Open Letter From Hector Uribe

Texas has a valuable public resource in the Christmas Mountains (pictured) and it should remain in the public domain for all Texans and Americans to enjoy. But our current Land Commissioner wants to sell this public land to a private buyer (in violation of a promise made when the land was given to Texas). This must be stopped, and the only way to do that is to vote in a new Land Commissioner -- Democrat Hector Uribe. That is why I am posting this open letter from Hector Uribe to the voters of Texas:

It’s just not Texan to break a promise.

When then-Land Commissioner Garry Mauro accepted the Christmas Mountains property in Big Bend for the benefit of all Texans, as a gift from the Mellon Foundation, the grantors expected our duly elected representatives to keep their word.

The National Park Service recently indicated its interest in managing this great wilderness treasure. Jerry Patterson, the current Land Commissioner said: “No guns - no deal.” Recently, the National Park Service removed its prohibition on guns. Now Patterson is saying “no hunting - no deal.” He’d rather put the Christmas Mountains into private hands.

To me, that means not today, not tomorrow, not ever, to those seeking a transfer of our state’s Christmas Mountains to the National Park Service which prohibits hunting in our national parks but not on some of our national preserves. It means that Texans now and in the future will have fewer acres of pristine public lands to enjoy.

Don’t get me wrong - as a proud sixth generation South Texan from a family with a rich hunting and ranching tradition, I strongly support hunting. But the current Land Commissioner is wrong to use hunting as an excuse to thwart the purpose of the grantors and instead put this wilderness preserve forever out of reach for future generations to enjoy.

The sale of the Christmas Mountains to private owners is a clear violation of the agreement, a breach of trust, and a broken promise.

I need your help to send Jerry Patterson a message that we Texans want him to keep our word and transfer ownership of the Christmas Mountains to the National Park Service. Please contribute to our campaign today so that I can spread the message far and wide that Texans keep their word.

As Texas’ Land Commissioner, I will not only keep our Texas-size promise to transfer the Christmas Mountains to the National Park System for future generations to enjoy forever, it will be the very first thing I do after I take the oath of office. It will be an amazing gift that we get to keep.

But I can’t do it without your help. Please contribute to our effort today.

Merry Christmas Mountains to y’all.

Hector Uribe