Second of two parts
Part 1 is here.
Leaders of The Border Organization, a grassroots activist group, quizzed two candidates for county judge and three of the four candidates for two county commissioner seats on an array of issues during a roundtable event on Saturday, Oct. 17.
TBO’s roundtable was held in the meeting room at the Casa De La Cultura, 302 Cantu St., and included County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. and Robert “Beau” Nettleton, both seeking the office of county judge; County Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez and Rey Robles, both seeking the office of County Commissioner Pct. 2; and John I. Wardlaw, seeking the office of County Commissioner Pct. 4.
County Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores did not attend the roundtable, although he was invited to do so, according to TBO organizer Gage Brown.
After TBO leader Mario Arreola laid out the rules of engagement for the event, TBO leaders read a series of questions, and each candidate was allowed a minute to respond. Each candidate’s response was written on a whiteboard – “yes,” “no” or “wishy-washy.”
TBO leader Carlos Coronado asked if each candidate would vote in favor of paving Circle E Drive and installing streetlights on Meza Drive, both in the Cienegas Terrace Colonia southwest of the Del Rio city limits.
Vazquez said he would leave the work up to the commissioner of that precinct, adding he has installed more than 40 streetlights in Val Verde Park Estates, a Precinct 2 colonia. He also said if the Precinct 4 commissioner put those items on the agenda, he would support both measures.
Robles said, “Yes, absolutely yes. I will support 100 percent whatever infrastructure that needs to be done.” He said he would speak with the Precinct 4 commissioner to determine that precinct’s needs, and he would support the work in Precinct 4 if county funds were available.
Wardlaw said, “As the person running for Precinct 4, the answer is yes. I have been all through that area. There’s lot of dark spaces.” He said he would look into acquiring solar lights that are also dark sky friendly. He said he would support the paving of Meza Drive.
Owens said as county judge he would not put either measure on the court’s agenda. “If the commissioner puts it on the agenda for lights to be put up, the answer would be yes,” Owens said.
He said in the current fiscal year, the county has borrowed $2 million, and Precinct 4 will receive $550,000 for paving. He said each commissioner must place items dealing with his precinct on the commissioners court agenda.
Nettleton said, “Each commissioner is in charge of their own precinct. I’m not going to do that any different. It’s their kingdom. That is between them and the voters.”
Nettleton added he would have no problem voting in favor of the projects if the Precinct 4 commissioner put them on the agenda and funds were available.
Mary Ann Ortiz, a TBO leader, asked the county judge and Precinct 4 candidate if they would place an item on the court’s agenda “to designate Moreno Valley as a colonia and pursue state funds for their water infrastructure.”
Wardlaw said, “Absolutely yes,” adding he has already done research on the Moreno Valley Subdivision and said the road serving it needs to be designated a county road so the subdivision could be named a colonia.
Owens said he would be “wishy-washy” on the question. He said he does not mind asking for colonia designation for the subdivision but added he would not put it in front of existing county colonias like Vega Verde, Comstock, San Felipe Pastures and Escondido Estates.
He said in Comstock, the county is spending some $3,000 per water connection, while in Moreno Valley that cost would jump to $25,000 per connection.
“It’s not fair to the other colonias,” Owens said.
Nettleton said he has no issue designating Moreno Valley as a colonia. He said he believes water line extensions to the colonias are important, but added the work must be funded from the state and federal government, “not local taxpayers’ money.”
He also said his biggest issue is the county continues to expend funds for water line extensions that could be spent on road improvements, then give those water lines to the city of Del Rio, which makes no investment into the projects.
TBO leader Miguel Garcia asked each candidate if he would ensure that constituents of all precincts will continue to receive monthly food distributions.
Wardlaw said he would “absolutely” continue food distribution, adding he does not like to see persons waiting in line for five to six hours, and there is a need for a central location where food could be picked up.
Robles said he would not only make sure food distribution would continue, he would make efforts to expand it by seeking out other programs to bring a food bank to Val Verde County and run the operation. He added he believes the way food is being distributed now is not effective.
Vazquez said he “serves very proudly” on the board of the South Texas Food Bank, and he cautioned against attempting to grow the program too much, saying it is at the point where it needs to be.
He said in the past five or six years, the county has brought in $60 million in food to be distributed.
Owens said he would like to see the county have a centralized food distribution program and believes the program should prioritize food for the elderly, veterans and children.
Nettleton said he has never believed in county food distribution, adding that is something churches and nonprofit organizations should oversee, and taxpayers should be able to decide if they want to give to the poor.
He added he is also not naïve enough to believe county food distributions will ever stop, and the operation must be run from a centralized location.
TBO organizer Gage Brown asked the next question. She asked candidates if they were elected, would they “use their positions to make sound judgments based on federal law and the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection. . . and will you respect the decisions of our county library personnel to offer a diversity of educational material, including LGBTQ+ literature and resources and not make unilateral decisions about what the library can display?”
Vazquez said he would “respect all federal law, no bias,” adding he believes everyone is equal and that he would also respect county policy.
Robles said he believes every person is equal. He added he believes strongly “in a man and a woman,” but everyone should be able to use the library equally.
Owens said he made the decision last year to order a Transgender Day of Remembrance display at the library to be taken down, but pointed out he had not ordered the library to remove the materials, which are still available.
“I stand by my decision,” Owens said, adding he believes everyone is equal, and the materials at the library are available to individuals.
He wondered aloud if TBO leaders were asking whether he regretted or would change his decision, and said, “Absolutely not.”
Nettleton said as a Christian, “I believe in a man and woman,” but added as an elected official he has an obligation to uphold the law.
He said under the law, citing the 1973 Miller v. California case, that local communities have the right to display “what they feel is moral and ethical for their community.”
He said he hoped “age appropriate material” at the library would be placed where patrons could view it if they wanted to.
Wardlaw said as a social science teacher, he would not “go against the Constitution of the United States.”
He said there are materials that are age appropriate, and parents need to know what is on display in the library and what their children might be exposed to.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
