A Wonderful Day Recognizing Sgt. Barrientes

This morning after hearing a very interesting sermon on trustworthiness and our purpose on earth, I had the opportunity to travel with Rep. Pena to a dedication event for Sgt. Francisco Barrientes in Edinburg, Texas.

As I arrived to the event with the Rep. I was enlightened to see many happy faces enter the Sgt. Francisco Barrientes Middle School gym that was soon to be filled by faculty, students, family, and close members of the community. Among those that were present were Sgt. Barrientes family members.

As Rep. Pena made his way through the crowds to the front of the gym he would get stopped by caring members of the community just so that they can say “Hi Rep. nice to see you here today.”

I gathered myself to one corner that allowed me to view the entire audience and the stage where all the invited speakers sat with the Honoree, Sgt. Francisco Barrientes. As I looked to the stage at Mr. Barrientes sitting next to Rep. Pena, it was a wonderful view for me. These two individuals share something very important; the ability to serve those that they love and having the passion to do it. Mr. Barrientes’s dedication over the years is an inspiration to me and it is notable that not many of those kinds of individuals exist.

This event was so remarkable to capture not only by a photo camera but also through my own personal experience. As Rep. Pena gave his speech to the audience and Sgt. Barrientes sat peacefully in his chair looking into the crowed, I could see that everyone was interested in what was being read on the Proclamation Rep. Pena wrote for Sgt. Barrientes. At one point I could feel a tear trying to escape my eye.

At the end of the dedication ceremony, I can truly understand why Rep. Pena is deeply respected within his community. It is Rep. Pena’s ability to reminisce on the days that he once walked the halls of the middle school when he was a young boy many years ago with those who were present. This same school that was just recently named after a Vietnam War Veteran, who like Rep. Pena, is also a well-respected individual that devoted his abilities and talents to the community many years ago to this day.

After a very beautiful morning and afternoon I have to say I could not have asked for a better and beautiful day with Rep. Pena, Sgt. Barrientes, and everyone present at the dedication ceremony recognizing the efforts of one individual and his impact on the way we live our lives.

We Have An Opponent

The Monitor has the first story of the campaign season. You can find it below.

Saenz challenging Peña to a rematch for House seat

Elizabeth Pierson Hernandez
September 17, 2007 - 9:51PM

Eddie Saenz
Age: 47
Occupation: Engineer
Education: bachelor’s degree, University of Texas at Austin
Family: Married, one child

Aaron Peña
Age: 48
Occupation: Lawyer
Education: bachelor’s degree, University of Texas at Austin; law degree, Texas Southern University
Family: Married, five children (one deceased)


AUSTIN — Eddie Saenz and state Rep. Aaron Peña appear to be heading for Round 2.

Saenz, an engineer, has filed the necessary paperwork with the state to begin raising money for a campaign rematch against Peña for House District 40 in the March Democratic primary.

Peña, who has held the seat since 2003, faced a challenge in 2004 from Saenz, who came up short with 35 percent of the vote. Peña ran unopposed in 2006.

Now Saenz said it’s time to try again. He said Peña has not listened to local leaders in his Hidalgo County district. He also questioned Peña’s dedication to the overwhelmingly Democratic district, citing Peña’s decision to align himself earlier this year with Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick.

“He’s betrayed the district by being a staunch Craddick supporter,” Saenz said.

Saenz wouldn’t rule out voting for a Republican speaker himself, if elected, but said he would vote for someone more moderate than Craddick.

Peña said he worked with Craddick to deliver what his district thought was important, including more money for the Regional Academic Health Center, expanded eligibility for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, increased funding at the University of Texas-Pan American, an increase in teacher pay and trying to get a veterans hospital in the Rio Grande Valley.

“What Mr. Saenz is suggesting, that he be a back-bencher bomb-thrower, is not going to advance the interests of the Valley,” Peña said.

Peña said he is a lifelong Democrat and remains so, citing his position as director of South Texas outreach for the Hillary Clinton for president campaign.

Saenz and Peña will fight for a district that is the largest by land mass in Hidalgo County, taking in the north and westernmost parts of the county. It includes most of Edinburg and all of Edcouch, Elsa, La Villa, La Joya and Sullivan City.

