Anthony Cobos
Encyclopedia
Anthony Cobos is a politician
from the State of Texas
in the United States. He served as the El Paso County Judge from 2007 - 2011. Judge Cobos is also a former member of the El Paso City Council. El Paso County, Texas is located on the border of the United States
and Mexico
. Judge Cobos was inestigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) as part of a public corruptions probe in 2007.
. He is married to Leticia Juarez Cobos and together they have five children. Judge Cobos has been active in local politics for many years and owns several local businesses.
Cobos' tenure on City Council was also notable for his very close association with the Bowling family, owner of Tropicana Homes. There was a general perception that Cobos frequently advanced the business interests of the Bowling family, even to the extent of actively undermining projects undertaken by rivals in the building industry, such as Ike Monte.
Cobos was defeated by Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke, son of former El Paso County Judge Pat O'Rourke and the son-in-law of William "Bill" Sanders, in 2005. Soon after the 2005 City Council Election Cobos began planning for a political come back.
A lifelong Democrat
, Cobos entered the Democratic primary with five challengers. The most prominent among them was Barbara Perez, a former El Paso County Commissioner and trustee of Socorro Independent School District
in El Paso. No Republican
candidates filed for election as County Judge, so the Democratic Primary would decide the next El Paso County Judge. The incumbent judge declined to run for re-election.
After a difficult primary election, it was determined that Cobos and Perez would face each other in a run-off election to determine the winner. Cobos won with 11,747 votes to Perez's 9,919 votes. Judge Cobos took office January 1, 2007.
In an attempt to change perceptions about himself, Cobos announced to the El Paso Times, "This is a political rebirth for me. There is a big difference between where I am now and where I was three years ago. I will no longer be manipulated, blinded and influenced by special interests."
(FBI) for involvement in public corruption charges involving several high-profile citizens and organizations in El Paso. His office, along with the offices of two County Commissioners (Miguel Teran and Luis Sarinana) and the homes of Commissioner Teran and a member of the board of managers of R.E. Thomason Hospital (Arturo Duran), was searched by the FBI for evidence of crimes involving public corruption. Judge Cobos has denied any wrongdoing. Seven others, all part of the same innestigation, have plead guilty to various charges.
In addition to allegations of public corruption, Cobos’s tenure as County Judge was marked by contention related to the County’s Ethics Board and an escalating conflict with County Commissioner Veronica Escobar.
Attorneys Theresa Caballero and Stuart Leeds filed suit on behalf of Cobos to prevent the County’s Ethics Board from investigating an ethics complaint filed against him by El Paso City Representative Emma Acosta.. http://newspapertree.com/news/3931-visiting-judge-rules-against-cobos-county-ethics-board-now-free-to-hear-acosta-s-election-complaint. (This complaint was later dismissed by the Ethics Board.) http://newspapertree.com/news/4101 With respect to Cobos's lawsuit, “[he] lost in court . . . on every significant issue he and his lawyers raised” and the visiting judge dismissed the suit after concluding that Cobos and his lawyers sued the wrong party: the ethics board instead of the county. http://newspapertree.com/news/3931-visiting-judge-rules-against-cobos-county-ethics-board-now-free-to-hear-acosta-s-election-complaint Cobos later withdrew the suit. http://newspapertree.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/npt-county-rodriguez-cobos-has-withdrawn-lawsuit-against-the-county/
On January 17, 2010, Cobos accused Commissioner Veronica Escobar of “deprivation of honest services” in a criminal complaint filed with the El Paso Sheriff. http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/22361633/detail.html. The allegation concerned a vote by Escobar in 2007 to approve a settlement of a lawsuit against the County in which attorney John Wenke was representing the party suing the County. Cobos alleged that in 2010, Wenke’s representation of Escobar in an ethics complaint filed against Escobar was payback for the vote three years before to approve the civil settlement. (The ethics complaint against Escobar, filed by Theresa Caballero and Stuart Leeds, who had represented Cobos in his unsuccessful suit against the Ethics Board, was dismissed as “frivolous and without factual basis.”) http://newspapertree.com/news/4101
On February 13, 2010, following a two-week investigation, Escobar was fully cleared of any criminal violations by the Sheriff’s Department. http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_14393903
Cobos also came under fire for hiring a long-time controversial El Paso political activist Jaime O. Perez as his chief of staff. On December 11, 2008 Perez announced his resignation, effective in early 2009, and his intention to run for City Council against incumbent Steve Ortega, although Cobos the next day announced he would not accept Perez' resignation. Earlier in 2008 Perez asked County Attorney Jose Rodriguez for an opinion on whether a county judge can resign and still vote on their successor; Rodriguez affirmed that would be possible.
