While I worked for Norma Chavez, you know, the woman that is going to be your next congresswoman, I never heard about Richard Pineda.
Where did this guy come from?
Really.
When did he all of sudden become the El Paso Times' go-to guy for all things local politics?
When asked by the Times for comment about the Mary vs. Mary race in the Lower Valley, Pineda had this little gem:
"Money doesn't swing an election."
Hmmm.
So I now wanted to know more about this Pineda guy.
Who is he?
Well, he is:
$68,088 plus benefits in El Paso ain't bad for the Associate Professor in Communication.
But it even gets better when you know who he is married to:
Imagine that.
He makes $68,000 and his wife makes $122,400.
On salary alone, not including benefits, the Pinedas are making nearly $200,000 a year.
Ah, but I must correct myself.
Pineda's wife WAS making $122,400. Apparently she is longer employed because she may or may not have been getting reimbursed for things that she should not have from her former employer.
So for this guy to say what money can or cannot do is a bit rich.
In some instances, yes, money cannot swing election. Like for example, you could be a Republican with $2 million, and still it would not be enough to win a congressional seat in El Paso.
In other instances, damn straight money can swing an election. If you are running against a not exactly popular incumbent in a Democratic primary in the Lower Valley and you need to establish some name ID, hey, KVIA is not exactly giving away ad space, the print shop is not exactly giving away mailers, nor is Whataburger ain't in-kinding you Number 1s to feed your campaign volunteers.
If you are running office, and the choice is to have money or no money, yeah, you want the money.
But not according to Pineda.
Money cannot swing an election, but apparently it can get you airfare and baby clothes.