I, too, was once a wanted man in Texas

Happy Thursday, dear friends,

It is an election year, and the “oppo” researchers are on the case, digging into candidates’ pasts and introducing stories into the media river-system, with the aim of drawing news attention to unreported facts about a candidate’s past behavior, crimes, missteps or peccadillos.

This presents nonpartisan news organizations, like ours, with the question of which of these stories to take up, and why. These are conversations we have on just about a daily basis and occasionally I like to open a window, for you, on how we make these calls.

This week the Washington Free Beacon reported a story about our local congress member, Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat facing a tight reelection bid this year against the incumbent he unseated in 2022, Republican Yvette Herrell. In fact, there is a second one on their website now as I type this, which I haven’t had a chance to examine yet.

The Free Beacon reported that Vasquez is dealing with traffic citations that had gone unpaid since 2002, which led to a 2008 warrant for failing to appear or pay the citations.

It’s a legitimate news story insofar as there is actual legal process in effect, it reflects unfinished business and is just the sort of problem federal political candidates and their campaign staff typically work hard to avoid.

After all, I, too, have been a wanted man in the state of Texas because of a forgotten traffic fine. (A rolling stop at a stop sign in El Paso, I confess.) I procrastinated, didn’t deal with it in time, and received a notice in the mail that there was a warrant for me. I was now a named desperado threatening the peace and safety of the good people of Sun City. I paid the ticket and a court fee to clear my name.

(Letter continued below)

A survey conducted by the city of Las Cruces reported broad support for a tax increase that could grow the city’s revenues by $20 million per year.

The increase would address funding gaps … MORE

The Legacy of Liberty Airshow will occur at Holloman Air Force Base Sunday, June 2. The airshow is free and open to the general public.

According to a news release, gates open at 9 a.m. The … MORE

One can joke about it, as I just did; but one might also point out that I’m not a federal lawmaker, do not enforce laws and do not hold any public office. If I did, this sort of thing could make a difference when I’m asking voters for their support.

So we took a look at the same court documents, approached the congressman’s legal counsel, and wrote our own report with a nonpartisan approach, as the local newspaper in a major part of Vasquez’s district. We assessed the documents and what they show, addressed the process, and will let our community measure those facts against the congressman’s record. Does a neglected traffic ticket, received when he was still 17 years old, tell us something about his fitness for office 22 years later? That is one for you to answer.

Our story is one of many packed into the 32-page edition of the Las Cruces Bulletin this week, and you can find all of our work online at LasCrucesBulletin.com. Pay a visit to that home page and check around for the opinion, arts and business stories you want to read. We also present video of reporter Justin Garcia’s recent interview on KRWG television about the primary elections currently underway.

Stay with us.

Algernon D’Ammassa
Managing editor

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