Pulido says county needs full-time administrator

PHARR — Eloy Pulido has joined the race for county judge against a familiar opponent by using a familiar tactic.

Claiming the county needs a full-time administrator in its chief elected position, Pulido said he is better equipped to take on that role than his opponent, Ramon Garcia.

Pulido’s filing for county judge sets up a furious race to the March 2 primary between two men who faced off in the 2002 election for the seat.

Garcia soundly beat Pulido in that race and served in the position until his narrow loss to J.D. Salinas in 2006.

But as Pulido unveiled the message for his new campaign, he seemed to borrow a page from Salinas, who repeatedly called for a full-time judge as he sought to unseat Garcia three years ago.

Garcia was rarely seen in the county judge’s office during his term, instead conducting county business out of his private law practice, Pulido said. When Salinas took over the office in 2007, the files he cleaned out of the county judge’s official desk were Pulido’s, not Garcia’s.

“(The county judge’s office) takes work, it takes commitment, it takes energy,” Pulido said at a news conference Wednesday. “More important, it takes a full-time county judge to get these things to happen.”

Both former county judges have now filed to regain their old seat.

Garcia did so last week at his law office, pledging to stop wasteful spending and bring fiscal responsibility to county government.

He attacked a decision made during Pulido’s term to raise taxes and argued he can best lead the county out of an economic crisis.

The months leading up to March’s primary promise to be full of mudslinging if the race between the two men is anything like the last one, which was one of the most expensive political contests in county history up to that time.

But Pulido’s camp recognized Wednesday that it was late to jump into the race after Salinas left office last month to take a federal post.

A brochure in Pulido’s news packet handed out Wednesday is from his 2002 campaign.

Meanwhile, Garcia, who was long expected to seek a return to his old seat, has campaign signs up throughout the county and racked up dozens of endorsements before Pulido even entered the race.

Some of Garcia’s supporters may now switch sides, however, as Pharr Mayor Leo “Polo” Palacios did by introducing Pulido at Wednesday’s news conference.

Pulido, an administrator for a home health care agency, said voters can make their decisions in March based on each candidate’s respective track record.

“The voters of this county are in a very unique position, because I served four years as county judge, (and) my opponent also served four years,” Pulido said. “I’ll put my four years against Mr. Garcia’s four years and you can be the judge. Who deserves your vote?”

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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4424.