By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Three candidates for state and federal offices who participated in a candidate accountability session on Sunday, Oct. 4, addressed two issues that most closely affect Eagle Pass, Texas, but also have implications in the region.
The candidate accountability session was organized and hosted by La Organizacion Fronteriza/The Border Organization (TBO) and held in the San Felipe Exes Center Hall, 302 Mendez St.
The Democratic Party candidates who attended were Katy Padilla Stout, Democratic Party nominee for the Texas District 23 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives; Texas Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who is seeking re-election to the District 19 seat in the Texas Senate; and Texas Rep. Eddie Morales, who is seeking re-election to the District 74 seat in the Texas House of Representatives.
Gage Brown, an organizer with The Border Organization, told The 830 Times the Republican Party candidates seeking to represent Val Verde County were invited to the session. Brown said Brandon Herrera declined to participate, and Marcus Cardenas and Robert Garza said they would attend, but didn’t show up.
In TBO candidate accountability sessions, TBO leaders ask a series of questions dealing with issues identified as being important to the organization’s membership. Candidates are instructed to answer each question with a yes or a no and are given time to explain or expound on their answers.
In Sunday’s accountability sessions, candidates first answered questions about a series of issues affecting Val Verde, Kinney, Uvalde and Maverick counties. (See separate story.)
TBO leaders then asked two questions about issues most directly affecting residents of Eagle Pass, Del Rio’s neighbor on the border, a bustling municipality located about 50 miles southeast of Del Rio.
Mario Arreola, who served as master of ceremonies for the TBO accountability session, called on Daryela Samariba, a TBO leader in Eagle Pass, to pose a question about “demilitarization and public education.”
Samariba told the candidates, “In Eagle Pass, we live in a militarized zone. The state of Texas has spent billions of dollars on buoys, concertina wire, boxcars, the National Guard and state troopers. Our Shelby Park, on the banks of the Rio Grande, has been either fully occupied or partly occupied by military personnel with weapons.
“Shelby Park should be occupied by children playing soccer and community festivities. Our community should have full access to the Rio Grande. The state’s priorities are not our priorities. We want, need and deserve our state money to be spent on education, not buoys; on affordable health care, not razor wire; and paved, well-lit streets, not razor wire,” Samariba added.
She asked the state candidates, “If elected, do you commit to removing the buoys, razor wire and military from Shelby Park and reallocate state funds to our public schools?”
Morales answered first and said, “I live in Eagle Pass, so it’s a definite yes. . . We have been actively advocating and sending letters to the governor that they need to be removed. The buoys served absolutely no purpose. I’ve seen people either go under them with a simple dunk, and they’re out five seconds later on the other side, or they just go to where the buoys end and just go around them. It’s a waste of money.”
Morales said he would rather use the “millions of dollars” being spent on border security initiatives in Eagle Pass on highway and flood mitigation infrastructure in the region.
“I definitely support it, and we’ve actually asked, in letters to the governor, to make sure they address this. We haven’t had the right state leadership in place to actually respond to us,” Morales added.
Gutierrez answered, “I, too, have written letters to the governor’s office. I usually find that he probably throws them in the trash, so I’ve stopped writing letters and sometimes we just sue him. Unfortunately, you had some local leaders in Maverick County that allowed the state in, I think is what happened, and when that happened, Greg Abbott just said, ‘Thank you very much; now it’s mine.’ So you need to tell your local leaders in Maverick County to sue him. It’s your property, and you need it back.”
Gutierrez reminisced about hearing Ramon Ayala perform in the park during July 4 celebrations in the past.
Gutierrez added he had a challenge for Val Verde County, noting it is 80 percent Latino and 50 percent Democrat and 50 percent Republican.
“We have to turn Val Verde blue once and for all,” Gutierrez said.
The last question of the evening dealt with the planned Puerto Verde International Bridge in Eagle Pass.
Arreola called on Luis Ruiz, a leader with TBO in Maverick County.
Ruiz told the candidates, “I’m sure that all of you have heard of a private investor’s efforts in constructing an international bridge in Maverick County, in Eagle Pass, in our neighborhood. The Puerto Verde Bridge, if allowed to move forward, will be adjacent to three very large neighborhoods, two public schools, cause a traffic nightmare in a specific neighborhood, will cause air and noise pollution, and, at its inception, no bridge revenue for the county of Maverick.”
Ruiz said TBO leadership is against the building of the Puerto Verde Bridge and opposed House Bill 74, a bill that would have created the Puerto Verde Port Authority District and allowed it to impose assessments, fees and taxes.
Ruiz asked the two candidates running for state office if they would commit to voting against HB74 in any form it may take, and he asked the candidate running for federal office if she would bring the matter up to the U.S. Secretary of State and review the bridge’s presidential permit.
Padilla Stout, who answered the question first, said she would be open to calling for a review of the bridge’s presidential permit to make sure the permit fully complies with all laws. She added whenever private investors become involved in public infrastructure projects, there must be “heightened scrutiny,” because infrastructure projects are typically a function of the government.
Morales went next, telling the audience he drafted HB74 “to make sure that I was addressing the needs of the community.”
“To answer your question, no, I would not vote against HB74 or in any other format, however it may come. I 110 percent support any measures that actually would help us. When you go throughout the district, (people) tell me stop bringing us retail and stop bringing us fast food joints that pay us minimum wage. We need vocational and trade school opportunities like these, Empire Industrial Project, the Puerto Verde Industrial Project and Loop 480 and all the construction that’s taken place, Highway 57 and the expansion project,” Morales said.
Morales added Eagle Pass needs a third international bridge and said the presidential permit for the bridge was supported by former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. He said the project is also supported by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
He said he believed there was “a ton of misinformation” about the project when the city of Eagle Pass and Maverick County officials were being asked to partner in the project, and he said he believed that misinformation caused a number of local officials to vote against joining the project.
“This is not an if it gets done project. It is done already,” Morales said, noting Mexico has started working on its part of the project.
Gutierrez said Morales lives in Eagle Pass and he will support Morales’ stand on the bridge.
“The fact is, we need better, higher-paying jobs along the border. At that time, the Kickapoo were pushing back, and I think now they’ve stood down. Their permit was denied, but what I would do to change things. . .we have to bring more people to the table. I’m glad to do that but we’ve got to do what’s necessary to support higher-paying, better jobs in our communities, and I think what Eddie said is right. You’re going to need a third bridge. It’s the future,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez said he will work to make sure “everyone sits down at the table” and “do what’s best for that community.”
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
