Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa pays tribute to René Oliveira

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - State Rep. Erin Elizabeth Gámez of Brownsville has led the tributes to former state Rep. René Oliveira, who has passed away at the age of 68.Oliveira served as Brownsville’s representative in the Texas House for 33 years, from 1981 to 2019. He sat out two terms in the House when he ran unsuccessfully for the Texas Senate. At the time he left office in 2019 he was dean of the Rio Grande Valley legislative delegation and the fifth longest serving member of the House. At various times he chaired the Ways & Means Committee and the Economic Development Committee. And he and then-House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Pitts introduced Elon Musk to the Appropriations Committee when the SpaceX was looking for state support.“I’m heartbroken that our former state Representative René Oliveira passed away. I had the privilege of working in his office during college. He exemplified what it meant to be a public servant. He dedicated his life to working for the people of Cameron County and being a champion for those who needed someone to be their voice,” Gámez said.“The impact of his decades of work in the Legislature is immense. Particularly the work he did for the children of Texas - from improving public education, making higher education more attainable, and improving child support collections just to name a few. Though he is no longer with us the impact he made on our community will live on.”Oliveira, who had had heart problems for many years, died Jan. 23. But former state Rep. Juan Escobar of Kingsville said he seemed in good spirits when he spoke to him over the past weekend.“I cannot believe this. I just spoke to him on Saturday at around 5:00 PM and he sounded in good spirits. Our condolences to the family. May he Rest In Peace,” Escobar said. Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr., said Oliveira was a great leader, not just for Brownsville but for South Texas in general.“My relationship with Rene goes back pretty much to my teenage years. His family and my family and my parents, my Dad in particular knew each other for decades. But my most immediate recollection of Rene was when I was in college and unfortunately my younger brother (Ernie) had been killed in a tragic accident when he was nine years old,” Treviño told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service.“Rene, shortly thereafter, was in the House of Representatives. And he authored a proclamation recognizing my little brother and it was a gesture that my parents appreciated, our entire family did, because it was something that he did on his own because of the relationship that he had with my family. He knew how this terrible tragedy had impacted us. And he did this this small gesture, but it meant so much to my family.“After that, he and I always had a very good personal and professional relationship, once I got back to practicing law. So, he was a leader in our community for decades. He gave himself of his community, serving at the House of Representatives. And more importantly, he always had the needs of the community at the forefront. “He was involved in legislation that helped take care of Brownsville, Cameron County, the Valley, and South Texas. And for that we will always be in debt, on a community level, and, obviously, for me on a personal level for this gesture that I just mentioned earlier.”But, it's a sad, sad, day for Brownsville, Cameron County, for the Valley, and for South Texas, because he was a true leader in every sense of the word and he will be sorely missed.”Editor's Note: Here is an audio interview with Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa about Rep. Oliveira. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.