EDITORIAL: ROBSTOWN MAYOR RACE HEATED!!!!!!
The current race for mayor of Robstown is heated and
difficult -- pitting friend against friend, neighbor against neighbor -- but it
is the only representative democratic process that exists -- that is, ballot
box democracy. The incumbent Rodrigo
“Rod” Ramon Jr. is being challenged by two challengers: Mandy Barrera (former
city councilperson) and Victor Orona (a former school board member). And the
ole truism that politics is about power is at issue. It indispensably requires
a difficult choice.
Power is not A = B; it is always A > B or B <
A. And in a small community like Robstown, the tension level, as early voting
begins in some circles, can almost be cut with a razor-blade. Mayor Ramon, many
of his supporters harp on the fact that he is on a roll and has a workable vision of growth for the city that
he desperately wants to achieve. His challenger -- Mandy Barrera -- also has
ambitious plans, but pitches that her platform is more comprehensive in that it
seeks to promote a plan that reaches more sectors of the populace. Orona, the
other challenger, also has a platform called “The New Vision.”
Ramon was first elected mayor in 2001. Before that
he served as a city council member and mayor pro tem. Both he and his rivals --
Ms. Barrera and Mr. Orona -- want to
elevate the quality of life to better the quality of life for residents
and businesses alike. They want to bring out the best that its city has to
offer, make infrastructure improvements and economic development. Orona has
voiced that he wants to stop unnecessary spending and exercise fiscal responsibility.
Ms. Barrera -- having been a city council person
before -- has a pragmatic plan to develop the downtown area where it can be a
bubbling social market that attracts neighboring communities. At the same time, she wants to address the
rising utility bills that especially the elderly struggle to play on a monthly
basis. Ms. Barrera, if elected, will also sit on the Robstown Utility Board and
thus lobby to introduce some well-thought out exceptions for the elderly and
sick.
All three candidates want to move the city forward
into the modernization age. However, the incumbent Mayor -- Ramon -- has built
an organizational base that will not be easy to unseat. He has a tract record
that many point to visually as a credit point in some debates. He has hefty
resources available and close-knit contacts to put up a “good fight” this
election.
Ms. Barrera says that she is not deterred. She has a
degree in business administration and a masters and comes from a family of
entrepreneurs. The historic Barrera Fried Chicken place is a testament to the
enduring spirit of economic survivability. A business she has managed. She is a
serious talker -- and she reserves her smiles and giggles until business is
conducted. She is independent and most possible the top opponent Ramon faces.
But do not underestimate Mayor Ramon; he is creative
-- he climbed the staircase to the top rolling with the punches of competition.
He has mustered an army of supporters and advisors. He is the longest sitting
Hispanic mayor in the history of Robstown. He is a negotiator and a
think-on-his-feet guy. He is not the tallest guy in the room, but sometimes it
seems so -- some observers have expressed.
There is something special about all three
candidates. Yet, Mandy’s supporters claim she has the popular vote. She can be
bubbly and approachable yet a go-getter. She feels that the signs for her to
run were expressed in the needs of many that orbit her world. Her campaign is
based on the premise that too many resources have been concentrated on an
elevated economic development plan that leaves out certain sectors of the
community, sectors that she feels will empathize with her message. It will most likely, according to Barrera, be
the indispensable vote to stamp victory on election day, May 9th.
As in any election, the insecurities are high. It is
difficult to predict the future. On the one hand, the mayoral race is exciting
and competitive and the community is stirred up pitching their needs and
parading their signs; but on the other hand, there is critical reflection, and
critical reflection leads to generalizations. And the practical question, at
the end of the day, is who can really bring Robstown out of the hole it has
been historically for too long and into the light of progress. Not just
economic progress, but social and cultural progress.
Since there are three candidates running for the
mayoral seat, the chances are there will be a run-off between the two top
vote-getters at a future date. The election will not be over by any means, but
most likely will be picked up a notch. Immense resources are put (and will
continue to pour continuously) into conducting such an expensively daunting
campaign.
All three mayoral candidates also have a slate
running for city council seats. This latter adds to the amount of residents
showing up to vote. The first days of early voting, it appears the mayor’s
supporters showed up in larger numbers to vote; however, by mid-week both
Barrera’s and Orona’s surfed in more assertively. . . If there is a run-off,
many analysts are predicting the voter turnout will be low in that “slates” will
no longer be involved – it will be a one-on-one. And a one-on-one typically
favors the incumbent mayor unless the rival manages to keep the enthusiasm high
and its former slates members integrated. Courting the candidate that loses on
the first round will also be elemental.
Mayor
Ramon had not faced such formidable opponents in a long time. He has a master
plan, and as long as he continues to seat in the “top gun” seat, his visionary
master plan will be pushed forward with all the determination that can be
mustered. The election will soon pass. Neighbors have to continue being
neighbors: the ultimate survival struggle remains. The animosities roused by
the fierce race and rivalry and competition will be puffed away into the
distance and a new sun of normalcy will cast its piercing beams on Robstown,
the unique small town known as “El Robe” – historically once a famous and thriving
agricultural community of cotton-pickers and now famous for its “out of the box”
political culture.
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