Okay so let me clarify some points in the race to replace current City Rep Susie Byrd on city council. I've been hearing from people asking me about what, if any, collaboration there is between Susie Byrd and Precinct 2 candidate Mike Apodaca.
I'll make this plain. There is none.
Do I think Byrd is going to back someone, absolutely. Any smart elected official will want to get someone in that they feel will pick up where they left off. I think this might have started was because of the back and forth between Byrd and another District 2 candidate Getsemani Yanez.
Byrd's comments challenging Yanez's community involvement clearly got under his skin. I guess people then interpreted that as support for Apodaca. Because other politicians would typically support ANYONE running against a political rival doesn't mean that they are all that way.
As of now, the big candidates in the race are Apodaca and Yanez. Tolbert is there in the second tier, and the rest are pretty much also-rans that will get votes from family and friends and force a run-off but not much more than that.
Here's the deal with Tolbert. He has the potential to make a run-off because he's from Newman Park and that neighborhood has had a head-lock on that position for years. But...he's perceived as a one-trick pony. He's perceived as one-dimensional in terms of issues. The issue he's been closely associated with is the environment.
I think he has a chance to be a factor in the race if he's able to get two things, both of which Byrd can help with. First, money. Second, someone who knows how to run a campaign.
Yanez and Apodaca are the only two candidates in the race that have won races. Until someone else that can actually make a splash gets in this race, its going to be between the two. Plain and simple.
Byrd is not going to endorse either of them. And she's not going to run against Marquez.
There is no connection between Byrd and any of the major candidates for District 2.
I'll make this plain. There is none.
Do I think Byrd is going to back someone, absolutely. Any smart elected official will want to get someone in that they feel will pick up where they left off. I think this might have started was because of the back and forth between Byrd and another District 2 candidate Getsemani Yanez.
Byrd's comments challenging Yanez's community involvement clearly got under his skin. I guess people then interpreted that as support for Apodaca. Because other politicians would typically support ANYONE running against a political rival doesn't mean that they are all that way.
As of now, the big candidates in the race are Apodaca and Yanez. Tolbert is there in the second tier, and the rest are pretty much also-rans that will get votes from family and friends and force a run-off but not much more than that.
Here's the deal with Tolbert. He has the potential to make a run-off because he's from Newman Park and that neighborhood has had a head-lock on that position for years. But...he's perceived as a one-trick pony. He's perceived as one-dimensional in terms of issues. The issue he's been closely associated with is the environment.
I think he has a chance to be a factor in the race if he's able to get two things, both of which Byrd can help with. First, money. Second, someone who knows how to run a campaign.
Yanez and Apodaca are the only two candidates in the race that have won races. Until someone else that can actually make a splash gets in this race, its going to be between the two. Plain and simple.
Byrd is not going to endorse either of them. And she's not going to run against Marquez.
There is no connection between Byrd and any of the major candidates for District 2.