During the campaign for the Democratic Party nomination for Cameron County District Attorney and the November election between candidates from both major parties, a social media whisper campaign against eventual winner Luis Saenz was launched in the blogosphere.
He was accused (anonymously, of course), of being a womanizer, turning a blind eye to domestic abuse, and most everything in between.
Today, the Cameron County Commissioners Court approved Saenz's proposal to use approximately $16,624 in hot-check fees to fund a Domestic Violence Billboard Campaign with the billboards to be placed at strategic locations in the county.The sites will include one along the US 77-83 Expressway near Stillman Road, one near the H Street exit off US 77-83 Highway in Harlingen heading toward La Feria, and another near Williams Road driving south from San Benito.
The themes on the billboards will warn would-be perpetrators of domestic abuse about criminal penalties levied against those convicted of the offense.
The discretionary use and expenditure of hot-check fees collected by the DA's office has been deemed legal by precious Texas Attorney General Office opinions in the past. The law calls for fees collected (from the fees) to be deposited in the county treasury in a special fund to be administered by the county attorney...and may be sued only to defray the salaries and expenditures of the prosecutor's office"...but not to supplement his salary.
Except for the San Benito billboard which won't be available until March, the Brownsville and San Benito sites are expected to go up immediately after the court approves the expenditures.
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