Baja Bernie
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Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
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Living/doing business in Baja--READ
July 23, 2007
Baja California News
NEXT GOVERNOR OF BAJA?
On August 5, Jorge Hank Rhon could be elected the next
governor of Baja California. Now purportedly a billionaire,
the gaming magnate is one of the most controversial
politicians on the Mexican political scene today. Hank Rhon
is the 51-year-old son of the late, legendary godfather of
the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Carlos "El
Profesor" Hank Gonzalez, whose now-classic quote, "A poor
politician is a bad politician," has became a cliche of
Mexican politics.
A collector of exotic animals, Hank is notorious for
throwing lavish parties, rewarding allies generously and
wearing flashy clothes. Perhaps in jest, Hank recently told
a pair of journalists that a desired piece of clothing
would be a vest made from a donkey's penis.
Once widely vilified for calling women his "favorite"
animal, Hank's name has been linked to organized criminal
activity, including the murders of two Baja California
journalists, but the PRI's gubernatorial hopeful has never
been convicted of a serious crime.
Born in Mexico state, Hank is the owner of Tijuana's old
Agua Caliente horse racing track, hotel and real estate
properties and the Grupo Caliente gambling establishments.
In 1985, "El Profesor" handed over the Agua Caliente
concession to his young son. The late Tijuana journalist
and Zeta newspaper publisher Jesus Blancornelas once
described how Hank made a splash in the burgeoning border
city:
"He was a friendly young man, an innovator who was
attempting to modify the operation of the Agua Caliente
race track. He helped a lot of people, many people, and
sponsored generations of students. He became such a popular
figure that even in those days it occurred to him to
consider being a serious aspirant for mayor of Tijuana."
It wouldn't be long, however, before Hank ran into hassles
involving Agua Caliente and its employees. From 1987 to
1990, Hank confronted labor conflicts at the race track
that threatened to end in violence. Neighbors complained of
improperly dumped trash and accumulating mounds of horse
excrement. Questions arose over the legality of subdividing
the property.
Over the years, Hank's security detail drew individuals
once associated with Mexico City police officials
Arturo "El Negro" Durazo and Francisco Sahagun Baca, both
of whom were linked to the torture and forced disappearance
of suspected guerrillas and dissidents during the Dirty War
of the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1988, three of Hank's bodyguards were implicated in the
murder of Tijuana journalist and Zeta newspaper co-founder
Hector "Gato" Felix, who was once on friendly terms with
Hank but turned increasingly critical of the businessman in
his last columns. Insinuating about alleged money-
laundering at the Agua Caliente track, Felix had also
written critically about Hank associates like Alberto
Murguia.
One of Hank's bodyguards, Antonio Vera Palestina, is
serving a prison term for Felix's murder; another suspect
in the crime, Emigidio Nevarez, was executed gangland-style
in 1992. Jesus Blancornelas considered Hank the mastermind
of his colleague's murder, but in a press conference Hank
denied any involvement in the crime.
"I'd say that Hector lived off gossip, not journalism, of
making jokes that were a little heavy..," Hank said.
Blancornelas maintained that "all roads lead to Hank." He
contended that Hank's powerful father, who served as a high
official in different federal and state PRI
administrations, attempted to bribe the journalist to drop
the Felix investigation.
In 2006, Hank's chief bodyguard, Jorge Vera, the son of
convicted Felix killer Antonio Vera, was questioned by Baja
California state law enforcement officials probing the
murder of Tijuana municipal police official Antonio
Cabadas. Because of his testimony, Vera was supposedly
threatened over police-band radio frequencies. In January
2007, Vera's armored vehicle repelled bullets fired at the
security man in an assassination attempt near Hank's
Tijuana home. Reportedly, Vera had just dropped off Hank
after the outgoing mayor returned from a trip to Cuba. A
former Hank bodyguard and ex-Tijuana policeman, Enrique
Fuerte Mateos, wasn't as lucky as Vera. In 2005, Fuerte was
found murdered gangland-style in Tijuana.
Hank had other brushes with the law in 1994 and 1995. Ever
the risk-taker, he unveiled Las Vegas-style machines at his
gaming Tijuana enterprises. The federal Ministry of
Interior considered the one-armed bandits illegal under
Mexican law and forced Hank to withdraw the machines. The
following year, Hank was detained for 11 hours in a Mexico
City jail for allegedly attempting to smuggle contraband
and exotic animal skins into the country. Reportedly, he
once tried to obtain a gorilla.
Despite multiple controversies, Hank's business empire
expanded in Mexico, Central America, South America, and
Europe. In Mexico, Hank's biggest competitor is the
Televisa entertainment network, which was awarded 130
gaming permits by the federal Interior Ministry in 2005, a
year when the department was headed by then-presidential
hopeful Santiago Creel. Now the coordinator of the National
Action Party (PAN) fraction of the Mexican Senate, Creel is
openly backing the PAN candidate in the current Baja
California governor's contest.
