HD 75: Right Candidate, Wrong Issue

When there is flooding in the Mission Valley and farmers and families are losing their homes and livelihoods, where is your state rep?

The answer all too often is State Rep Mary Gonzalez is out partying while you nervously wait out the storms. 

But that isn’t the issue that is the central focus on the HD 75 race. I’ll get back to that in a minute, walk with me…

Forma has been gunning for Gonzalez since she took office. Most of the time they don’t have a decent candidate. Last time they had to dust-off Chente Quintanilla to run against Gonzalez. 

Thats not really giving the voters much of a choice. I watched that whole campaign and waited to hear some compelling reason why they should send Chente back to Austin. 

Not because I don’t think he’d be any better or worse, I mean lets be real…what the hell has Gonzalez actually done in Austin? I can’t think of a meaningful accomplishment for her district. I mean there’s some identity stuff, but with a district that has as much need as HD 75, you’d think for the sake of optics alone that they she would at least try to look like she’s done something while in office. 

At least Chente had the Sopapilla Bill. 

Now Forma actually has a decent candidate. Educated young professional Latina and tribal member Mary Sue Femath. 

Only one problem, they are gonna strangle her with the wrong issue. For whatever reason they are pushing charter schools as a campaign issue. Actually I think its being pushed because of her donor base. 

That is Hall of Fame stupid. 

First of all, fuck charter schools. 

They snatch money public schools and even with every stinking advantage possible, they still have marginal performance. Most of the time they are comparable to, or inferior, to nearby public schools in terms of performance. 

And trust me, they should be killing it considering they control who they recruit for the school and aren’t regularly taking LEP students or students with special needs. 

But the bigger issue is the fact that it makes no sense to sell a candidate to voters on that issue. There’s also a practical reason they should be staying away from that dumb issue - it plays into Gonzalez’s hands. That issue gives Gonzalez something to go to the teacher’s unions with for money and bodies to help out with the campaign. 

Its straight out of the union mantra - agitate, educate, and organize. Forma, by pushing that issue, is literally HELPING Gonzalez with money and bodies. 

There aren’t enough charters around for them to even be something most voters understand. 

But you know what almost every single voter in east El Paso county and the valley CAN understand? 

Flooding. 

Now before I go on, I dare Gonzalez’s campaign to challenge me on this issue, because I’ve already posted plenty of pics on this issue in the past and from my days working for Vince, trust me when I tell you I know what I’m talking about. 

There was a big flood shortly after she was elected and as many people in local government that could, rolled up their sleeves and lent a hand to help people in the valley during the flooding. I know because I was there. We borrowed a sand bag machine (there’s such a thing) and spent hours filling sandbags. No cameras, no reporters. Just a bunch of local government elected officials doing what most voters hope they will do in an emergency situation, get to work and get their hands dirty.

Where was Mary Gonzalez?

Toda lipistickiada partying it up for 16 de Septiembre at the Mexican consulate. 

I bullshit you not. 

You think voters would be happy to know that? Trust me, they care more about that kind of issue than charter schools. 

But I know what you’re thinking, it was a rookie mistake. No one is perfect. The next time she’ll get her shit together and move into action when there’s a flood, right?

Uh, no. 

Because just this last summer Commissioner Perez and his staff along City Rep Rene Rodriguez from Socorro and a few other local leaders were out in the middle of the night (2am one night, 4am another) surveying damage and working in an emergency shelter. 

Where was Mary Gonzalez? She strapped on her boots she normally reserves for well-staged pics with her horses right?

Negative Ghostrider. 

I bullshit you not, while everyone in Clint is worried about flooding, Gonzalez’s priority was going out to the Wild Horse, because it was their last night in business. 

Seriously, do you believe that shit?

Its one thing to make a rookie mistake, but when you habitually choose your social life over your constituents’ problems, especially in disaster situations, voters should rightfully be upset. 

Thats what Forma should’ve been using to define Gonzalez with instead of charter schools. 

Thats when she’s even in town and not off in Planet Austin. You realize she’s been in office several terms and still has an Austin cell phone number right? She hadn’t lived in El Paso County as an adult before she ran for office, came back to run, and never even changed her phone number to an El Paso number to at least give the impression that she was occasionally around. 

Oh yeah…

And then there’s the Gandara thing.

Of all political factions in the valley for someone to be connected to, Gonzalez is associated with the Gandaras! And I don’t mean that they all go way back to childhood and she’s just loyal to some old friends. In the valley, you could totally get away with that. 

No, she associated herself with that clan AFTER all but one of the politicos got convicted for either public corruption or running drugs. 

AFTER.

Seriously, wrap your head around that. 

Why Forma hasn’t whacked her for that is beyond me, but they shouldn’t be waiting to whack her on those issues. They should be defining her and doing it now. 

Tic, tock…only a little over 60 days until early voting starts…