Cobos' previous chief of staff, Travis Ketner, pled guilty to several felonies and is considered a key source of information in the FBI corruption investigation. The charging document to which Ketner pled guilty indicated that Cobos hired Ketner at the urging of former El Paso County Judge and well-known political operative Luther Jones and that Ketner was hired for the explicit purpose of securing bribes for Cobos and others.
On December 12, 2008 Cobos held a news conference outside the offices of the El Paso Times to deny rumors that he may resign as county judge, and to attack the newspaper for an editorial that wished he would resign. Cobos asked Times publisher and president Ray Stafford and editorial writers Joe Muench and Charles Edgren to debate him, which they did not do. He claimed that the Times is "attempting to break me" and "control my votes and actions on the Commissioners Court." Cobos attempted to enter the Times building, but was blocked by newspaper employees. He also banged on the building's glass doors, and eventually slipped a letter with his complaints through the slit between the doors. At the news conference Cobos also refused to answer questions about whether the rumors of his resignation might be related to Ketner's allegation and the FBI investigation, although he did state that he had not spoken to any federal agency in a year and a half.
Sergio Coronado, who ran against Cobos in the 2006 primary, Larry Medina, a former City Council member and former County Commissioner, and Escobar ran in the Democratic primary. The Democratic primary was won by Escobar, and the Republican primary was won by Perez. Escobar defeated Perez and replaced Cobos as County Judge on January 1, 2011.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from the State of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the United States. He served as the El Paso County Judge from 2007 - 2011. Judge Cobos is also a former member of the El Paso City Council. El Paso County, Texas is located on the border of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Judge Cobos was inestigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) as part of a public corruptions probe in 2007.
Background
Judge Cobos was born in El Paso, and raised on a farm near Anthony, New MexicoAnthony, New Mexico
Anthony is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, USA. The population was 7,904 at the 2000 census. It is located on the New Mexico–Texas state line in the Upper Mesilla Valley, and on Interstate 10, 27 miles south of Las Cruces and 21 miles north of El Paso, Texas...
. He is married to Leticia Juarez Cobos and together they have five children. Judge Cobos has been active in local politics for many years and owns several local businesses.
City Council years
Judge Cobos was elected to represent District 8 of the El Paso City Council in 2001 and re-elected to a second two year term in 2003. Judge Cobos was chosen by his colleagues on City Council to serve as Mayor Pro-Tempore. In El Paso, the Mayor Pro-Tempore serves as Mayor when the elected Mayor is out of town and unable to fulfill his or her duties. Judge Cobos' second term on City Council was marked by his close relationship with Mayor Joe Wardy and his continued fight against the use of certificates of obligation for non-emergency uses.Cobos' tenure on City Council was also notable for his very close association with the Bowling family, owner of Tropicana Homes. There was a general perception that Cobos frequently advanced the business interests of the Bowling family, even to the extent of actively undermining projects undertaken by rivals in the building industry, such as Ike Monte.
Cobos was defeated by Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke, son of former El Paso County Judge Pat O'Rourke and the son-in-law of William "Bill" Sanders, in 2005. Soon after the 2005 City Council Election Cobos began planning for a political come back.
2006 County Judge Election
In late 2005, Judge Cobos began his campaign for El Paso County Judge. In Texas, the County Judge is an administrative, not a judicial, office. The County Judge serves as the presiding officer of the County Commissioners Court. In essence, a Texas County Judge serves as the "mayor" of his or her county.A lifelong Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Cobos entered the Democratic primary with five challengers. The most prominent among them was Barbara Perez, a former El Paso County Commissioner and trustee of Socorro Independent School District
Socorro Independent School District
The Socorro Independent School District or SISD is a school district located in El Paso, Texas in an area referred to as East El Paso and is rapidly growing.The interim Superintendent is Mrs...
in El Paso. No Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidates filed for election as County Judge, so the Democratic Primary would decide the next El Paso County Judge. The incumbent judge declined to run for re-election.
After a difficult primary election, it was determined that Cobos and Perez would face each other in a run-off election to determine the winner. Cobos won with 11,747 votes to Perez's 9,919 votes. Judge Cobos took office January 1, 2007.
In an attempt to change perceptions about himself, Cobos announced to the El Paso Times, "This is a political rebirth for me. There is a big difference between where I am now and where I was three years ago. I will no longer be manipulated, blinded and influenced by special interests."
Record as County Judge
Judge Cobos was under investigation by the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) for involvement in public corruption charges involving several high-profile citizens and organizations in El Paso. His office, along with the offices of two County Commissioners (Miguel Teran and Luis Sarinana) and the homes of Commissioner Teran and a member of the board of managers of R.E. Thomason Hospital (Arturo Duran), was searched by the FBI for evidence of crimes involving public corruption. Judge Cobos has denied any wrongdoing. Seven others, all part of the same innestigation, have plead guilty to various charges.
