Nueces County Voters -- Please Vote!

[Czolgosz]

Back on March 7th, 54% of us voted for Gene Kelly. Let's please get it right on the runoff. Please vote for Barbara Radnofsky.

Also, in the race for County Court No. 4, there is a clear choice. Judge Jim Klager is the incumbent, and he is the type of Democrat we should all be proud of. Judge Klager is a decorated Korean war veteran. He served Nueces County as the elected Democratic State Representative in the '60s. Judge Klager served Nueces County as a Municipal Judge in the '70s. He served Nueces County as the elected Democratic Judge for County Court No. 4 from 1985 to today. Judge Klager has been the President of the County Courts at Law Association and on the Board of Directors for the Texas Center for the Judiciary, the Criminal Justice Section of the State Bar of Texas, and the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas. The Corpus Christi Bar Association is made up of lawyers who know both Judge Klager and his opponent, and the members of the bar association understand what it takes to run a courtroom fairly. When asked in an anonymous poll which candidate would do a better job as judge of County Court No. 4, Judge Klager beat his opponent 246 votes to just 30 votes. Please vote for Judge Jim Klager.

In the County Court No. 3 race, attorney John Martinez is running against First Assistant District Attorney Mark Skurka.

In the Sheriff's race, Chief Deputy Sheriff Jimmy Rodriguez is running against former Police Chief Pete Alvarez.

In the local Democratic Party chair race, Jerry Trevino (endorsed by both John Kelley and Joel Mumphord, the candidates who did not make the runoff) is running against Wal-Mart manager Alex Garcia.

In the Lieutenant Governor's race, former Democratic state representative and appellate court judge Ben Grant is running against health care consultant Maria Luisa Alvarado.



These are important races. Please vote. Also, please give special consideration to voting for Barbara Ann Radnofsky for US Senate and Judge Jim Klager for County Court No. 4 -- two races where the choice is especially clear.

[sonias]

1. Absolutely

Czolgosz, is there a possibility of some county wide organization effort? I'd stand at the early voting locations with large posters for Radnofsky.

Nueces county please don't make the same mistake twice.

Sonia

[Jack_DeLeon]

2. I'm voting tomorrow, taking my grandmother and aunt to vote aswell

I'm voting Jimmy Rodriguez for Sheriff, but my grandmother and aunt are voting for Pete Alvarez.

[Czolgosz]

5. That sheriff's race has gotten so nasty that I considered not voting for

either candidate; I just hope that Rodriguez and Alvarez have not weakened each other to the point that they will make it a closer election in November. I cannot begin to predict whether Rodriguez or Alvarez will win.

[meg]

3. I'll be voting for Radnofsky

Not too keen on your other choices!

[Czolgosz]

4. My other choices? I don't mean to convey any recommendation other than

Barbara Radnofsky and Judge Jim Klager in the post above.

In other discussions, I have expressed my reservations about Alex Garcia because I'm not sure that he's as likely to promote progressive issues, but that's just my ideological preference, and I don't mean to suggest that I think Alex Garcia is less qualified in any objective sense.

With respect to Barbara Radnofsky and Judge James Klager, there are some very objective reasons to prefer their candidacies over their opponents' candidacies.

I'm glad we agree about Barbara Radnofsky.

I hope you will consider voting to re-elect Judge James Klager. I personally know both Judge Klager and Hector Gonzalez. Judge Klager is one of the most widely respected judges in South Texas. Judge Klager was responsible for helping to establish the Corpus Christi-Edinburg Court of Appeals and helping to establish County Court No. 5 as a special emphasis court to focus on the juvenile justice issues (this is the court where Judge Carl Lewis presides), and he created a unique criminal law mediation program which has served as a model for courts around the state. Judge Klager has been responsible for writing many of the local court rules and he has been a strong voice for the people. But don't take my word for it; if you know anyone who is personally familiar with the legal career of Judge Klager as well as the legal career of Hector, please ask that person to compare and contrast which person would do a better job of being a voice for the people -- nearly everyone who is familiar with the legal abilities and accomplishments of both candidates is strongly supporting Judge Klager's re-election. I hope you will consider voting for him.

