Volume 59, Issue 11  - October 30, 2006

Candidates discuss economic development, tax rates
By Michell Godinez
and Isis Lopez
Staff Writers

On Oct. 10 and 18, candidates for Cameron County judge, 138th District Court judge and county treasurer addressed the issues during the “Meet the Candidates” series on campus.       

County judge

Gilberto Hinojosa

Cameron County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa, who is seeking re-election to a fourth term, wants Valley residents to “think big” and support economic development in the area, including building a second causeway to South Padre Island and converting Expressway 77 into an interstate highway.

“We’ve got to get out of where we’re at today, we need to be willing to take the risks necessary to improve the quality of life of the people in our community,” Hinojosa said on Oct. 18. “We need to think big, we need to be willing to make tough decisions; we need to approach problems and issues that we are facing.”

Carlos Cascos

Hinojosa’s Republican rival, Carlos Cascos, came to campus Oct. 10 and encouraged students not to base their vote on the political parties.

Cascos said he supports privatizing jails and property appraisal caps. 

“My opponent’s going to tell you that I voted nine out of 12 times to raise taxes,” he told an audience of 100 people. “I probably did--I don’t know, but he won’t tell you how many times I voted against his budget--two different things.

“Then he’ll tell you since he’s been in office the tax rate has only gone up 11 percent--less than 1 percent per year. That’s fine. But in the last two years the tax revenues of this county have gone up over 25 percent. And what I don’t like is when he hides behind the fact ‘Well, we’re keeping the same tax rate.’ What they don’t tell you is your appraised values have gone up 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 percent. One thing that I support is appraisal caps.”

Hinojosa also touched on topics that he and his opponent disagree on, including the tax rate.

“[My opponent] says that our tax rate is too high, that he’s going to lower taxes. He increased taxes nine out of 12 times,” he said.

Hinojosa also brought up his opponents view on appraisal caps.

“He says that he’s for appraisal caps,” he said. “Well, he was on the appraisal district and while he was on the appraisal district, the appraised values … increased by 22 percent in that short period of time that he was there.”

Cascos said he switched to the Republican Party for “philosophical reasons, no de conveniencia.”

138^th District Court judge

Republican incumbent Judge Rolando Olvera said he has the experience and “everyone gets a fair hearing in my court.”

Rolando Olvera

Olvera said “there are no politics in the courtroom.”

His opponent, Arturo “Art” Cisneros Nelson, agrees.

Nelson relayed to the audience the importance of treating everyone with respect and dignity, and said he is committed to treating everyone with respect, regardless of whether they are Democrats or Republicans.

He urged students to vote because the community has been ignored and taken for granted in the past.

“I recognize my responsibility to you,” Nelson said. “Do you recognize the responsibility to each other?”

Arturo Cisneros Nelson

He said that he has the life experience, legal experience and the maturity in judicial temperament.

Olvera said Nelson “is asking people to vote because he has quote ‘life experience’ and No. 2, because he’s a Democrat.”

“When you listen to him he’s asking you to vote because he’s older than I. … I’m asking you to vote for me because of my judicial experience and my life experience.”

County treasurer

Eddie Gonzalez

Incumbent County Treasurer Eddie Gonzalez said that while in office “we implemented internal controls where we took each of the bonding companies and made them number their forms, implement better controls to find out what was pending, what wasn’t pending.”

He said he generated $1.5 million in forfeitures.

Gonzalez, who is seeking a fourth term, said he switched to the Republican Party because of the patron system in the Democratic Party.

Fernando Ruiz, a retired Brownsville resident, disagreed with Gonzalez’s comment during a question-answer session.

 “When the patron system existed people had very little education,” Ruiz said. “Take off your white hat, we live in the 21st century—no patron system anymore.”

David Betancourt

Democratic candidate David Betancourt talked about plans to implement electronic banking for county employees. He believes that by not applying direct deposit, the county has not been able to move into the 21^st century.

“We can’t stay behind, we can’t fall back,” Betancourt said. “If we don’t use and embrace the technology of today, how are we going to move forward?” 

The “Meet the Candidates” series was sponsored by the League of Student Voters.