Two to face off for JP spot

HARLINGEN — Longtime Cameron County Precinct 5, Place 1 Justice of the Peace Sallie Gonzalez has an opponent in the March Democratic Party primary election, County Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said.
Harlingen attorney Ernesto “El Gallito” Gonzales has filed papers with Hinojosa’s office to appear on the ballot, a staff member at Hinojosa’s office confirmed on Thursday.
Ernesto Gonzales said his training and experience as an attorney puts him in a good position to improve the operation of the JP court over which Sallie Gonzales has presided since 1992, succeeding Judge Leo Longoria who retired.
Gonzales has worked for Cameron County more than 36 years.
“There are several situations that I think need to be corrected,” Gonzales said. “One is having more of an open door policy, be more accessible to individuals dealing with the court.”
Truancy cases could also be handled in a different way, rather than assessing fines, trying to help parents cope with the problem rather than just assessing fines,” Gonzales said.
“I could consider ordering parenting classes and having students perform community service and order the teens to visit the juvenile court, juvenile jail and the county jails,” he said. “Also, we could meetwith school officials to get their ideas on dealing with the truancy,”
Gonzales, a graduate of Pan American University and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, is a former Primera mayor and city attorney former assistant district attorney in Willacy County, he said.
The nickname “El Gallito,” which translates to bantam rooster,” was given him by the late District Court Judge Darrell B. Hester because of his aggressive courtroom tactics, Gonzalez said proudly.
Although Sallie Gonzalez has been in her office more than 30 years, Ernesto Gonzalez said being an experienced attorney gives him a decided edge.
But Sallie Gonzalez points to her record of handling a heavy caseload in her office.
“I haven’t had an opponent since (Alex Trejo in) 1996,” Sallie Gonzalez said.
Sallie Gonzalez in August requested a $12,000 pay increase after Cameron County commissioners voted to not raise salaries for any elected officials, citing the county’s financial
She wrote to Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos that she intended to file a grievance, seeking to increase her $44,848 pay to $56,848.
She based that request on the amount of money her office collected.
“I am just going on my merits, my caseloads and the amount of money I am bringing into the county,” Gonzalez said in August. “I am bringing on and beyond what any of the other JPs are doing.”
She said at that time her office has brought in more than $780,000 in revenue for the county.
She backed off her pay raise request about a week later.
Gonzalez said that episode won’t have any effect on her re-election chances.
 “Absolutely not, because my office continues to work and serve the public either way,” she said. “We’ve never stopped working. Actually we’ve generated this year $982,000 in revenue,” Gonzalez said of fines assessed by her court.
“I don’t think that any changes are needed to be done because we work according to the statutes and the rules and regulations that are given to us by the state,” Sallie Gonzalez said.
There is no need to change the way truancy cases are handled in her court either, Sallie Gonzalez said.
“I don’t need think that any changes need to be done,” she said. “I work very closely with the school’s Parental Involvement Program and they are very pleased by the way the cases are handled,” Gonzalez said.
More funding for additional staff would definitely help with the operation of her court, Gonzalez said.
“More staff is definitely needed because of our caseloads,” she said.
“I think our office runs adequately and according to the statutes that are imposed on us by the state,” Judge Gonzalez said.
“The failure to attend school cases are very successful in keeping children in school with the programs that we have for them,” she said.