[TexasLinda]

6. Isn't the county chair an administrative position?

If the county chair promotes "progressive issues", does that also mean he promotes progressive candidates? I don't disagree with promoting progressive candidates, but the county chair should not give the appearance of promoting one Democrat over another.

Rumor has it that Trevino would replace the current office staff. The new staff would have two years to figure out how to run a primary election before the 2008 presidential election, and lawyer Trevino should be able to figure out how to do the required Texas Ethics Commission reports. If such a change is to be made, now is the time to do it, although I believe it would be a shame to lose the experience of the current staff. Trevino supporters John Kelley and David Noyola have both expressed their objections on talk radio to the content of the party web page (Kelley wants to put a link to El Defenzor on the home page, and Noyola wants to delete the blog list -- especially the link to the hated South Texas Chisme), so I suspect the current webmaster (who works for free) will be replaced if Trevino is the chair. Alex Garcia has asked the current webmaster to stay on.

I guess it all boils down to how you feel about the current chair and his staff. I like Ortiz and believe he did a good job at a thankless task. His staff are honest, hard-working, and knowledgeable and I'd like to see them retained. I'll be voting for Alex Garcia.

[Czolgosz]

10. My concern that Alex seems less likely to promote progressive issues is

more focused on my concern that he wouldn't get behind fair-wage and access-to-health-care ballot referenda like these: <http://citiesforprogress.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=54>. Also, I read some news articles which discuss Alex's positions on some issues that matter to me, and these articles made me doubt that Alex stands for some of the same values that I believe in: (CPL power monopoly) <http://web.caller.com/newsarch/news10551.html>, (enriching latchkey program) <http://www.gocorpuschristi.com/news98/news21089.html>, (privatizing city functions) <http://www.caller2.com/autoconv/newslocal99/newslocal298.html>, and (possible conflicts of interest?) <http://www.caller2.com/autoconv/newslocal98/newslocal640.html>. But I'm sure that there are many people who agree with Alex on the issues where he and I don't agree, and I guess that those people should vote for Alex. I'm fine with that - that's what democracy is about.

But democracy shouldn't be about misinformation, and the nonsense about replacing the party office staff is pure misinformation.

The current office staff are great, and I have not spoken to anyone who wants to see them replaced. AND JERRY TREVINO FEELS THE SAME WAY! Whoever told you that Jerry wants to replace the current office staff is trying to scare the office workers. Jerry has personally spoken with Susan and Gloria to debunk this baseless rumor, and Jerry is perfectly happy with the party website (which he should be because it's a GREAT website and I don't agree with either John Kelley's or David Noyola's proposed changes to the website).

[TexasLinda]

13. I have nothing against Jerry Trevino,

and if he's smart enough to hang on to Susan and Gloria he just might be the best candidate. I haven't voted yet and will think seriously about your comments (along with some previous posts concerning Alex Garcia) before I do. As for the website, deleting the blog links would not delete the blogs (which the county party has absolutely no control over), but it may decrease traffic to the website. I, and I'm sure many others, go to the Nueces County Democratic Party website almost daily to check the calendar and click down through the blog links for the latest news and rumors. If the blog links are deleted, I'll just go to the TDW website instead.

[Czolgosz]

14. Like you, I go to the Nueces County Democratic Party website about daily,

and I hope that whoever wins the local party chair -- whether it's Alex or Jerry -- does not try to change the website or its administrator or any of the other people who do such a good job down at the party office.

PS You made a good point above that I meant to address, but I forgot to address it. You said, "I guess it all boils down to how you feel about the current chair and his staff." I tend to agree. I know Alex is very close to Representative Vilma Luna (see <http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/php/fsearch.php>), and I also know that Rep. Luna is not especially close with the current chair, so I'm not 100% sure that a transition from Solly to Alex would be completely smooth.

