By. Nisie
Local government is the foundation of our democracy; it is where every vote truly counts. Unlike federal elections, voters get to directly chose who represents them in their perspective city, county or state. But similar to federal elections, there seems to be lack of transparency once a candidate is elected to office. Especially when it comes to issues that could immediately impact their constituents. Earlier this month voters saw a glaring example of Tarrant County’s problem with accountability and transparency.
August 10, during the LULAC sponsored Community Menudo Breakfast, after the agenda concluded there was time for open announcements. Those on the wrong side of the issue may say, “That’s when the problem started”, but not I. During those announcements Community outreach director for Alyssa Simmons, Gabe Rivas stood up to alert community leaders of a plot to replace Cesar Chavez Day with Veteran’s Day. Rivas pointed to Manny Ramirez as the Tarrant County Commissioner who charged the lead to get rid of Cesar Chavez Day established in 2001. In a statement from Manny Ramirez shared by a concerned voter, Ramirez adamantly denied any involvement. He pointed to his family roots of migrant workers and veterans to further express his frustration over the accusation, “My grandparents were migrant farm laborers from the valley to Ohio; in the 50s, they moved to Fort Worth and raised a family of 9 children, 6 of whom are military veterans and 3 of which became police officers”. To push further he flatly called Gabe Rivas a liar.
But despite his adamant denial, some community leaders are still slow to trust him at his word. During a press conference held last week, Karla Palomares did not shy away from criticizing Tarrant County Commissioners in her statement stating , “I’m here today to call on the community to give their attention to the nonstop dishonesty and complete unwillingness for accountability being shown to us by our County Judge Tim O’Hare and other members of Tarrant County Commissioners Court,” she ended her message by calling out O’Hare and Ramirez by their name and exclaiming, “Manny Ramirez es un vendido. Manny will gladly sell out Latinos.” and “Tim O’Hare es un vendido. Tim O’Hare will gladly sell out Latinos.” Some voters in the Latino community are growing tired of giving support to Latino politicians only for them to turn their back on the very people who voted them in. Personally, I’m not sure what Latino voters expect from Manny Ramirez who was endorsed by Dan Patrick- a mega Trump Supporter.
In the end Cesar Chavez Day was saved. Some may not recognize the importance of Cesar Chavez Day. But to those in the Latino Community Cesar Chavez is a symbol perseverance, resilience and freedom. Founding the Farmworkers Association in 1962 Chavez would organize migrant workers to fight for better working conditions and later would become a champion of the Civil Rights movement, expanding his reach to Latinos across the United States to fight for equal rights. He was also a proud veteran, serving in the US Navy for two years.
But despite the victory for the Latino community, the root of the issue remains. There is a clear lack of transparency here in Tarrant County and it is possible more than one district is part of the problem. If Gabe Rivas stayed silent about the truth of what was happening behind closed doors of the commissioner court, there is a good chance the holiday would have been replaced without any knowledge of voters. And yet Rivas had zero support from Tarrant County commissioner Alyssa Simmons of District two, who told news outlets that Rivas, “Spoke out of turn and would deal with the matter internally”, essentially, she is shutting him down from speaking out for his community.
In the end it was discovered Rivas was at least telling the truth about one aspect- Tarrant County Commissioners did intend on voting on two separate sperate holiday calendars and one of them did not include Cesar Chavez day. This is where the accountability issue comes in. The agenda to replace the holiday did not appear by some act of political witchcraft, right? If Alyssa Simmons is covering for Manny Ramirez for any reason, she must be held accountable. The same for Ramirez, if he was in fact the one to introduce the idea to Tarrant County Commissioners to replace Cesar Chavez Day.
Alas, politicians being dishonest is nothing new. The task to hold those we vote into office accountable lies on the constitutes shoulders. And thanks to those who aren’t afraid to tell the truth like Gabe Rivas, the Cesar Chavez Committee of Tarrant County, LULAC Council 4568 and other community leaders were able to put together a campaign overnight to save Cesar Chavez Day. This was not just a win for the Latino Community. It was a message to those who represent our districts in Tarrant County ,that voters are watching, listening and ready to act.