How would you characterize this campaign, as a positive one or a negative one?
Judith Gutierrez: My opponent is running a negative campaign, which detracts from the issues and re-directs them away from the election and the voters. This is meant to confuse the voters, and to keep the voters from looking at the substance of my opponent. It is typical of an unprepared candidate. I won't stoop to that level, and why would I, when I have a record of service and finished projects to put before the voters of the community so that they can make an educated vote. Mr. Ramos' campaign is about gross misrepresentation of the facts. I would rather have a dialogue on the real quality of life issues that are on the top of everyone's list of priorities than debate his assertions of half-truths and innuendo.
Saturnino Ramos: I see it as a very positive campaign. I'm sticking to the issues of fiscal matters, safeguarding county funds, making sure our fund balance doesn't drop to zero, seeing that county real estate taxes do not increase.
Since it is now the City of Laredo that will deliver to the colonias of Webb County, is water to the colonias a real issue in this campaign?
Gutierrez: It has been for many years. At the insistence of the Sate of Texas, the project is now in the hands of the City of Laredo and not Webb County. So while water is definitely an issue, the fact of water delivery to the colonias is that it is a construction issue now underway by the City of Laredo. It is at 90% completion for right of way. By the end of the year 2003, the project will be completed -- that is what engineers are telling us. The money is in place, $23 million. But is this an issue for Mr. Ramos and I to be debating? No, it is not. It is a misrepresentation of who is responsible for what in this process for water delivery. Beyond that, it is one more use of colonia residents as pawns in the debate of a non-issue.
The residents know that I have been, as have been other of the commissioners and the judge, part of meetings with the state and city officials to move this project through as quickly as is possible.
Ramos: Water to the colonias was promised by my opponent four years ago. It hasn't happened during her term in office.
If water to the colonias is an issue, how would you speed up the process to get water there right away?
Gutierrez: Again, we have worked hard interlocally and with the state to move this as quickly as possible. The delay has been with all those private landowners along the water lines who want to tap into the lines, which necessitates larger lines. It makes sense to do it all at once with the right sized lines rather than go back and have to do it again.
Ramos: No pressure has been put on the people who were gathering easements and right of way. It is my understanding that about 90% of the ROWs have been acquired; however, the other 10% is not favorable to giving us ROW. Why don't we publicize the names of the individuals who are holding up the process? If we had offered incentives to the engineering and consultant firms at the beginning to finish early, we might be much farther down the road and people might already have water in their homes. This kind of thinking comes from my training in the private sector. I understand that incentives and bonuses can speed up the process immeasurably.
What is your experience as a public servant?
Gutierrez: I have been serving the people of this community for almost 12 years. Experience is essential to represent our community well at the local, state, and national levels. It would be a step backwards to have someone on the learning curve, someone who is trying to understand some of the huge projects that we have in process or planning. Experience counts for a great deal.
Ramos: There are a group of us that work with the summer basketball programs in Laredo extensively. We raise funds during this period and take these kids to tournaments outside of Laredo. This is an investment in the youth of our city and in our city itself. I also do volunteer work for church activities and other civic activities. I'm a team player. Communication and being able to understand what a person wants or needs, these are my strong points, along with loyalty. I want to extend these to the constituents of Precinct 2.
Was the issue of the vote on the injunction that addressed the conflict between the Sheriff and the Court on the housing of federal prisoners, and possible subsequent loss of revenues, as large an issue as some have portrayed it?
Gutierrez: Litigation should always be a measure of last resort. We should have attempted to settle with the Sheriff before it went into litigation, and that is what tempered my vote not to sue the Sheriff at that time. I wanted dialogue rather than confrontation. I wouldn't have risked the income from housing federal prisoners, but I felt it could have been worked out and pre-empted the high cost of attorneys' fees. We were trying to negotiate a higher per diem with the federal government for housing federal prisoners. It should not have come to litigation. Had all of that failed, then and only then do you use your measure of last resort. My constitutents urged me to try it. We haven't lost the $3.9 million. Anyone who thinks I acted irresponsibly should view the taped version of that meeting. All of my work has been toward protecting the fund balance.