[Czolgosz]

7. Here is a partial list of Nueces County voters who endorse Judge Klager

If you have any question about the best candidate in the race for County Court No. 4, please see if there is anyone on this list whose opinion you would value and ask them why they are supporting Judge Jim Klager's re-election:

William A. Abernethy
Russell T. Abney
Robert Abrego
Larry J. Adams
Maria G. Alaniz
Sandra Alaniz
Douglas A. Allison
Guy Allison
Fisher Alsup
William Dewitt Alsup
Sandra Alvarez
Catarino Alvear, Jr.
Robert Anderson
Ted M. Anderson
T. Mark Anderson
Brett Anthony
Jo Emma Arechiga
Minerva Arriaga
James H. Atwill
Carol Bailey
Brenda B. Baker
Edwin W. Baker
Dario Bargas, Jr.
Darrell Barger
F. Edward Barker
Denny Barre
Randall Barrera
Joseph Barrientos
Ron Barroso
Jeanette Cantu-Bazar
Spring Hailey Beckman
Buddy Bell
John D. Bell
Angelina Beltran
JoAnn Beltran
Gerald L. Benadum
Jaime Berrones
Douglas Bircher
Bill Blackburn
Henry M. Blackmon
David Bonilla
Jon Bonilla
Susanne Bonilla
Ruben Bonilla
Ted Bonilla
Tony Bonilla
William D. Bonilla
Bobby Bourlon
Al Boyd
Marshall Boykin, III
Linda C. Breck
David T. Bright
Regi Bright
Jon D. Brooks
Ross P. Brooks
Kent A. Brown
Robin L. Brown
R. Blake Brunkenhoefer
Robert E. Brunkenhoefer
Lance K. Bruun
James F. Buchanan
Belinda K. Burkett
David T. Burkett
Nathan T. Burkett
Stephen L. Burkett
Kathy Burnside
Virginia K. Burt
Thomas L. Busby
Charles R. Butler
Kyzmyck D. Byerly
Wilson Calhoun
Barbara Canales
Hector Canales
Tony Canales
Jennifer Carden
Denise Carothers
Rick Carothers
Paul F. Carroll
Benny M. Cason
Les Cassidy
Abel Cavada
Armando Cavada
Mauricio R. Celis
Roland L. Chachere
Ed Chapa
Paul D. Chapa
Stephen J. Chapman
Joe W. Christina, Jr.
Gracie Cisneros
Mitchell Clark
Larry Coffey
Joseph A. Cohn
Joseph Collina
Bruce L. Collins, III
Anthony Constant
Patricia R. Constant
J.W. Cooper, Jr.
Melody H. Cooper
Ann E. Coover
Dvid M. Coover, Jr.
Rudy Cortez
Daniel G. Covich
David Crago
Richard W. Crews, Jr.
Enrique Cruz
Kenneth M. Culbreth, Jr.
Johanna Curry
Martin C. Davis
Robin De La Cruz
Frank Delaney
Israel De La Paz
Mary Lou Delgado
Michael de Shetler
David Diaz
Mark DiCarlo
Lori Dixon
Paul Dodson
Ben A. Donnell
Joann Dorminy
Gail Dorn
J. Bonner Dorsey
Tim Dowling
John E. Drake
Fred Dreiling
William A. Dudley
Scott J. Duncan
David J. Dunn
Curtis B. Dyer
Connie M. Eberl
Carol L. Edmonds
Finley L. Edmonds
Libby Edwards
William R. Edwards
William R. Edwards, III
Luis A. Elizondo
Michael A. Elliott
Steven W. Ellis
Scott M. Ellison
Monte English
Isabel Espinosa
Allene D. Evans
Judith G.C. Evans
Donna B. Everitt
Thomas J. Fisher
Rick Fancher
John Flood
Elizabeth L. Flores
Lydia E. Flores
Edmond J. Ford, Jr.
Jack W. Frieze
Monica Y. Fuentes
Katie Galan
Elva Vela Galvan
Francis I. Gandy, Jr.
Arnold Garcia
Debra R. Garcia
Janie L. Garcia
Lucinda J. Garcia
Pamela Garcia
Pedro P. Garcia
