COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN CANDIDATE ADMITS TO USING DRUGS

Roberto S. Vasquez, one of the two candidates headed into a runoff for
county Democratic Party chairman, surprised delegates at the party's county
convention Saturday by disclosing that he has a criminal record for
marijuana possession.

"Nobody's perfect," Vasquez told more than 200 delegates. "But one of the
things you have to understand about me is that I've gone through a couple
of different things in my life that I'm not very proud of.

"One of the things is that ... I have a marijuana conviction."

Vasquez, 48, who faces Enriqueta "Queta" Fierro in the April 11 runoff,
lost both legs in a helicopter crash 15 years ago and uses a wheelchair. He
indicated that he has used marijuana to relieve pain and other problems
stemming from his injuries.

He made the disclosure to the convention after being asked by the El Paso
Times about his legal problems.

Later, Vasquez said he has been arrested and charged twice for misdemeanor
possession, but he claimed he could not remember when either arrest occurred.

He said the most recent arrest was in the past two years after he was
pulled over by police who searched his car and found a small amount of
marijuana. Vasquez said he was not arrested at the time, but was charged later.

He said that charge led to court action, which neither he nor his lawyer,
Fernando Chacon, would discuss in detail. Vasquez and Chacon said the
charge was dismissed last year.

Vasquez said his earlier arrest occurred more than 10 years ago in Jackson
County, about midway between Houston and Corpus Christi. At the time, he
said, he was a political activist and the publisher of a Spanish-language
newspaper.

He said he pleaded "no contest" to a misdemeanor charge.

"My lawyer said, 'Hey, Robert, it's not worth (fighting) it,'" Vasquez
said. "I did half a day in the jailhouse. They didn't even have the
facilities to let me in the cells."

One of Vasquez's supporters, Susan Shelton, said she still thinks he is the
best candidate to unite the party in El Paso County. "I'm proud to be a
supporter and friend of Robert Vasquez's," she said.

Fierro said she was not aware of Vasquez's record before he disclosed it.

"It's up to people to think whatever they want about it," she said. "I
wouldn't make a comment one way or the other. I'm not going to cast stones
at anybody."