Gandara Rumor Killer

I know. 

I haven't been blogging. I've been busy, but I'll try to be better about blogging more. There really is a lot going on, I just got a lot of plates in the air right now. 

I didn't think I'd ever actually have to clear up a rumor like this but apparently I do. You have to be a really special kind of stupid to believe this particular rumor but some people apparently do, so I actually have to say this shit out loud but here goes:

No, I am not now - nor have I ever been - running a campaign for Gary Gandara. 

I don't know how this got started but enough people have mentioned it to me that it is no longer a punchline for a smart ass remark from me. 

Do you people not read the shit I've written for the last, oh I don't know, DECADE about the Gandara clan? 

They are their own narco-corrido. 

That family put a stain on lower valley politics that will literally take generations to undo. I have many, many flaws as a human being - put I don't involve myself with bad politicians. 

Every one of the Gandara clan - aka G-Unit - that has been involved in politics has been convicted of some level of public corruption - except Gary Gandara. 

But there's no way I'd ever help that guy. A few years ago there was a family in Sparks that was trying to get basic services all their surrounding neighbors had. They wanted their road paved, and more importantly, they wanted clean, safe drinking water to come out of their taps when they turned them on. 

Most of you have heard this story already, but for those of you that haven't - here's a quick recap. A group of families who lived in the Sparks community, the area behind the truck stop off Horizon, immediately north of the Red Parrot (pretty sure most of you will understand that reference point), lived on what they believed was a street. For almost 40 years the family were trying to get access to resources we all take for granted and that their neighbors had. But because Mr. Sparks - yes there was a really guy named Sparks - had illegally subdivided the plots of land, the families weren't able to get connected to those resources. 

The "road" that their properties fronted was actually platted as residential property. Here's a picture of the street sign indicating the name of the "street". Yes, this is real. Or it was when I took this picture anyway. 

It wasn't an actual road. And that land accrued debt to local political subdivisions in taxes. It took months to untangle all the legalities involved but eventually we (I was working for Commissioner Perez at the time) figured out that we had to go to each political subdivision that was owed back taxes on the road that really wasn't a road, and offer a settlement on the debt on behalf of El Paso County. 

It was a legal pain in the ass. But once all the elected leaders of the various political subdivisions heard the facts involved in the matter, they all made sure that they did the right thing to help the families out. 

Hell even the City of Socorro was cooperative!

In that entire litigious process of going to every single political subdivision that was owed back taxes, there was only ONE elected official in ONE political subdivision that expressed any reservations about helping the families out. 

FUCKING ONE!

Three guesses who it was - although by now you've surely figured out it was none other than Gary Gandara of Socorro ISD. 

If any of you have ever driven though Sparks, you know its a very humble community. Gary Gandara called it - I bullshit you not - "prime real estate" because it was off of Horizon Boulevard. 

I don't know anyone who has every used the term "Sparks" and "Prime Real Estate" in the same sentence. But Gary Gandara did. 

Yeah, by now you can tell I was pretty emotionally invested in this particular constituent issue. I was the vato that took the call when they first called the office to ask for help. They'd been told by every commissioner representing the valley since Rogelio Sanchez that nothing could be done to help them - including Gary's big brother Willie. 

But they tried again every time there was a new commissioner. The Hernandez family was the family that took the lead and made the calls and set up the meeting. They don't speak English. They aren't wealthy. The don't donate to candidates or vote regularly. They are just good, hard working people that bought a piece of land years ago hoping to have a piece of the American dream. Its hard to not see your own parents or grandparents in them. 

Most of the time, I communicated with Mr. Hernandez - his first name was Arturo. But he was always with his lovely wife. Genuinely good people. When we visited them in their homes, they treated us like kings - when we were just there to help them out, or at least try to. Why? Because that is how raza is. 

Aunque no tienen mucho, ofrecen todo....

That poor family when almost two generations fighting for the basics and it bothered me down to my core that they are delayed even an extra day because of one person - Gary Gandara. 

He delayed the process at least a moth, if not longer. 

And here is why I will never forget his pendejada. I made sure the next school board meeting we took the families with us, and the commissioner came to make the plea personally. We made sure we had every media outlet in town show up. We sat in the front row, directly in front of Gandara. I wanted the fucker to see us. 

For him, this was probably no big deal, other than to grand stand. But I wanted to make sure he was shamed for it. 

It passed and he voted for it. But his little bullshit pendejada delayed the project. 

Why does that bother me so much?

Because just weeks after Don Arturo and his family were finally able to have a paved road and clean potable water come out of their taps when they turned them on - his beloved wife passed away. 

An almost 40 year fight and she was only able to enjoy the fruits of her labor for a matter of days before she left this world. 

So yeah, its personal for me. 

Also, I'm offended because of how fugly his logo design is. Why on earth would anyone think I would ever design the worlds shittiest campaign sign. You can't even see his last name when you drive by the sign. I don't know how the dumb ass was that thought that was a good design, but its impractical as all hell. 

Actually, I take it back. Its fucking genius. He is legally obligated to include his last name on his signs but he knows its a liability. 

Maybe he wanted it that way for a reason....

Either way, I'm not involved in his campaign and had I known he had an opponent, I profanely would've volunteered to run his campaign for free! 

Now that I think about it - if you're his opponent and want some free help, my number is (915) 694-5714. My days off of yours between now and Election Day.