Samuel Garcia
Sylvia Garcia
James O. Gardner
Bonnie Garza
G. Rudolph Garza, Jr.
Monica Garza
Michael D. George
Gene Gibbs
Mark B. Gilbreath
Mark H. Giles
Stephen Giovannini
Jane R. Glanzer
Jerry S. Goetz
Cassandra Gomez
Maria Gongora
Alfonso Gonzales
Arnold Gonzales, Jr.
Rudy Gonzales
Melinda L. Gonzales
Arnold G. Gonzalez
Esmeralda S. Gonzalez
Guile Gonzalez
Joe Gonzalez
Robert J. Gonzalez
Sandra Gonzalez
Vincent Gonzalez
Cliff Gordon
Keith M. Gould
Gregory L. Gowan
Coretta Graham
William J. “Billy” Granberry
James D. Granberry
George S. Gray
Kevin W. Grillo
Harvey Grossman
John Gsanger
Victor Gujardo, Jr.
David Gutierrez
Doug Gwyther
René Haas
James H. Hada
Tami Hadley
Jane Haley
Christopher Hall
Philip M. Hall
Tanya Hamner
Rodney R. Handel
Kevin P. Hanna
Ken Hannam
Kay Harlan
Richard L. Harrell
James R. Harris
Cathy Philbrick Hassman
Steve Hastings
Richard J. Hatch
Rick Hatch
Cornelius M. Hayes, III
Jennifer R. Henderson
C. M. Henkel, III
Katharine Henkel
Ann Hennis
Tom Hermansen
Angelica Hernandez
Anna Hernandez
Yvette Hernandez
Mary Hernandez
P.J. Hernandez
Yolanda Hernandez
Gregory H. Herrman
Marina Herrman
Maria Heuston
Jo Ellen Hewins
Sarah Hewitt
Randy Hill
Robert C. Hilliard
Clay Hoblit
Rick Holstein
Donna Hopkins
Josh Hopkins
Daniel Horne
Jonathan Hornblower
Maxine Houser
Michael Hudlow
Lisa Huerta
Joseph Huerta
Mike Hummell
Todd A. Hunter
Van Huseman
Margery Huston
Roxane Iglesias
Jennifer Ingram
Clyde J. Jackson, Jr.
Allan K. Jamison
John J. Janssen
Lane K. Jarvis, Jr.
Jason Jett
John L. Johnson
Robert M. Johnson, Jr.
Grant Jones
John A. Jones
Ross Holiday Jones
Shelby Jordan
Lanette Smith Joubert
Patrick Kasperitis
William J. Kelly
Douglas M. Kennedy
Rebecca Kieschnick
Bradford P. Klager
Henry P. Kosling
Paul G. Kratzig
Farooq Lakhani
John S. Langley
Marilyn J. Larsen
Ricardo Laurel
James R. Lawrence
Gordon Laws
R. Gary Laws
Kipling F. Layton
Sharisse Leal
Michael S. Lee
Andy Lehrman
Belinda Lentz
Roland Leon
Ruben R. Lerma, Jr.
Richard L. Leshin
Carmen Lewis
Valerie Leyba
Kevin W. Liles
Susan Lindell
Mark Keith Ling, Jr.
Mary G. Loeb
Mark Lott
Constance A. Luedicke
Hector Luna
Rene Luna
Vilma Luna
Max J. Luther, III
Polly A. McCann
Timothy McCoy
Fred McCutchon
Ben F. McDonald
Anita McGee
David Lee McGee
Patrick J. McGuire
Jim McKibben
Stephen McMains
Tim McMurtrie
Frank L. McNiff, Jr.
Gregory C. Mack
Randy Mack
Douglas Mann
Russell Manning
Gary F. Mansker
Kevin Maraist
Erica Marinkovich
Milan G. Marinkovich
Harry L. Marks
W.P “Chip” Martens
James M. Martin
Reynaldo Martinez, Jr.
Jordan Mason
M.W. Meredith, Jr.
Ralph Meyer
Mary Meyer-Guzman
Kevin F. Mickits
Brian Miller
Gerry Miller
G. Ray Miller, Jr.
Robert R. Miller
Jack Modesett, III
Alfred Montelongo
Carolyn Moon
Pruett Moore, III
Ari Morales
Irma Morales
Michael Morris
Abraham Moss
Amber Muniz
Jacob Munoz
Veronica Najera
David Neblett
Marvin L. Nebrat
