BIG JOE'S LAST CHALLENGE

 Jack O'Connell, the great unpublished novelist, took a bottle of wine to "Big" Joe Rodgriguez's house in Rio Viejo. They maintained their social distancing as they relaxed on the patio in spite of the humidity and no gulf breezes. Rodriguez has a small refrigerator full of Coors and they were cold. For almost two decades he managed a Coors distributorship and has remained faithful to his favorite brew.

"Big" Joe is an icon. An standout athlete in his hometown of Edinburg, he entered Pam American University where he starred as a play-making guard and a first-baseman. He led the Broncs three consecutive seasons in hitting.

In 1957 he came to Brownsville and coached at Cummings before moving to Stell for two years. During this time he married and had four children. His wife Emma, who has passed, was a beautiful woman and taught chemistry for many years at Brownsville High. His sons and daughters, a physician and a lawyer among other professional careers, have brought him great satisfaction.

Rodriguez has established his reputation as both a coach and a politician. In the mid-1960s he managed the Brownsville Eagles to the baseball state finals and in 1969 he led the football team to the district title and into the playoffs before they met Cleveland Vann, the black locomotive, who spearheaded the Seguin Matadors to a triumph. At The Toddle Inn over breakfast you can still hear customers reminiscing about those glory days.

Rodriguez's accomplishments are many. He served as the school district's athletic director for 20 years and his feats were notable. Sports in all fields prospered under him and nobody loves a winner more than "Big" Joe. Before and after his time as A.D., he sat on the BISD Board of Trustees for 19 years as well as the South Texas Independent School District Board for 15 years.

"To the best of my knowledge I never missed a meeting nor did I leave early," he said. "The voters elected me to do a job and time was never a factor for me. If you are going to ask the public to put their faith in you, you have a responsibility to meet that bar. Politics is tough, but I have no second thoughts about the decisions I have made. Sometimes you tell yourself you could have been more conciliatory in your approach, but no different than a game, you have to make snap judgments in emotional and pressure situations and none of us are perfect."

Two years ago Rodriguez lost his reelection bid. One of the controversies was the scoreboard at Sams Stadium. Less than $2 million for a first-rate product, Rodriguez still shakes his head when he considers the purchase against PUB's $100 million Tenaska scandal, the $20 million Port's Bridge to Nowhere, the money disappearing into the pockets of Mexicans on the other side of the river, the Titan Tire fiasco that cost Brownsville taxpayers $15 million and the six-million-dollar renovation of the Brownsville Country Club that could have been accomplished for one million.

"When I became AD, Sams was in a dilapidated state," began Rodriguez. "This is the Coliseum of South Texas. It is a jewel, but much like downtown, it had been abandoned. Over the years we invested a good deal of money, but I would argue with our turf field, our track, our dressing rooms and numerous other improvements, the taxpayers have restored Sams' beauty. Our kids deserve the best and it is used for everything, particularly graduations. You don't think parents are proud when in their caps and gowns their children are featured on the scoreboard. Unlike those other ripoffs, we have a facility that is the pride of the community."

"Big" Joe ain't young anymore, but they say he can still outrun Sheriff Omar Lucio in a 100-yard dash. He is inspirational because that competitive fire burns. In the rowdy BISD board elections in which five of the seven seats will be contested, Rodriguez is challenging BISD Board President Minerva Peña as well as neophyte Marisa Leal for the Position 2 seat.

"It will be a barnburner," said former Brownsville Herald columnist Tony Gray. "Since a plurality wins, anything can happen. Just like Trump, educators are sick and tired of Peña's idiocy that she does her best to hide behind a religious facade. Her critics have been roundly denouncing her for insisting that COVID-19 is a hoax. There isn't a meeting in which she doesn't embarrass herself.

"Marisa Leal is a newcomer," continued Gray. "She was once a school librarian, but she left for the private sector and has done well. Her husband, a union activist, is respected in educational circles and has appeared on Erasmo Castro's Brownsville Talk to fulminate against the school district's failure to meet the current daunting challenges.

"Leal, in my opinion, has committed a tactical error. Erasmo, who is also running after having to resign for irregular behavior, insists on his show that he wants to win all five seats. He has formed a slate, along with disgraced fireman Carlos Elizondo and nere-do-well Viro 'El Virus' Cardenas, to monopolize the board. They have been baptized as 'Los Buitres' and they insinuate that Leal is joining them as 'La Paloma.' Castro, Elizondo and Cardenas have an ignominious record of losing elections and Leal wants to ally herself with them. Doesn't make sense, but then she is a rookie.

"Rodriguez's platform is simple. No matter the commands of the governor or the president, Rodriguez is not going to allow employees and students to return to classes if their health isn't assured. Besides establishing an incremental pay scale over the next five years for employees, he argues that the school district needs to lower taxes. And like his commitment to a scoreboard, Rodriguez remains adamant in the construction of a performance arts center."

There are those pundits who consider Rodriguez a longshot because he is both old and battle-scarred. The former boxer counters that the BISD needs his experience. He considers the IDEA and charter schools a valid comparison to highlight the district's strengths and confront its weaknesses. He affirms categorically that he is independent and he has no problems of being a minority of one. He says the trustees should be asking "Why?" and getting more answers.

"You can't put a price on competition," said "Big" Joe. "I am not looking back. I want our administration and board working hand in glove in a forward-looking manner because we live in a volatile world and the only way we are going to survive this pandemic is as one. I'm not 6'1" and 190 pounds as I was during the peak of my athletic career, but my lack of speed will not undermine me in meeting our employees and students' needs."