Within the national PRI, Hank is close to politicians such
as former presidential candidate Roberto Madrazo and Ciudad
Juarez Mayor Hector "Teto" Murguia.
As Tijuana Mayor
In 2004, Hank finally ran for mayor of Tijuana on the PRI
ticket. As the campaign unfolded, an official review of the
1988 Felix murder investigation prompted by an Inter-
American Commission on Human Rights recommendation was
underway. Sitting on the Felix task force were the Inter-
American Press Society, Mexican law enforcement authorities
and Zeta editor Francisco Ortiz.
Initially representing the Baja California state attorney
general's involvement in the review was Francisco Castro
Trenti, the brother of Hank mayoral campaign coordinator
Fernando Castro Trenti. The new investigation had the
potential of exposing possible contradictory testimony
earlier made by Hank. Once the relationship between the
Castro brothers was made public, Francisco Castro turned
the matter over to Maria Teresa Valadez, a Baja California
assistant state prosecutor.
In June 2004, as the Felix homicide review was picking up
steam, Zeta's Francisco Ortiz was murdered. Again,
Blancornelas cited Hank as a possible suspect in the latest
attack against a Zeta journalist. Other suspects in the
murder included members of San Diego's Barrio Logan gang,
the Gulf Cartel and the Arellano Felix cartel. Mexican law
enforcement officials have pinned the Ortiz crime on
Arellano Felix syndicate gunmen.
Hank won the 2004 mayoral election, serving slightly more
than two years in office before receiving a leave of
absence to run for governor. Hank's term was characterized
by road construction, administrative shake-ups, salary
increases for high officials, expensive Christmas season
parties, and the appointment of young women with dubious
professional qualifications but noticeable physical
attributes as municipal functionaries.
"We're not bringing in fat or ugly women, alright?" quipped
an unidentified municipal official to Proceso magazine in
2005.
On the policy front, the Hank administration legalized
massage parlor sex, stressed the rehabilitation of drug
addicts, helped HIV-infected children, and deployed a
mounted police force that was trained at the old Agua
Caliente track. Hank proposed that a casino permit be
granted to the annual Tijuana fair held every September. At
Freedom of Expression Day celebrations in 2005 and 2006,
journalists were awarded hotel, spa and restaurant passes,
electronic gadgets and properties. Coinciding in office,
Hank and "Teto" Murguia proclaimed Tijuana and Ciudad
Juarez as "sister cities."
Hank's stint as mayor coincided with increasing numbers of
narco-executions and kidnappings, including of Hank
associates. Early this year, the Mexican army disarmed
Tijuana's municipal police force, which was accused of
widespread collusion with drug traffickers. Hank declared
that the operation was carried out without his prior
knowledge.
Questioned about the violence overwhelming his city, Hank
offered a sociological analysis.
"We're the only municipality that recognizes the existence
of drug addiction," he told an interviewer. "We have
100,000 sick people that don't want to work and only think
about their next dose. Besides, we are a receptor of a big
migrant population and neighbors of one of the most drug-
consuming states of the United States."
Occasionally, Hank-related properties have been the scenes
of violent incidents. Last May, for instance, a suspected
explosive device was discovered outside Hank's Tijuana
home. In late 2005, a 15-year-old girl, Sara BeN-zir
Chagoya was tossed hand-cuffed from a moving vehicle in
front of the Pueblo Amigo shopping center associated with
Hank and once reportedly frequented by the Arellano Felix
brothers of the Tijuana drug cartel. The high school
student died from her injuries, and her parent's quest for
justice, which initially pointed to the son of a judge as
the possible murderer, has been fruitless.
A Heated Gubernatorial Campaign
Hank kicked off his 2007 gubernatorial run with a Roman
Catholic mass. Tijuana police officers were soon spotted
serving as the candidate's bodyguards. But Hank's flashy
political foray was almost terminated when a state election
court ruled last month that his candidacy violated a Baja
California law that prohibited elected officials from
running for another office while still in the original
post. In early July, a federal election court reversed the
lower court's decision on appeal and permitted Hank to
resume campaigning. The decision is sparking criticism that
a heavy-handed federal government has trampled a state
constitution and impeded the ability of lawmakers to
regulate elections.
Although he is competing against four other candidates,
Hank's main campaign rival is another former Tijuana mayor,
Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan of the PAN-PANAL alliance.
Until now, Hank's campaign has been defined by a fusion of
pesos, populism and public relations crafted by masterful
Mexico City image-maker Carlos Alazrazi. If elected
governor, Hank pledges to municipalize Tijuana's water,
privatize energy production (a federal decision) and expand
the network of evening day-care centers founded by his
wife, Maria Elvia Amaya.
"I don't have any commitments other than reading the little
book that tells what must be done to be governor..," Hank
said of his political philosophy earlier this year. "I am
an enemy of the line that you only help your friends; you
have to help everyone. You give (people) that have little
the possibility of having a little more and you help those
that have a lot have a lot more."
