Former mayors pledge support for Obama

Cameron County is not “Clinton Country” as some believe and are in for a surprise, former mayor Blanca Sanchez Vela said Monday.

Vela said that contrary to preconceptions, the county is not in presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton’s bag.

When polls close at 7 p.m. today, “it’ll be Texas for Obama in victory,” Vela said of the race between Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic Party’s nomination.

Introduced by State. Rep. Eddie Lucio III, Brownsville former mayors Eddie Treviño Jr., and Ygnacio “Nacho” Garza joined Vela as did former city commissioner Ernesto De Leon, and former Harlingen mayor Randy Whittington to voice support for Obama at his Brownsville headquarters.

Mayor Pat M. Ahumada Jr., city commissioners Charlie Atkinson and Edward Camarillo, County Commissioner David Garza, Edinburg Mayor Joe Ochoa and former Harlingen commissioners Heriberto “Eddie” Medrano and Frank Puente also have pledged support for the Illinois senator.

Treviño said nobody’s vote should be taken for granted and that Obama has led expounding on hope and the message that more should be expected from leaders and government. “I think that message has resonated with old and young alike,” Treviño said.

Whittington said one of the most positive things from the campaigns is that the candidates saw the issues firsthand and from the community’s perspective.

“The other thing that has impressed me is that everybody said that the vote was already pre-ordained in the border. I think we’ve discovered that it’s not. I think we’re going to do very, very well. People are going to be surprised,” Whittington said.

Pres. John F. Kennedy inspired Garza’s parents. The late Texas Gov. Ann Richards and U.S. senator, representative, Treasury Secretary and vice-presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen Jr. inspired Garza.

“And now with Sen. Obama, I’ve seen my daughters (and their friends) being inspired . . . The more that we have people participating, the more that we as citizens stand up and hold our government accountable. That means that as a country, we will be better off,” Garza said.

De Leon said Obama “instills hope and trust” and speaks from the heart. “We hope and pray that he be our next president of the United States,” he said.

The promise of change led Brownsville native Adrian Saenz to help in Pres. Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign. Saenz, who is U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez’s chief of staff, took time off and is the state director of Obama’s campaign in Texas.

And the country is ready for something different, Saenz, from the Hanna High School Class of 1989, said Sunday. “The level of political engagement is incredibly high. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Saenz added.

The Obama campaign offers a toll free telephone number 1-877-486-2262 for any questions involving the primary, including the conduct of the precinct conventions starting at 7:15 p.m. today at the precinct polls where voters in the primary will have a further voice in nominating a president.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s office in San Antonio also will be taking calls on its hotline at 1-877-224-5476.

The Texas Democratic Party also is taking calls at 1-800-336-3254.