The Sad and Terrible Saga of Omar Guerrero...and OUR District Clerk's Office...

There are some things the residents of Hidalgo County have grown accustomed to. Ninety-nine cent breakfast tacos. High School playoff schedules ending abrubptly in mid to late November. Barbacoa on Sunday mornings. The Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. Sadly, though, the residents of Hidalgo County have grown accustomed to one more thing as well. Corrupt Elected Officials.

The sad and terrible saga of Omar Guerrero has left this county of roughly 250,000 eligible voters at a loss for words. Not even the who-are-you-to-cast-the-first-stone crowd have anything to say about the latest dilemma the District Clerk has found himself in. If it's possible to even find him. Omar Guerrero has been classified a fugitive of the law. Missing in action. On the lamb. A thousand ways to find himself, except where we elected him to serve in the first place-the District Clerk's Office.

At a salary, according to an article this morning in The Monitor, of $68,132 a year you would think that a one-time political novice with no formal education would take the opportunity of being elected to countywide office, a little more seriously. Since his swearing in four years ago, Guerrero has been reported by various media outlets as never showing up to do his job. Granted, the law that rules the jungle says he didn't have to be there, an old Mexican saying dictates, "Oyeme, no se tenia que pasarse del turno, eh?" But, okay, fine, he didn't have to be there, regardless of how much of a schmuck he turned out to be. Those are the rules-lesson learned.

But last December, our District Clerk with an annual salary of $68,132 without having to show up to work, decides to do his friend a favor and stop to talk to police officers that pulled his friend over. Cops find his actions suspicious (jesus, messed up or not, this was a bad judgment call on Guerrero's part no matter how you slice it) and arrest our District Clerk with an annual salary of $68,132 a year on allegedly being drunk. Denies a blood test on the basis of his religiouos beliefs, said religion smites him faster than God did to Soddom and Gammora, Guerrero finds himself a born-again Christian come the pre-trial hearing. Our District Clerk with an annual salary of $68,132 remains in office to run for re-election.

He loses.

No shockwaves of awe shake the atmosphere above the Rio Grande Valley over that one.

Has until the end of the year, really, to clear out his desk. Given that he allegedly hasn't spent much time there, Guerrero should have everything packed away in a nice little gallon sized plastic freezer bag. Maybe, a liter instead. Of course, if someone walked in to grab a pencil from his desk, I'm not really sure what our District Clerk with an annual salary of $68,132 has left-except maybe dust bunnies.

Summer rolls around, Guerrero finds himself in trouble again for alleged domestic abuse. Word around town, the blogosphere, and the media fall short of a virtual political lynching of the District Clerk. Especially, because he is getting paid $68,132 a year for never having to be at the office, throwing his political might around-then gets in trouble while doing so, and now is slapped like a mangy dog on the last of his wobbly legs with a domestic abuse allegation. Nothing comes of it, to my knowledge, and Guerrero remains our District Clerk with an annual salary of $68,132.

Most recently, oh-I'm sorry have you had enough? Well, hold on it's almost over, I promise-Guerrero is alleged to have sexually assaulted an underage girl....

(sarcastic pause)....

(overly sarcastic pause on the part of the author who wonders if anybody else is getting this)....

Mission, Texas Police issue an arrest warrant. Can't find him. His lawyer claims Guerrero is out of town, he will turn himself in on Monday. No show. Lawyer states Guerrero will turn himself in on Tuesday. No show. Police Department does not know where he is. Guerrero's lawyer does not know where he is. Nobody has a clue except the voters of a county who, according to District Attorney Rene Guerra in today's The Monitor article suggests they can do nothing more but grit their teeth 'til the end of the year.

To sum things up, 'cause cases like this can cause ulcers, Guerrero who's still cashing in on his $68,132 a year salary has all at once disgraced himself, disgraced his office, and disgraced this county. As sad a fact as this may be, the residents of Hidalgo County, and the rest of the Rio Grande Valley for that matter, have little to do but hope the next one at the turn doesn't screw it up as much as Omar Guerrero did. But given our track record with these types of people in elected office, there's little more to do than try and put a big smile on your face as the year finally runs down. Always remembering that smiling- keeps us from crying.