Scott A. Nelson, P.C.
Sandra Newbury
Toufic Nicholas
Richard D. Nielsen, II
Henry Nuss
Rene Obregon
Michael P. O’Brien
Patrick J. O’Hare
Alice Orta
Melissa Owen
William E. Owen, Jr.
Andrew Palacios
Robert Patterson
Vance Paton
Albert A. Pena, III
Jennifer Pena
Miguel A. Pena
Sylvia Pena
P.L. Perales
Cynthia M. Perez
Roxana Perez
Yolanda Perez
David L. Perry
Douglas Peterson
Rhonda Petri
David W. Phillips
Christian Pineda
Chris Pinedo
Tony Pletcher
Misty Ponce
Paul O. Price
Jessie Pulcher
Simon Purnell
Jim Ragan
Gloria Ragan
Robert L. Ramey
Gary E. Ramirez
Jorge C. Rangel
Timothy Raub
Candice Reed
J.E. Rehler
Nate Rhodes
Linda J. Rhodes-Schauer
Agusta Richey
Michael P. Ridulfo
Joseph E. Ritch
Augustin Rivera, Jr.
Marilee Roberts
Celeste Robertson
James H. Robichaux
Todd Robinson
Adam Rodriguez
Celso C. Rodriguez
Cynthia Rodriguez
Luis Rodriguez
Paulette Rodriguez
Priscilla Rodriguez-Davila
Ralph Rodriguez
Gerald Rogen
Richard W. Rogers
Rick Rogers
Michael Ross
Kathy Rouquette
David L. Rumley
Gracie Rupensla
Timothy Saha
Esmeralda Salazar
Rosalinda Sanchez
Irma Sanjines
Anabel Sarabia
Don Schauer
Steve Schiwetz
Scott D. Schmidt
Terri-Lynne Schofield
Tiffany Schons
Thomas M. Schumacher
Robert J. Seerden
Donette J. Seifert
Patricia A. Shackelford
George D. Shaffer
Michael B. Sheehan
Michael J. Shelly
Jan L. Shephard
Scott L. Sherman
David A. Sibley
Craig Sico
Robert Sigler
Ron Simank
Wayland A. Simmons
John Sixta
Ann A. Skaro
Dennis Sliter
Bradley A. Smith
David L. Smith
L. Scott Smith
Kathryn Snapka
Marie T. Soliz
William Sosa
Bob J. Spann
Stephanie Spears
M. Susan Spiering
Gregory G. Spivey
Scott Staha
Vada Staha
Cecil Starcher
Peter Steiner
Sandra Sterba-Boatwright
Roxana I. Stevens
Ryan E. Stevens
David Stith
Mark W. Stolley
Hubert L. Stone
Nina Stone
Richard B. Stone
Jim Story
Michael Stukenberg
Bianca Tanguma
Joe Tanguma
Bonnie L. Taylor
William A. Thau, III
Charles Thomasson
Leighton Thompson
Robert R. Thompson
Robert D. Thorpe, Jr.
John W. Tinder
Douglas Tinker
Catherine D. Tobin
JoAnn Torres
Richard A. Torres
Danny Tower
Jerry J. Trevino
Tina Tullos
Joe Valent
Sandra Valent
Nancy Vasquez-Perez
Sansuray Vaughan
Elva Vela-Galvan
Melissa Vela-Martinez
Robert Vera
Norma D. Villa
Carlos Villarreal
Michele Villarreal-Kuchta
Ruth Villarreal
Bryan Vines
Ben B. Wallace
Chris Waller
Gene Ward
John S. Warren
Rick Waterhouse, Jr.
Guy Watts
Mikal C. Watts
Frank Weathered
Charles Webb
Cecilia Wegner
N.J. Welsh, III
N.J. Welsh, IV
Vaughn Westheimer
Phil Westergren
Jim Whitten
William A. Whittle
Jeffrey G. Wigington
Justin L. Williams
Roxanne V. Williams
Troy B. Williamson, II
Fran Willms
Wendy Wilmot
Kim Wilson
Mark H. Woerner
Patrick Wolter
Robert C. Wolter
Bill Woolsey
R.W. (Bob) Woolsey
Richard C. Woolsey
James W. Wray
Alan L. Yaffe
Chris Yetman
Christine Ysassi
Epi Ysassi
Crystal Zamora
Robert Zamora
Israel Zavala
Theresa Zepeda

