Rodriguez launches campaign for District 36 House seat

AUSTIN - A former teacher and probation officer has launched a campaign to unseat state Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores, citing his absence from the Legislature the day the House voted on a contentious voter identification bill as a primary reason for running.

Sandra Rodriguez, 48, has filed the necessary paperwork to begin fundraising for the March 4 Democratic primary.

“One of the things that comes with being a leader is power, and my opponent uses his power for himself and for a few,” Rodriguez said. “When I win, I will be a leader to empower people in District 36.”

Flores, who was sworn in as a House member in 1997, said he has done an “outstanding” job as a lawmaker working on veterans’ issues, helping establish the World Birding Center, increasing teacher pay, and bringing money to the Valley for transportation projects.

This year he said he helped bring millions of dollars to his district for a border security center, parks and projects for the city of McAllen.

“I think the voters of the 36th district know how I work, and that I am results-oriented,” Flores said. “We continue to fight for all the needs that we have in South Texas.”

Flores was one of three of the 150 House members absent on April 23 when the contentious voter ID bill faced its crucial vote in the House.

The Republican-backed voter ID bill, which later died in the Senate, would have required voters to bring a photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID to the polls, instead of only a voter registration card. It’s become a hot partisan issue nationwide because Democrats believe it will discourage likely supporters from voting since those less likely to have ID tend to vote for Democrats.

Rodriguez said she took Flores’ absence as a sign of his loyalty for Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick, with whom Flores aligned himself.

“It was a shameless effort to discourage and disqualify seniors and Hispanics from voting,” Rodriguez said. “By walking away from it, that led us to believe that he was for Craddick.”

Flores said he left Austin for his home the night before the vote because he wasn’t feeling well and because he “wanted to tend to some things, but it was more illness than anything else.”

He said he made arrangements to pair his vote with another lawmaker, which means his colleague who would have voted for the bill agreed to abstain, thereby making Flores’ vote against the bill count.

Flores said Rodriguez’s criticism of his absence and his alliance with Craddick shows she does not understand the process at the Legislature or the importance of working with the leadership.

“We are already divided by region, by culture, by different political parties, so when you get up there, you’ve got to be able to use what you’ve got,” Flores said.

Rodriguez was born and raised in Mission. After college, she worked for more than 6 years as a probation officer, then later as a law-enforcement teacher at local high schools, taking time off to raise her four children. She now works as the office manager for her husband, McAllen attorney and former state district judge Fernando Mancias.

If elected, she wants to bring more money to Valley schools and further increase the rolls of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, she said. Her experience in education and law enforcement will help her develop policies to steer at-risk children away from crime through mentoring and intervention, she said.

]“We need to be proactive in the earliest ages of our children, not spend all our money in junior high and high school when it’s too late,” Rodriguez said.

Candidates who want to run in the March primary must file between Dec. 3 and Jan. 2.

Candidates who have so far announced plans to run for House District 36

Ismael “Kino” Flores (incumbent)

Age: 49

Profession: Owner of a business consulting firm. He said he represents franchisees in rights-of-way negotiations with cities, counties and other entities.

Family: Wife Debra, a counselor at Mission High School. Two sons.

Education: Attended El Paso Community College; Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas-Pan American.

Sandra Rodriguez

Age: 48

Profession: Office manager for the McAllen law firm of her husband, Fernando Mancias.

Family: Husband Fernando Mancias, attorney and former state district judge. Three daughters and one son.

Education: Bachelor’s degree from Southwest Texas State University; master’s degree from the University of Texas-Pan American; teaching certificate from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Sources: candidates