The Saturday Surprise Mail; Forma's D'oh

But since the team at Forma kinda has a history of sending mail out late, it doesn't always happen according to script. 

Remember, these are the people that had Tania Chozet's GOTV mail for a Saturday mail land on a Monday...after the election. 

So a really effect mail piece against State Rep Mary Gonzalez landed this weekend that may or may not have actually been meant to land last weekend. But since turnout has been terrible so far, no harm no foul. 

The piece attacks State Rep Mary Gonzalez for her dismal attendance record at the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). 

And make no bones about it, she has a terrible attendance record at the most important policy and decision-making honey pot in the county. And this is the part where all the state reps start trying to cover for each other and start hollering about how they can't come back during session because they are just oh-so busy. 

But lets be real, somehow Pickett makes it a point to be at as many MPO meetings as possible. And if we are still being real...Gonzalez files a lot of bullshit bills that don't need her to be there. If Pickett can make it, Gonzalez can make it. 

Here's the mailer I was talking about:

Forma is getting smarter. For example, they actually got smart and made it a bilingual mailer. Yay, go team. Second, they got an Hispanic female face on the on the piece, unlike the last piece. The fact that they got a picture of a lady that has an expression like she just got a look at Ali Razavi's back hair, or went to the bathroom after he did is a bonus. And they got an issue that actually resonates locally. 

The valley is going to get unprecedented infrastructure dollars leveraged their way in the next few years. But Mary Gonzalez had absolutely ZERO to do with that. 

That was because Commissioner Perez became Chairman Perez of the MPO and was able to get a lot of much-needed projects to the area. 

Of course its certainly not above Gonzalez to take credit for successful projects she had little to do with, like the waste water project in Montana Vista she just sent out another mailer taking credit for. 

But the reality is that Forma nailed her. Gonzalez has been AWOL from MPO meetings and it is really, really, really, really bad that her attendance is so terrible.

However...there's a bit of irony in that piece. 

Actually is probably quite a bit more than irony. Its more like hypocrisy.

State Rep Marisa Marquez who still has over 10 months in office, and now holds a senior position in Forma, has an even WORSE attendance record over the last couple of years than Gonzalez, which is almost not possible. 

If I'm reading MPO records correctly, Rep Marquez hasn't been to an MPO meeting since November 2014. 

Lets take this full circle. About 4 years ago a skinny guy in suspenders stood in front of the El Paso County Courthouse when then-Commissioner Willie Gandara was talking about running for the office currently held by State Rep Mary Gonzalez, and went after Gandara for his attendance record at the MPO. He made the point that the valley didn't have a seat at the table because Gandara had missed so many meetings that he had his ability to vote taken away.

That was such an effective message that Dora Oaxaca, Gandara's staffer and the person responsible for electing most of the Gandaras to their various offices, even adopted the line of attack and once called Willie "an absent commissioner" at a forum. 

Guess what? Gandara missed less meetings than Marquez or Gonzalez. 

Its funny right?

But frankly this is an issue that Chente should've been hammering for months. The first time voters hear this message is halfway through early voting? In order for a negative message to really resonate with voters it needs time to marinate. And the message needs someone that can defend the message, unlike the flood message. 

Now knowing Forma, they have one more hit piece coming toward Gonzalez. As long as they can remember that election day is a Tuesday and they can get it in mail boxes next weekend, they are in business. 

If Marquez is the one who came up with this mailer then that is straight-up gangsta! Create a mailer that would work against yourself. 

Freakin' genius!