Norma Chávez's snippy-sniffy little tiff involving a fellow El Paso state representative makes us all look bad. Our lawmaker delegation must be a laughingstock at the nearly concluded 81st session of the Texas Legislature.

Since state lawmakers went to Austin in January, the veteran Chávez, seemingly step by step, has been trying to make life in Austin difficult for first-termer Marisa Marquez.

It had been surmised that the two would team to help El Paso causes, but soon after last year's election, Marquez made it clear she was her own person, not a Chávez follower.

The rift was seen early. Marquez was chided by Chávez for introducing legislation that had to do with Chávez's district. And it came to Chávez picking at a Marquez bill calling for a stronger ethics board to oversee county officials and employees.

We need an ethics code with teeth. There's a major FBI investigation into public corruption going on here.

After the bill passed, Chávez called it "the witch hunt ethics bill." Before it passed, Chávez had demanded dozens of changes in its wording. Proponents of the bill charged her with trying to kill legislation that would benefit her own county.

And it peaked recently when Chávez took time from the Legislature to receive a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin. However, she told Marquez not to show up at her post-graduation reception, and sent back a gift and card Marquez had sent. A text message to Marquez read: "Plz do not go to my noon reception. Or I will ask you u to leave."

Chávez says Marquez "never, never treated me with any kind of respect at all" -- even after she helped Marquez in her successful campaign to unseat long-time state Rep. Paul Moreno.

Clearly, Chávez wanted a lackey in Austin. History has shown she has had tumultuous relationships with other members of our delegate and is considered a loner.

Clearly, Marquez went to Austin as her own women, not a rookie sidekick.

Clearly, Chávez seems ticked about that.

Clearly, Chávez is acting the snippy-sniffy schoolgirl, not the new college graduate -- and certainly not the adult we expect to take our causes to the state Capitol.

Chávez, by her actions before and during the legislative session, has been an embarrassment for the delegation and the city.