[meg]

8. Todd Hunter is a Velacrat

According to last sunday's political pulse in the Caller Timers. Hunter was cheered at the Republican convention.

Vela's switch to GOP draws applause

Republicans got excited when District Judge Rose Vela, a recent GOP convert, showed up last Saturday night for the Nueces County Republican Convention in Flour Bluff.

Vela shocked her Democratic friends when she switched parties to run for the 13th Court of Appeals against incumbent Democrat Fred Hinojosa.

Republican Party chairman Joel Yowell, who leaves office in May, said the crowd was just happy to see Vela.

"They were just greeting her and applauding her stand for running as a Republican," Yowell said. "I was really excited about that, too."

Also at the Republican convention was former state Rep. Todd Hunter.

He too is coming out as a Republican, after years of allegiance to the Democratic Party.

Hunter is one of the chosen for an alternate delegate slot for the state Republican convention in June.

[Czolgosz]

11. That list includes Progressive Populists, Democrats, Greens, Velacrats,

Kinky supporters, Republicans, and everything in between. Almost everyone who knows both candidates is supporting Judge Klager's re-election.

If you went to the Nueces County Democratic Party County Convention on March 25th, you would have seen people serving on party committees as representatives from from the left, center, and right of the local Democratic Party who have all endorsed Judge Klager, including John Bell, Les Cassidy, Linda Dorsey, Corretta Graham, Angelica Hernandez, and Augustine Rivera.

[susanr516]

9. Maybe I'm hyper-sensitive, but

What's the deal with "Wal-Mart manager" Alex Garcia? I thought the Democrats were "big tent" folks. It's VERY distressing to see Democrats becoming ideological "purists." Why would one pass judgment on a person's Democratic "credentials" simply because of his/her employment? That's what Republicans do.

Maybe I'm being hyper-sensitive, but it's very hurtful to label a person based on only one aspect of his/her life. I was reared Southern Baptist, but I'll never go back. One reason I left was that I got sick of people saying, "I don't see how a person could be a Christian and a Democrat." People who knew that I was a Democrat and said they were my "brothers and sisters in Christ," and still they said it to my face. They had no idea how badly that hurt me--or maybe they did know, but thought "correcting" me was the "Christian" thing to do.

I am not endorsing any candidate, but this "Wal-Mart manager = Republican" meme is starting to circulate, and it's not good for the County Party. Which means it's not going to be good for ANY of the Democratic candidates in November.

[Czolgosz]

12. I could live with either Alex or Jerry as party chair, and Wal-Mart

managerial experience isn't a disqualifying factor in my book (but to me it is one factor to consider when voting for a party chair who I hope would support expanded health care which Wal-Mart opposes, increased minimum wages which Wal-Mart opposes, the right to unionize which Wal-Mart opposes, stopping the outsourcing of American jobs which Wal-mart perpetuates, etc.).

If Alex had a good record as a progressive during his term on the city council, I could certainly look past the fact that he's in the management of Wal-Mart, but Alex was one of the least progressive members of a city council that was not at all progressive. If Alex is a great liberal or an activist Democrat or hard-working progressive and I'm just confused about his record, I would be glad to have someone educate me.

I understand that people who share Alex's values should vote for him. People like me who are to the left of Alex on many issues might be interested in a more progressive candidate to run the local Democratic Party. But if Alex wins, that's fine. If Jerry wins, that's even better.

[Czolgosz]

15. TODAY'S THE LAST DAY OF EARLY VOTING. PLEASE VOTE FOR BAR AND JIM KLAGER!

[Czolgosz]

16. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! FOR VOTING FOR BAR AND JUDGE KLAGER

My faith in the democratic process is restored (until the next Diebold flare up).

[sonias]

17. Congratulations Czolgosz and Nueces

I actually posted that your county had been redeemed last night on the early results thread. You see with a little education and some hard work, things work out. There's an interesting thread on Burnt Orange Report from last night about the fact that 1/3 of the vote in the state came from 4 counties and they weren't Harris, Bexar, Dallas, or Travis.

Here is the new power:
El Paso: 19,281 / 18,829 votes cast.
Webb: 18,123 / 18,253 votes cast.
Hidalgo: 17,979 / 18,159 votes cast.
Nueces: 12,741 / 12,909 votes cast.


http://www.burntorangereport.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=675

Sonia