GARZA 9-22

 John Chambers, the Republican nominee for Cameron County Sheriff, must be in the Guinness Book of World Records. By our math he has faced over the last four years 28 counts for felonies and misdemeanors. His opponent, former Cameron County District Clerk Eric Garza, has never had a parking ticket according to the Baker Boys, the famed private investigators.

Chambers is still in the courts endeavoring to establish his innocence. The justice system isn't cooperating. Desperate to win at any cost, Chambers is calling his foe the next Conrado Cantu, the singing sheriff who used to escort cartel drugloads through South Texas in his patrol card. We would suggest that Chambers stare at himself in the mirror before he starts making these wild accusations that on the surface are a more accurate reflection on himself rather than his adversary.

According to Marshall LawThe McHale Report's expert on all police matters, Chambers should withdraw from the race. He would be more of a role model for his inmates than he would be for his officers. El Rrun Rrun's Publisher Juan Montoya wrote about the sheriff's race and in this edited excerpt Chambers' sorry saga emerges. Writes the blogger:

John Chambers political purgatory began in March 2016 when he was removed from the ballot by the Cameron County Republican party leadership after winning the primary and replaced with county investigator Victor Cortez whom Lucio easily defeated in November 2016.

In 2016, Cortez played a direct role in getting a grand jury to indict Chambers, formerly Chief of Police at Indian Lake, on 14 counts of Tampering With a Government Document where he was accused of directing a confidential informant – his assistant chief Alfredo Avalos – to put together files on his 30 deputies' firearm certification.

Avalos, after receiving immunity through Cortez – told a jury that he was acting under Chambers' orders. Cortez was the head of the county's Public Integrity Unit. He initiated the investigation into Chambers following the disclosure that the Indian Lake chief had gone to the FBI with information on possible local officials' wrongdoing.

On the two previous occasions the charges against Chambers were dropped because of lack of evidence. The investigation into the alleged gun-certification changes originated with a Cortez-inspired investigation.

Cortez also  assisted his former DEA colleague George Delaney to try Chambers even though he was his opponent for the GOP sheriff nomination in the upcoming March 1, 2016 primary elections. 

After being charged with the 14 counts, Chambers was convicted for filing the reports with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement,. The TCOLE was later determined to have lacked the jurisdiction to require the documents and the charges were knocked down to misdemeanors.

But the damage had been done. Chambers had bested Cortez in the GOP primary and was removed by the party and replaced with the second-place vote-getter Cortez. Incumbent Lucio handily defeated Cortez.

Now in his November 3 race against Garza, the three stories in the Brownsville Herald on the upcoming race invariably focus on the 2016 charges and subsequent reversal of the felony convictions by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Also, repeating the claims by Garza supporters, they say TCOLE rules make Chambers “statutorily ineligible” to hold a peace officer license. This despite Chambers' assertions that although his license was first revoked before he won his appeal "That felony no longer exists. The criteria for revoking my license no longer exists, so they have to give it back."

The TCOLE’s website states that someone applying to get relicensed with Class A or B misdemeanors could submit a waiver request through any agency administrator that would then be reviewed by the executive director.  Chambers has worked for at least three cities as chief of police and is a state correctional officer. Any of those could apply for a waiver on his behalf. Even Cameron County. Of course, he has to win in November first before a disqualification applied.

But the daily takes it one step further. It claims that Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza  said it would likely be up to the county's Commissioner’s Court to appoint a replacement until a special election could be held. Yet, no one can remember when a Texas judge has overturned an election and approved the appointment of a sheriff by the county commissioners against the popular vote. It simply is not done.

So after having battled his own party to be its nominee, reversing his conviction on felony charges, and in the process of reinstating his law enforcement license, Chambers now has to contend with an absentee "carpetbagger" daily that has moved out of Brownsville and gives token coverage to local issues.