As the August 5 election draws near, acerbic rhetoric,
campaign irregularities and bouts of violence are marring
the contest. Like the good old days of Mexican politics,
grupos de choque (goon squads) and warehouses pregnant with
vote-buying goodies are surfacing here and there. On
Wednesday, July 18, Hank and Osuna supporters violently
clashed outside a Tijuana candidates' debate, leaving 12
people injured.
Tijuana journalist Maria Asuncion Gutierrez denounced that
she was retained against her will for 15 minutes in a
municipal government warehouse July 20 by two men who
confronted her while she was observing and filming a supply
pick-up that could have been destined for political
purposes.
Running in a state where President Felipe Calderon's PAN
has held the governor's office for the last 18 years, Osuna
is confident that he will beat Hank. Still, the dealer's
hand might well favor Hank this round. The conservative PAN
has generally fared badly this year in local elections,
losing races in Yucatan, Durango and Chihuahua, and the
anti-PAN trend could benefit Hank in Baja California. A low
voter turn-out could also boost's Hank's PRI, which is
adept at turning out its troops in even in the most
publicly shunned contests.
The prospects of a Hank triumph are drawing sharp remarks
from some Mexican commentators. Far from being a Panista,
prominent Mexican writer and cultural critic Carlos
Monsivais sarcastically warned that a Hank victory could
mean that "the cages of (Hank's) preferred animals" will be
filled with women.
"Mr. Hank already describes what his government program
will be, when he says he wants to have a vest made from a
donkey's penis," Monsivais said.
Sources: Sources: El Sol de Tijuana, July 5, 2007. Article
by Fernando Barroso. El Sur, June 25, 26, 27, 28, 2004;
January 24, 2007; July 7, 8, 20, 22, 2007. Articles by
Margarita Vega, Miguel Angel Granados Chapa, Miguel
Cervantes, Aline Corpus, Agencia Reforma, Notimex, and
editorial staff. Aguas, July 12, 2007. Article by Carlos
Ramirez. La Jornada, April 12, 2005; July 19 and 20, 2007.
Articles by Ernesto Fidel Gonzalez, Antonio Heras and Jaime
Martinez Veloz.
Frontera, January 20 and October 31, 2005; May 15, June 7,
November 8 and 9, 2006; February 14, 2007; March 19, 2007;
May 18, 2007; July 18, 2007. Articles by Daniel Salinas,
Fausto Ovalle, Ana Cecilia Ramirez, Angel Ruiz, and
editorial staff. Proceso/Apro, January 29, 2004; April 21
and August 25, 2005; November 9, 2006. Articles by Juan
Arturo Salinas, Miguel Cabildo, Antonio Jaquez, and
editorial staff. El Universal, December 7, 2004; March 6
and June 12, 2007. Articles by Julieta Martinez, Fabio
Fuentes and Rosa Maria Mendez Fierros. El Diario de Juarez,
December 4, 2006. Article by Juan de Dios Olivas. Carlos
Monsivais, December 3, 2006 article. www.porquehank.com.
www.impunidad.com
Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news
Center for Latin American and Border Studies
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Baja Bernie
Carlos "El Profesor" Hank Gonzalez, whose now-classic quote, "A poor
politician is a bad politician," has became a cliche of
Mexican politics.
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It's..."A politician who is poor is a poor politician."
The smart money says Hank will lose. Tougher to buy the State than TJ. Looks like PRI will win Rosarito, though.
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bacquito
Super Nomad
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I recently read, perhaps in this forum, that the U.S.A refused to grant a Sentri card to Hank because of past legal problems
bacquito
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3401
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Are we allowed to openly discuss MX politics ? Just wondering .... CaboRon
Will the men in black come for us ?
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by CaboRon
Are we allowed to openly discuss MX politics ? Just wondering .... CaboRon
Will the men in black come for us ? |
I don't think slander is appreciated but, who here would do that?
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
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CaboRon
I don't see any discussion........merely observations!
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Baja Bernie
I don't see any discussion........merely observations! |
Evidently I have a misunderstanding... I was told that Americans could not even have a bumper sticker that might be deemed political... Happy to hear
that's not true. Ron
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
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Cabo Ron
I have received further information on the possible future Governor of Baja............were I to place it here it could be deemed
slander.............so it will not appear here.
Slander laws are a funny, not, thing in Mexico.......I believe the Feds have repealed the law as have several states BUT that is still not the case in
Baja.
I have had a couple of friends that were hauled into court on slander, saying bad things about another--almost no proof is required to be found
guilty. One guy was told that if he appeared in court again on similar counts he would be taken north of the border. The other was just admonished
to 'chose his words' in a better manner in the future.
Both of these cases involved only gringos.............I have not personally heard of any cases involving a Mexican -vs- a Gringo.
Not really much to worry about if you follow the golden rules of life----or----something close.
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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CaboRon
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Baja Bernie
Not really much to worry about if you follow the golden rules of life----or----something close. |
That seems to work in most aspects of our daily lives. Appreciate the reminder.  CaboRon
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