Mayor refuses to debate

 

Ryan Holeywell

The Monitor

March 25, 2009

 

McALLEN — Incumbent Mayor Richard Cortez is refusing to participate in any debates leading up to May's election.

Cortez, running for a second term in office, said his record speaks for itself and residents should be able to decide whether to vote for him based on his four years in office.

             "I'd rather give my opponents an opportunity to have more time to tell the citizens why they're better for the city than me," Cortez said.

             Cortez faces a colorful field of challengers, including one seeking a $20 million payment from the city, another who touts new-age health techniques and a third who insists the incumbent has done a great job.

             Organizers of two upcoming candidate forums are now set to host events exclusively featuring long-shot candidates.

"We want to give equal opportunity to all the other candidates," said Christopher Julian, president of the McAllen Citizens League, which is hosting an April 23 forum. "It's almost counter-productive, but in all fairness to the candidates, just because one doesn't want to do it doesn't mean we shouldn't do it at all."

             The mayor is also skipping an April 16 candidate forum hosted by the McAllen Citizens League, Futuro McAllen and the alumni of civic group Leadership McAllen.

             Nedra Kinerk, a leader of Futuro McAllen, said she is disappointed with Cortez's decision, but the event will go on without him.

             "He is extremely well-known and has been highly visible during his term - the other three candidates less so, so I guess they're the ones people need to know a little bit more about, so on that basis we'll proceed," Kinerk said.

Julian said he felt Cortez was thumbing his nose at the city's civic organizations, but the McAllen Citizens League president emphasized he was making that appraisal as a resident and not in his official capacity as the league's leader.

Despite a 20-minute conversation with the mayor Wednesday, Julian was unable to persuade Cortez to change his mind.

             "He thinks it's a gross waste of his time to get up with those other guys and be portrayed as a circus," Julian said. "I understand, but perception is reality. If you want the job, you've got to fight for it."

But Cortez defends his choice.

             "People know what I've done," he said. "If I get four more years, it will be more of the same."

Cortez's opponents had mixed reactions to news of the mayor's refusal to appear with them.

Armin Narro, a perennial mayoral candidate who received less than half a percent of the vote in 2005, said he wasn't surprised by the mayor's decision. He criticized Cortez's refusal to debate as evidence of a lack of leadership.

Narro said he is campaigning to try to obtain $20 million in restitution from the city because he feels municipal leaders have tried to censor him. He also said he hopes to become deputy director of the FBI so he can arrest city leaders.

             Another candidate, Raul Cortina, said it doesn't matter to him whether Cortez appears at the debates.

But candidate Charles Snelling said there is no point in Cortez participating, considering the field of challengers.

"He's going to win," Snelling said. "He's a good mayor. Why should he waste his time with us?"

Cortez said he wasn't snubbing the civic groups and noted that as mayor, he speaks in front of many organizations. But he said he doesn't want to debate as a candidate.

             "I don't want to ask for votes," Cortez said.

             "This job belongs to the citizens of McAllen," he added. "I'm perfectly willing to put it in their hands."

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Ryan Holeywell covers McAllen, PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor.

He can be reached at (956) 683-4446. or  at rholeywell@themonitor.com

Source:  http://www.themonitor.com/articles/debate_24676___article.html/mayor_mcallen.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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