Voters decide city, school races

By Editor | May 11, 2023

SOME STAY, SOME GO NEW MAYORS IN DILLEY, ENCINAL; COTULLA CHARTER BID FOUNDERS

Voters cast their ballots in city council and school board elections in communities across Frio and La Salle counties on Saturday, May 6, and during the early voting period to return a number of incumbents to office and usher a select number of newcomers to local government positions.
While Pearsall Mayor Ben Briscoe retained his seat for a second term, voters ousted Dilley Mayor Gilbert Eguia after one term in favor of candidate Mary Ann Obregon, who has served as mayor for more than two decades in the past.
The city of Encinal will also have a new mayor, as Esmeralda Yanet Arce prevailed over candidate Sonny Aldaco for the seat formerly held by Sylvano Sanchez.
Pearsall election officials have reported that approximately 25 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the municipal races for mayor and three councilors.
The incumbent mayor defeated challenger and former mayor Albert Alvarez by 32 votes.
“Thank God and the citizens of Pearsall,” Briscoe said. “I’m grateful.”
Pearsall’s city council will see changes after votes are canvassed, with one incumbent remaining and two newcomers. Tiffany Talamantes keeps Place 5 for a second term after earning 338 more votes than her opponent, Edward Carrizales. Councilor Lionel Gandara opted not to seek reelection for a second term; Aurora Garza and Eugene Rodriguez placed their names on the ballot. Garza surpassed Rodriguez by 83 votes to claim Place 6. Former councilor Brenda Trevino unseated incumbent Davina Rodriguez by 50 votes to take Place 7.
The newly elected mayor and councilors will serve three-year terms.
On the Dilley City Council, Place 1 incumbent Imelda Rodriguez defeated opponents Sabino Mena Jr. and Monica Prado Sarinana to keep her seat; and Ray Aranda prevailed by 72 votes in his bid against three other candidates – Amanda Ochoa, Lori Ramirez and former councilor Everardo Castillo Jr. – to take the seat vacated by Councilor Nathan Rodriguez, who did not seek re-election.
In Cotulla, voters turned down an option to convert city government to home rule by rejecting a charter that had been drafted by an ad hoc commission.
Cotulla voters agreed to allow the school district to take out up to $5 million in bonds to help pay for security upgrades to four campuses. The school district sees one newcomer to the board of trustees as Louisa Franklin prevailed over one-term incumbent Robert Sanchez Jr., and three returning incumbents who defeated their challengers by wide margins.
Cotulla ISD reported that its election turnout was just over 24.5 percent, with 1,005 people out of 4,091 registered voters casting ballots. Meanwhile, only 15.6 percent of registered voters – 419 out of 2,680 – in the city of Cotulla cast ballots in the municipal charter election.
The Pearsall ISD Board of Trustees sees two incumbents unseated in their bids for new terms and one returned. Mari Benavides will serve a second term in Place 1 after defeating challenger Lindsey Bell by 499 votes; and Matthew Aguilar earned three more votes than incumbent Louisa Martinez for Place 2. Martinez has served on the board for 23 years. Adriann Ramirez was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Rochelle Camacho in February and faced challenger Juanita Rendon in last week’s election. Rendon garnered 12 more votes to take Place 4.
Pearsall ISD trustees will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, to name a replacement for Tomas “Tommy” Navarro, who resigned his seat at Place 5 in mid-April.
The Encinal City Council had five seats on the ballot this year; voters chose their candidates from a list of eight. The five with the highest number of votes will be sworn in to new two-year terms.
Results of the May 6 elections, as posted by respective authorities in Frio and La Salle counties prior to official canvassing, are as follows:
CITY OF PEARSALL
Mayor
Ben Briscoe 502
Albert Alvarez 470
Place 5
Tiffany Talamantes 639
Edward Carrizales 301
Place 6
Eugene Rodriguez 412
Aurora Garza 505
Place 7
Davina Rodriguez 450
Brenda Trevino 500
PEARSALL ISD
Place 1
Mari Benavides 818
Lindsey Bell 319
Place 2
Matthew Aguilar 583
Louisa Martinez 580
Place 4
Juanita G. Rendon 580
Adriann Lozano Ramirez 568
CITY OF DILLEY
Mayor
Gilbert Villanueva Eguia 109
Mary Ann Obregon 134
Place 1
Inelda Rodriguez 163
Sabino Mena Jr. 55
Monica Prado Sarinana 23
Place 2
Amanda Ochoa (Vega) 28
Ray Aranda 127
Lori Ramirez 37
Gilbert Ortiz (Withdrawn)
Everardo Castillo Jr. 55
CITY OF COTULLA
Candidates Henry Gilbert Ayala in Place 3, Alejandro Garcia Jr. in Place 4, and Manuel ‘Quate’ Rodriguez in Place 5 are unopposed in bids for re-election.
Proposition A
City Charter
“The municipal government provided by this Charter shall be known as ‘Type A’ form of government. Pursuant to its provisions and subject only to the limitations imposed by the Constitution, laws, and statutes of the State of Texas and by this Charter.”
For: 108
Against: 311
COTULLA ISD
Place 2
Louisa Franklin 591
Robert Sanchez Jr. 396
Place 3
Alfredo Zamora Jr. 201
Deonicio Ramirez Jr. 770
Place 5
Annette C. Pena 415
Robert Ayala Jr. 577
Place 7
Richard Maldonado 587
Susan Garcia 391
SPECIAL ELECTION
BOND ISSUE
“The issuance of an amount not to exceed $5,000,000 in school bonds for vestibules, replacement of glass with tempered glass with ballistic film, fencing, safety technology equipment, improvements for school buildings and facilities in the district for school safety purposes, and the levying and imposition of taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds and the costs of any credit agreements. This is a property tax increase.”
For: 519
Against: 382
CITY OF ENCINAL
Mayor
Sonny Aldaco 31
Esmeralda Yanet Arce 177
Council At Large
(Five seats available; winners marked *)
Sandy Chavez 17
*Debra Weikel 180
*Oscar O. Aldaco 29
Maria A. Rodriguez 27
*Donald Roath 174
*Gilberto Inocencio 178
*Yrma Arizola 45
Alexis Shania Salazar 26

All those elected to new terms of office in city and school governments will be administered their oaths and take their seats at meetings scheduled later this month.

Posted in Breaking News