If Only "None of the Above" Was a Legitimate Choice

By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon

Brewster's Millions is a 1980's comedy starring Richard Pryor as a down-on-his-luck minor league pitcher who inherits millions of dollars from a deceased relative, but before he can possess his real inheritance of 300 million dollars, he has to blow through 30 million dollars in a month with no assets.

He decides to run a political campaign against the two mayoral candidates for New York City, but he doesn't run himself. He convinces the people both candidates are useless and corrupt and thus he wants people to vote for "none of the above."

If only this were an actual option, we'd probably see more people going to the polls for Brownsville's municipal elections.

The local blogosphere and the newspaper formerly known as The Brownsville Herald have recently reported on the dismal turnout during early voting, which ended today.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again — in a city of 183,000, in the largest city in the Rio Grande Valley, it is pathetic (and apathetic, I suppose) a few thousand people get to decide who gets to sit on the city council.

When we get the types of candidates we get running for office, it's no surprise people stay home on election day.

Among the list of perennial losers, community goofball rabble-rousers, convicted felons, embezzlers, and incumbents who haven't done much for the city during their tenure on the commission, we even have people who are running for office who have made no attempt to inform the electorate of anything having to do with their campaign.

Again, why bother dragging yourself to the polls to vote for any of the riff-raff asking for your vote?

The Beacon does not communicate or collaborate with any candidates. I do not accept money for any political ads or endorsements. With the handful of readers I have, it'd be a huge waste of money to advertise with me anyway.

If you can call this an endorsement, the only two candidates worth voting for are incumbent District 4 Commissioner Ben Neece and candidate for District 3 Roy De los Santos.

After serving as a municipal judge, Ben decided to run for office and has handled himself with poise and professionalism as he's worked to make downtown a safer place to be. I have interacted with him on more than one occasion. I doubt he remembers, but he was my customer when the automotive repair shop I worked at serviced his vehicle, and he was a delight to work with.

Roy is a personal friend of mine. I've known him for several years. I hesitated writing an endorsement piece because it would just sound like a puff piece, but we were college friends and roommates. He's a smart, articulate, civic-minded person who has the city's best interests in mind.

Other than these two candidates, I haven't heard too much from the other candidates running their revenge campaigns or their stealth campaigns.

Vote Ben and Roy. 

I guess you can always write in "none of the above" for the other seats.

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