Today's the day.
The eight district judges of Cameron County will decide today who will act as interim Cameron County District Clerk.
Will it be - as many pundits are predicting - a toss up between current Chief Deputy Ricardo Cornejo or the chief deputy under former district clerk Aurora de la Garza?
Both have promised that they would not be candidates for the office in the upcoming March 3 Democratic Party primary elections. The need to appoint an interim director came about because of current District Clerk Eric Garza's announcement to run for Cameron County Sheriff against incumbent Omar Lucio.
The district judges - 103rd District Judge Janet L. Leal, 107th District Judge Benjamin Euresti Jr., 138th District Judge Arturo Cisneros Nelson, 197th District Judge Adolfo E. Cordova Jr., 357th District Judge Juan A. Magallanes, 404th District Judge Elia C. Lopez, 444th District Judge David Sanchez, and 445th District Judge Gloria Rincones - meet today to discuss the appointment.
The judges have said that they would not appoint someone who will run for the office during the March primaries so as not to give the individual an unfair advantage of incumbency over other potential candidates.
Brownsville Independent School District trustee and Cameron County Court-at-Law #3 court administrator Laura Perez-Reyes and district clerk office staffer Diego Alonso Hernandez have also announced they are candidates this March. BISD Record Manager Matin Arambula is also said to be interested in running.
The judges are under the gun to appoint someone unanimously - and if they can't - it will be left up to Gov. Greg Abbott to make the appointment, something the eight Democrats do not want to happen.
Ortiz ran for the position held by her former boss Aurora de la Garza and lost in a runoff election against Garza in May 2014. Garza was also a deputy district clerk under De la Garza. Garza drew 5,476 votes while Ortiz drew 4,958 votes, a 528 vote difference of the 10,434 votes cast.
Garza ran unopposed for the position in 2018 and garnered 11,318 votes.
But things have changed at the district clerk's office since Elvira was there with De la Garza. Garza has instituted numerous changes there and has used technology to make access to the records and case documents under this care easier to the public. De la Garza's maternal (de comadre) approach to managing the office is gone.
In other words, it ain't Comadre Aurora's district clerkship anymore!
Maintaining continuity would seem to favor Cornejo. But this is Cameron County, so anything goes.
Additionally, the interim district clerk will serve until the next election. That election is scheduled for March 3, 2020 and could be decided at the primary election since no Republicans have announced for the office.
Will the judges rely on Ortiz's political background, or appoint Cornejo as a caretaker director until the results of the district clerk race is decided (or if it results in a runoff, the subsequent runoff election) are decided?
Ortiz's husband, former elections director Roger Ortiz, was embroiled in the controversy over elections results in the race between Democrat John Wood and Republican Carlos Cascos in
November 2010.
Ortiz admitted there were mistakes.
At first, an apparent clerical error turned the county judge election upside down, with the results a moving target: Ortiz first called the contest for Republican incumbent Cascos, by 50 votes. Seven hours later, reports surfaced that the winner was actually Democrat John Wood, by just five votes.
But, in the end ballots for Brownsville Pct. 54 were recounted due to a tally sheet mishap. The votes were canvassed and Cascos was again declared the winner.
Brownsville Independent School District trustee and Cameron County Court-at-Law #3 court administrator Laura Perez-Reyes and district clerk office staffer Diego Alonso Hernandez have also announced they are candidates this March. BISD Record Manager Matin Arambula is also said to be interested in running.
The judges are under the gun to appoint someone unanimously - and if they can't - it will be left up to Gov. Greg Abbott to make the appointment, something the eight Democrats do not want to happen.
Ortiz ran for the position held by her former boss Aurora de la Garza and lost in a runoff election against Garza in May 2014. Garza was also a deputy district clerk under De la Garza. Garza drew 5,476 votes while Ortiz drew 4,958 votes, a 528 vote difference of the 10,434 votes cast.
Garza ran unopposed for the position in 2018 and garnered 11,318 votes.
But things have changed at the district clerk's office since Elvira was there with De la Garza. Garza has instituted numerous changes there and has used technology to make access to the records and case documents under this care easier to the public. De la Garza's maternal (de comadre) approach to managing the office is gone.
In other words, it ain't Comadre Aurora's district clerkship anymore!
Maintaining continuity would seem to favor Cornejo. But this is Cameron County, so anything goes.
Additionally, the interim district clerk will serve until the next election. That election is scheduled for March 3, 2020 and could be decided at the primary election since no Republicans have announced for the office.
Will the judges rely on Ortiz's political background, or appoint Cornejo as a caretaker director until the results of the district clerk race is decided (or if it results in a runoff, the subsequent runoff election) are decided?
Ortiz's husband, former elections director Roger Ortiz, was embroiled in the controversy over elections results in the race between Democrat John Wood and Republican Carlos Cascos in
November 2010.
Ortiz admitted there were mistakes.
At first, an apparent clerical error turned the county judge election upside down, with the results a moving target: Ortiz first called the contest for Republican incumbent Cascos, by 50 votes. Seven hours later, reports surfaced that the winner was actually Democrat John Wood, by just five votes.
But, in the end ballots for Brownsville Pct. 54 were recounted due to a tally sheet mishap. The votes were canvassed and Cascos was again declared the winner.