Peña is a lawyer who decided to run for office after his 16-year-old son died of a drug overdose in 2001. He accomplished his major goal earlier this year when the Legislature dedicated $3 million to build a drug-treatment center in Edinburg, he said.

He called the session “probably the best” in the Valley’s history.

“We have a successful track record of success that is measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said.

If re-elected, he wants to work to establish a full medical school in the Valley, which would help attract federal and state funds for a veterans hospital, he said.

Saenz said Peña has ignored parts of the district such as Edcouch, Elsa and La Joya. If elected, he would look for ways to create jobs by building health clinics, community college branches or whatever local leaders determine necessary, not just in Edinburg but across the district, he said.

“Being involved as an engineer is being involved in construction,” Saenz said. “We need to create this sort of activity in other areas of the district as well,” he said.

He also wants to continue expanding CHIP to include more families with a higher income than the program currently allows, he said.

Saenz, 47, is a graduate of McAllen High School and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He runs an engineering firm, J.E. Saenz & Associates.

Local leaders from Edinburg and other cities came to Saenz asking him to run, Saenz said. Peña’s alliance with Craddick and other factors mean it’s a different climate in the district, he said.

In the 2004 campaign, Saenz said, Peña harped on a lawsuit against Saenz by the city of Edinburg alleging Saenz, a frequent government contractor, owed the city money. He was later cleared of wrongdoing, he said.

“We just feel that the dynamics have changed and I just feel that I’m not going to be beat up with the city like last time,” he said.

Peña said he would challenge Saenz to run a clean campaign, saying Saenz has already used untoward campaign tactics.

“Eddie’s been running since he lost in 2004, and they’ve started with dirty whisper campaigns, unregistered blogs that attack my family, and lies and misrepresentations that are told to the community,” Peña said.

Peña would not say what those unregistered blogs were.

Others may yet join the race. The deadline to register for the primary is Jan. 2. The election is March 4.
____

Elizabeth Pierson Hernandez covers the state capital for Valley Freedom Newspapers. She is based in Austin and can be reached at (512) 323-0622.

Thank you all for your words of support

I was reading the Capitol Annex the other day and I was surprised to see such positive comments on the blog regarding Rep. Pena's re-election. It is true he has been a champion for his constituents as one commentator wrote.

I have seen many of the new infrastructures within The University of Texas-Pan American and glad to say that without hard work from Rep. along with the other Valley delegation we would not see such improvements on our local University.

Aside from that Rep. Pena has been very productive during his terms and I believe we can all see that and count oh him once again in 2009.

This is my first post as a volunteer for the Representative's re-election. I hope to have other posts as the campaign advances.

Barbecue and Politics, a South Texas Tradition

Was invited to the Edcouch-Elsa community, often times called the "Delta area" for a little barbecue and some politics. Before the Dallas Cowboy football game we talked politics and passed out and put up a number of 4 x 8 campaign signs to a few supporters who heard the signs were in.

A full blown "Pachanga," in it's traditional sense it was not, but a pachanga's mixture of food, politics and strategic coordination were all there. For the uninitiated an old-fashioned "pachanga" is a social gathering that traces it's origins to a more segregated time in our history in South Texas where people:

"usually spanning two or thee generations, gather in the country to talk (politics), informally organize, drink, eat and listen to and play music."

Today instead of music there was football and unlike social gatherings of the past (pre-1990's) women were present. This tradition does have some connections to boss-rule and social segregation, but with the times and the involvement of younger generations things are changing. The negative connotations associated with the phrase "pachanga politics" comes from the excesses injected into the tradition by the lazy and greedy who saw the attendees as a means to an end rather than as individuals deserving of respect. A good read and a thorough analysis of pachangas in South Texas is made in a fine University of Texas Press book by Margaret Dorsey. It is called "Pachangas: Borderlands Music, U.S. Politics, and Transnational Marketing." I recommend it.

I made sure that I passed by my grandparents house to put a sign on their fence. I did it for sentimental reasons. They both died several years ago but their move to this small farming community from Mexico is the very reason I hold the position of state representative. They were poor in finances but rich in a wealth of friends. Their small wood frame house where my first-cousin, Homer Pena, still lives is a testament to the journey many a family have made from poverty to the mainstream of our society.

