It’s sure hard to tell when an election is actually over here in
San Benito County.
It’s sure hard to tell when an election is actually over here in San Benito County.
But we do feel that it is time to move on and stop the bitter political infighting that has unfortunately continued.
We feel for incumbent Bob Cruz in District 5.
It’s hard to imagine the emotional roller-coaster that Cruz was on, first apparently defeating challenger Jaime De La Cruz by a slim margin, only to have the last count of absentee ballots give the nod to De La Cruz by a mere 10 votes.
Also, to his credit, Cruz didn’t go running to an attorney to dispute the count despite the crushing blow. He has stayed in the background and, as is his style, refrained from personal attack or bitterness.
De La Cruz has been a class act in defeat and victory. Charges and implications that he cheated are mean-spirited, petty and should be worthless.
Incredibly, the current Board of Supervisors – after two pro Measure G incumbents, Cruz and Ruth Kesler were apparently defeated – voted (with the exception of Cruz) to have the District Attorney’s office and the Attorney General’s office look into the voting.
This is yet another showing of arrogance by the supervisors, not to mention a further waste of county money on litigation, when it seemed that there couldn’t possibly be more from one sitting board.
What really appalls us is the attack on the credibility and expertise of longtime County Clerk and head elections official John Hodges.
Everyone in San Benito County knows from his many years of service what a hard worker and straight-shooter Hodges is – quite a contrast from the secretive style of the current county board members.
To his credit, Hodges continues to follow the election rules, despite the attempts to disrupt his office, question his integrity and even have him removed.
To make matters more confusing, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has hired two local investigators to look into the voting. But we trust that Mickie Luna and her group are well-intentioned and simply checking on voters rights as stated.
What has been overshadowed is this: The voters have spoken.
Unless the final canvassing shows otherwise, Jaime De La Cruz is the new supervisor for District 5.
Then let’s move ahead for the betterment of everyone in our county and get ready to deal with the many serious issues that confront it.