Ramos: It was from the outset a communication issue. This resulted in a stand-off. If the injunction to retain federal prisoners had failed, the county would have lost $3.8 million per year. This annual shortfall in revenue would have been devastating, resulting in an increase in taxes. While the two commissioners who didn't agree with the injunction argued that attorneys' fees would have been exorbitant, the loss of $3.8 million would have been chaotic.
Is the golf course debt forgiveness an issue in this campaign?
Gutierrez: It's an issue we inherited. It was a bad contract. It was silent on the amount of revenue that was going to be generated from the restaurant. To clarify that, we filed for a declaratory judgement against the operator to determine in district court what would have been owed to the County. In those negotiations we created a performance stipulation in the contract and a salary cap that does not let the golf course operator and his wife make over a certain amount of money. Forgiveness is a broad interpretation of court proceedings and mutual agreements between both parties that in the end re-defined the relationship between the County and the operator.
Ramos: Yes it is an issue. No state official has the power to give away state funds. That is taxpayer money owed to the county. If a citizen owes taxes, a lawsuit is brought against them. If he goes before the county to ask for forgiveness of a tax bill of a few hundred dollars, it wouldn't happen. Why would the court forgive a debt of hundreds of thousands of dollars? They called it a wash. This is an issue of the type of politics practiced by my opponent.
When voters evaluate the two candidates for this position, Judith Gutierrez, the incumbent, and the challenger Saturnino Ramos, what should they weigh to make their decisions?
Gutierrez: They should weigh my experience. I am very proud of a record that has addressed quality of life issues for all the residents of Webb County, measures that have brought water to areas that had none, like the Quad Cities, enhancements to Community Centers in the rural areas and the colonias, a new center in Bruni.
They should look at my support for environmental clean-up across the county. We now have two environmental officers who can conduct investigations and write citations. They have been very effective.
They should look at my record of commitment to water issues and the initiative to save Lake Casa Blanca, which falls in my district.
They should look at the fund balance and what I, along with the rest of this Court, have done to undertake projects beyond convention, something clearly evident in the economic development of downtown's Villa Antigua, a project that not only preserves some of the most important structures downtown, but also invites re-development and tourism.
I would like the voters of my precinct to look at the $11 million youth village and our plans for a county morgue, something we have needed for many years. I would also like them to understand that I did my part to establish a County minimum wage.
Ramos: I looked at my precinct and haven't seen any improvements to it over the last 16 years. Kids are still playing in the streets. Part of my district is living in third-world conditions without adequate infrastructure. Assistance to the elderly and the veterans of Laredo is insufficient. We live in the 21st century and it's appalling that these conditions exist in the United States of America, the most affluent nation in the world. What has our commissioner, our representative of our precinct, been doing for the 12 years she has been in office? I want the voters to know I will be very accessible to the people of my district. I will be a full-time commissioner. I plan when elected to request night meetings so that the community can attend and be part of the meetings. Once a quarter we should have our meetings out in the Quad Cities area or the colonias. I want to freeze appraisal evaluations for people over 65, disabled veterans, and all disabled persons living on fixed incomes.
I promise always to vote no on all real estate property tax increases.
Loyalty is my strong suit. I can empathize with all the people of my district. I've lived in it for 30 years. I was raised by immigrant parents in the Colonia Guadalupe. I understand the full spectrum of the district's needs. I've been there.
I want to be sure that all the children of this county have the same opportunity to become first class citizens of the United States. All those kids playing in the streets, they all deserve those opportunities.
I had a good education. I know the value of an education. I was educated at home and in school. It should be available to all children.
If we stop killing people with property taxes and the lack of water, we can show children there is a better world.