I don't how many sessions in a row that Representative Chente Quintanilla has been labeled "furniture" by Texas Monthly, but it's quite a few. However, it doesn't really matter since nobody in El Paso really cares.
I think it's embarrassing that he does nothing for anyone - not even himself, but it's more embarrassing that the community who elected him doesn't even seem to notice. Neither Quintanilla nor his constituents care to do anything about... well, anything.
Of course, this is the same community that elected a representative to supposedly "kill bad bills" for nearly 40 years. Some people actually thought this was the outlined responsibility of a representative in the Texas house! We got rid of that guy and put in House gadfly, Marisa Marquez who managed to keep her public drinking to a minimum this session, which we are ecstatic about.
I was happy overall that the delegation didn't garner mounds and mounds of bad press for bad behavior this time around. It's good not to be the laughing stock every once in a while. Now if we can just get Quintanillaout and somebody worth a damn in, we'll be whole on the legislative front. I'm not sure that's going to happen, though. So complacent are El Paso politicos, they don't even have the urge to encourage Quintanilla to move on. They don't care if he embarrasses them... or they don't realize it.
What do you expect from a town that proudly celebrates the life and times of a guy who murdered Chinese people for fun when he wasn't murdering an entire city full of folks out of spite. Had Jeffery Dahmer been from El Paso you would have given him a statue at the airport too.
I happened to watch on the local government channel the closing days of debate in the TX Lege regular session in May. There was strong debate on the education funding bill. I noticed Chente in the background behind the podium looking anxious and impatient. I thought - oh maybe he has some great statement to make about the bill being debated. Nope, when he was finally recognized he got up there and wanted the entire Chamber to welcome his 2 grandsons who "drove all the way from El Paso" to be in the Chamber that day. That's all he wanted - no grand statement on the hotly debated education funding bill - just recognize my grandsons. Whoopee! No wonder he gets the title of "furniture".
Posted by: voter | July 18, 2011 at 12:16 PM
Get rid of the Goodwill sofa recliner!
He's already collecting a HEFTY state pension from the school districts, he's vested and can add to his school pension a STATE REP PENSION and he can go out and graze at eateries all over Texas.
You can bet if David K is talking up this subject, that the "good old boys" in town have old Chente as their next target and DK as their mouth piece. Expect the famous "beached whale" photo taken by the pool when Chente was grazing in Ardmore to surface.
Regarding our political lush Marquez, Capitol insiders disclose her wine was brought into the capitol promptly after 3 pm each day! (Thank you El Paso Illuminati)
Posted by: Lower Valley Voter | July 18, 2011 at 03:02 PM
And the males had porno on the Texas House Floor.
Posted by: Texaswoman | July 19, 2011 at 01:11 AM