I'll visit with you later about a similar political gathering by the Rio Grande river in the La Joya community on the opposite side of my district.

Peña 2008 Re-Election Campaign Signs Are In

The signs for the Peña 2008 Re-Election Campaign are in. Many of you from the district have been asking when we would start putting them up. Well our candidate didn't wait long after the traditional campaign start date (Labor Day) to begin. Friday afternoon the representative, his son Anthony and nephew Andre put the campaign's first signs up. Many more were delivered to different parts of the district and are available for display. Taking a cue from the successful session the representative enjoyed, "Strength and Experience" highlights the focus of Peña's re-election efforts. These are certainly essential elements if a candidate is going to deliver for his district as Peña did this session. We invite all locals to stop by and pick up their campaign signs to show their support for Aaron.

Representative Peña Announces Re-Election Bid

This is a copy of a posting that appeared on A Capitol Blog. We are all very excited about the campaign.



Serving the Community I Love


The campaign season begins. In a democracy it is a necessary and good thing to have your work as an elected official reviewed by the people you serve. I have proudly served this community for the past six years. With the blessings of my neighbors, it is my intention to continue that service. I therefore place my name and legislative service before the community for consideration in the upcoming election.

By all accounts the previous legislative session, was for the Rio Grande Valley, by far one of the best in our history. Our community continues it's phenomenal growth and yet more is still to come. I am pleased we successfully accomplished the primary legislative directive given to me by city leaders, that being garnering the $5 Million dollars for the (RAHC) Regional Academic Health and Science Center. This center will certainly compliment our drive to bring a full fledged four year medical school to the Valley which in turn will compliment the VA Medical Hospital Center many of us have been fighting for. One related item that brings me great peace is to have obtained funding for a $3 million substance abuse treatment center in Hidalgo County that will fill an unmet need.

Next to the Regional Academic Health and Science Center is one of our office's early legislative achievements, the $26 Million Dollar UTPA Wellness Center. Along with a 13% increase in state spending for our local university and the $40 Million Dollar Fine Arts Center to be constructed I am more than satisfied with the success we have seen. Yet more is still to come.

Our Valley's Museum of South Texas History will see a $1.5 Million Dollar Will Looney Memorial Park that will compliment the growing museum which tells the rich history of our people. That success comes from the hard work our legislative office delivered in fighting for that funding through the tough appropriation process. That park will more than compliment the $156 Million Dollars delivered to our larger community to fund local and state parks for the enjoyment of our families and our children.

As for our children, one of the greatest successes of this legislative session was the $63 Million Dollar growth we brought to the (CHIP) Children's Health Insurance Program. I had the pleasure to be one of the key joint authors of House Bill 109 which is expected to add another 130,000 children to the program. Now our doctors and hospitals can deliver more health care to children in our community.

In our public schools we heard the concerns of parents and teachers; and, we passed legislation phasing out the TAKS test. We continue to make progress in raising the pay of our public school teachers by adding another increase to the $2000 pay raise we provided last session. Fulfilling a promise I made to local retired teachers, retirees can see a one-time supplemental "13th check". We additionally succeeded in eliminating shortfalls to the teachers' pension fund.

For our economic prosperity, the Rio Grande Valley Legislative Delegation delivered on numerous important local projects. The state budget includes $50 million for two regional DPS facilities, and a total of over $4.5 million for local parks and nature centers. We provided some property tax relief for the elderly and disabled, and we also set aside revenue for future tax cuts.

On a more personal note, the sacrifices of South Texas soldiers continue to inspire a nation. I had the honor of authoring and passing legislation awarding the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor, the state's highest recognition, to one of our local heroes. Freddy Gonzalez becomes the first soldier from the Valley to receive this honor.

In the last few days I was pleased to assist Edinburg's Housing Authority in receiving a grant that will benefit the elderly in our community to have affordable housing. 168 affordable housing units will soon be available to them.

With each session the voice of this community grows and yet the best is yet to come. I committed myself years ago to the service of this community. And although others may seek to cloud my intentions, make no mistake I am seeking re-election to the Texas House of Representatives.

I hope this post makes matters clear. I welcome all challengers.