In addition to allegations of public corruption, Cobos’s tenure as County Judge was marked by contention related to the County’s Ethics Board and an escalating conflict with County Commissioner Veronica Escobar.
Attorneys Theresa Caballero and Stuart Leeds filed suit on behalf of Cobos to prevent the County’s Ethics Board from investigating an ethics complaint filed against him by El Paso City Representative Emma Acosta.. http://newspapertree.com/news/3931-visiting-judge-rules-against-cobos-county-ethics-board-now-free-to-hear-acosta-s-election-complaint. (This complaint was later dismissed by the Ethics Board.) http://newspapertree.com/news/4101 With respect to Cobos's lawsuit, “[he] lost in court . . . on every significant issue he and his lawyers raised” and the visiting judge dismissed the suit after concluding that Cobos and his lawyers sued the wrong party: the ethics board instead of the county. http://newspapertree.com/news/3931-visiting-judge-rules-against-cobos-county-ethics-board-now-free-to-hear-acosta-s-election-complaint Cobos later withdrew the suit. http://newspapertree.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/npt-county-rodriguez-cobos-has-withdrawn-lawsuit-against-the-county/
On January 17, 2010, Cobos accused Commissioner Veronica Escobar of “deprivation of honest services” in a criminal complaint filed with the El Paso Sheriff. http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/22361633/detail.html. The allegation concerned a vote by Escobar in 2007 to approve a settlement of a lawsuit against the County in which attorney John Wenke was representing the party suing the County. Cobos alleged that in 2010, Wenke’s representation of Escobar in an ethics complaint filed against Escobar was payback for the vote three years before to approve the civil settlement. (The ethics complaint against Escobar, filed by Theresa Caballero and Stuart Leeds, who had represented Cobos in his unsuccessful suit against the Ethics Board, was dismissed as “frivolous and without factual basis.”) http://newspapertree.com/news/4101
On February 13, 2010, following a two-week investigation, Escobar was fully cleared of any criminal violations by the Sheriff’s Department. http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_14393903
Cobos also came under fire for hiring a long-time controversial El Paso political activist Jaime O. Perez as his chief of staff. On December 11, 2008 Perez announced his resignation, effective in early 2009, and his intention to run for City Council against incumbent Steve Ortega, although Cobos the next day announced he would not accept Perez' resignation. Earlier in 2008 Perez asked County Attorney Jose Rodriguez for an opinion on whether a county judge can resign and still vote on their successor; Rodriguez affirmed that would be possible.
Cobos' previous chief of staff, Travis Ketner, pled guilty to several felonies and is considered a key source of information in the FBI corruption investigation. The charging document to which Ketner pled guilty indicated that Cobos hired Ketner at the urging of former El Paso County Judge and well-known political operative Luther Jones and that Ketner was hired for the explicit purpose of securing bribes for Cobos and others.
On December 12, 2008 Cobos held a news conference outside the offices of the El Paso Times to deny rumors that he may resign as county judge, and to attack the newspaper for an editorial that wished he would resign. Cobos asked Times publisher and president Ray Stafford and editorial writers Joe Muench and Charles Edgren to debate him, which they did not do. He claimed that the Times is "attempting to break me" and "control my votes and actions on the Commissioners Court." Cobos attempted to enter the Times building, but was blocked by newspaper employees. He also banged on the building's glass doors, and eventually slipped a letter with his complaints through the slit between the doors. At the news conference Cobos also refused to answer questions about whether the rumors of his resignation might be related to Ketner's allegation and the FBI investigation, although he did state that he had not spoken to any federal agency in a year and a half.
2010 County Judge Election
Judge Cobos did not seek reelection in the 2010 campaign. Some politicians rumored to be interested in replacing Cobos as county judge included City Council members Susie Byrd, Eddie Holguin, Steve Ortega, former county judge candidate Barbara Perez, Cobos' chief of staff Jaime Perez, and County Commissioners Veronica Escobar, Willie Gandara, and Dan Haggerty.Sergio Coronado, who ran against Cobos in the 2006 primary, Larry Medina, a former City Council member and former County Commissioner, and Escobar ran in the Democratic primary. The Democratic primary was won by Escobar, and the Republican primary was won by Perez. Escobar defeated Perez and replaced Cobos as County Judge on January 1, 2011.
External links
- El Paso Times' stories on investigation of corruption in the county government
- Judge Cobos' Home Page
- El Paso County, Texas Home Page
- Solar Summit El Paso
| Preceded By | El Paso County Judge | Followed By |
|---|---|---|
| Dolores Briones | Anthony Cobos | |
| 1999–2007 | 2007–2011 | Veronica Escobar |