisher Michael Rodriguez that he endorse the 16-year politician who came in second behind top vote-getter Nurith Galonsky.
Galonsky and Longoria are facing each other in a runoff June 22, as are mayoral candidates Trey Mendez and Carlie Cabler and At-Large "A" contenders John Cowen and Jessica Puente-Bradshaw.
Galonsky beat Longoria by 92 votes (690 to 486) and Rodriguez by 208 (690 to 486). Apparently, the Longoria supporters are hoping that he will endorse the incumbent to ward off the Galonsky challenge to his 16-year reign in the Southmost area.
Toward that end, we have learned that they have dangled an offer to pay his campaign expenses and a pledge to fund his campaign against At-Large "B" incumbent Rose Gowen in her next election. We have not heard what response, if any, Rodriguez gave that entreaty, but he has confirmed elsewhere that the meetings have taken place with both sides.
But there is also another twist to this dynamic.
It seems that Rodriguez supporters - among them Brownsville Independent School District Erasmo Castro - approached a close Galonsky associate and proposed that his votes may swing her way if they would pay off Rodriguez's campaign expenses and appoint Castro to the Public Utilities Board hen she got elected. Galonsky is now sitting on the PUB board and only one city commission member, the mayor or, sits on as an ex-oficio member.
If she is elected, it would leave her seat open on the PUB.
It would seem that these carrots being dangled by the various interests may attract some in either camp to leverage the third-place finish votes that Rodriguez got in the May 4 election.
But this is a very simplistic way to judge the election results. Rodriguez ran against Longoria and those who voted for him were voting against the incumbent. If he, in turn, endorses Longoria publicly, he will lose the respect of those who followed and voted for him and against Longoria.
But the fact that they voted for him doesn't necessarily mean that they will follow his directions in the runoff and vote for whichever of the two candidates he endorses. At most, Rodriguez can urge his family and close friends to vote for one or the other, but he does not control 486 votes to swing one way or the other.
Anyway, the District 1 candidates should eschew the intrigue and focus on convincing the dwindling runoff voters the old fashioned way: that they are the best candidate to serve them on the city commission.
The other reason that trying to sell (or buy) those votes is despicable is one of principle. The votes cast in that district come from one of the poorest people in one of the nation's poorest cities.
If you engage in the buying and/or selling of these votes you will be no better than the money changers that Jesus cast out from his father's temple. The exercise of the right to vote should not be used as a way to leverage money or political positions any more than a pimp forces a prostitute to sells his/her body - also a sacred temple.