Commissioners eliminate two constable positions
Cameron County voters might only have to elect five constables in 2012 instead of seven after the Commissioners Court approved consolidating four of the posts at their meeting Thursday.
Within the space of a few hours, the Commissioners Court held a workshop on a proposed map showing the realignment of precinct lines for constables; redrew the precinct lines; consolidated six of the precincts; and then decided to consolidate only four of them.
The move drew many representatives of the county’s law enforcement community as Commissioners Court discussed the issue.
Commissioners took action with a split vote to merge the constable Pct. 4 post in Rio Hondo into the constable Pct. 3 position in San Benito, and the constable Pct. 7 post in La Feria with the constable Pct. 5 position in Harlingen.
County Judge Carlos Cascos, Pct. 2 Commissioner Ernie L. Hernandez Jr. and Pct. 4 Commissioner Dan Sanchez approved the new precinct lines and consolidation. The trio pointed to the need to not only efficiently operate the county but to realize budget savings.
They initially also proposed to merge the constable positions in Port Isabel and Los Fresnos but withdrew this part of the proposal shortly before the vote was taken.
Pct. 1 Commissioner Sofia C. Benavides and Pct. 3 Commissioner David Garza voted against the action. Benavides said the proposal should go before the voters and that she would not support elimination. Garza said that he had been “blind-sided” by the proposal.
Garza indicated that some commissioners had met outside of publicly called sessions and that proposals had been circulated.
“This raises a red flag for me,” he said.
The consolidation still requires the approval of the U.S. Department of Justice.
If approved, only five constable positions instead of the present seven will be on the ballot in 2012.
If all of the constables decide to run, the measure would leave current Pct. 4 Constable Robert Lopez and current Pct. 7 Constable Cesar Diaz in a sense without the benefit of incumbency.
Lopez indicated that he isn’t going down without a fight.
“I am talking to an attorney right now,” Lopez said shortly after Commissioners Court took the vote.
“It’s political. There were a lot of under the table dealings,” he maintained. “And did you notice how easy it was for them to decide not to merge Port Isabel and Los Fresnos?”
Cascos said during the sessions that he has been a proponent of reducing justice of the peace and constable positions since the 1990s. He maintains that Cameron County is the only county of its size with so many constables and justices of the peace.
Sanchez said “no one is being targeted” and noted that while two constable positions were being eliminated, the deputy constables would continue working and would not be affected.
Members of the law enforcement community and leaders from cities and towns in the county also appeared before Commissioners Court, urging pause in order to allow the community to study the proposal and provide input.
