By DUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZThe Paz Files
BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The rough and tumble Rio Grande Valley along the Mexican border never has been a place where women have felt safe or comfortable. Moves across the harsh border terrain often bring the prettiest of ladies to their knees. The feeling of utter helplessness for them is magnified in the no-holds-barred world of politics.
City Commissioner Melissa Zamora, shown in photo above, knows full-well the pain of citizen criticism. Her foray into local politics came with almost-daily damnation of her personal life, some of it worthy of a Henry Miller chapter. Tropic of Southmost, is what Miller would have titled this tale.
Zamora overcame the assaults on her preferences in men and remains deep into her first term as commissioner. And although the successes have been few for her personnally, the sludge that is rumor trails her like an awakened wino suddenly confronted with a well-hipped prostitute on her way home. Ms. Zamora is back online, is what the blogger Jerry McHale reported this week, blogging minutiae to do with her public service, material always positive and never critical of herself, or her colleagues on the city government group.
Now, another blogger has lumped his two-cents-worth on her. This one, former Brownsville Herald reporter Juan Montoya, is hard and heavy on an incident he says involved Zamora and what he characterizes as conduct unbecoming a city official.
This is what Montoya, intractable operator of the blog-for-hire El RrunRrun, wrote: "Zamora, recently also made an appearance on a police report where she intervened in a police arrest on DWI charges of her friend Lupita Molina, a UTB-TSC media center employee. In her case, the police report indicates that she was talking to Molina even after she had been warned not to communicate with the suspect."
According to the blogger, Ms. Molina is a woman known to State Rep. Rene Oliveira.
"The report written by Patrolman Everardo Longoria, mentioned the fact that Zamora had disregarded his order and was heard screaming to Molina a second time through the closed windows of the police car," Montoya goes on in his story. "However, Longoria, the brother of city commissioner Ricardo Longoria, did not identify the city commissioner in question."
The blog notes that Commissioner Zamora "defended her actions" in a posting on her Facebook page, acknowledging the friendship with Ms. Molina. Montoya describes Zamora as "an executive at Elite Promotions," said to be handling the promotional side of Oliveira's re-election campaign.
Commissioner Zamora has said little about the incident.
In the Big Picture scheme of things, it is not a huge misstep. It does, however, go to abuse of power, or at the very least a horribly-weak attempt at it. For a newcomer, and someone who brought hope to a town dominated by Macho politics, Zamora's actions throw her onto that dogpile of border elected officials who never fail to feel anointed, rather than elected. Why was she at the scene, and who asked her to go out there? If it was Rep. Oliveira who sought her aid and she believed she was acting in the capacity of a campaign operative, that could be enough of a reason for her.
It isn't for the citizenry...
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10 comments:
she's toast next election. bet on it.
Too much partying to make a difference in town. A real public servant accomplishes things. what has this woman done that is lasting?
She is blogging again. Her latest post was a library she says she helped build for a local school.
some day there'll be a woman to change browntown. just not yet. melissa didn't get it done. just saying.
The Brownsville city commission is worse than Harlingen elected officials. AT least Harlingen is what it is, Brownsville thinks they are, what they are not. Go figure.
The Brownsville city Commission has three women in the Commission and what have they done?? Nothing other than thinking they are pretty.
Que le pasa a Melissa? She is done with politics? Or what? Doesn't seem so happy. Poor girl. always wondering about the next day.
that Jerry Deal is not honest. He should write about the WhgiteWings like he writes about everybody else. He is being selective, like he is when he dumps on Hispanic candidates. No more, Jerry!
she's got no game. In politics, I mean. usual way of thinking, nothing different. Just another wannabe.
Brownsville is losersville. being a commissioner there is a joke. nothing to wear with pride. that's fo sure. look around. crapcity.
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