Sunday, April 17, 2011
The voters will decide who will be Mercedes' next mayor
By Raul Garcia Jr.
The race for Mercedes’ top elected seat is up for grabs and five men have come to the table to take on the duty of leading the Queen City as mayor but only one can win and it will be up to the voters to decide.
Enter the 2011 mayor race candidates: Henry Hinojosa, Ruben Guajardo, Vernon Hoover, Gilbert Dominguez and David Garza. All but political newcomer, Vernon Hoover, have been elected officials for Mercedes; Dominguez elected Mayor in ‘82.
For the most part the trend has shown over the years who ever wins the early vote is sure to win the election. However, this race is sure to have a low voter turnout even with 20,000 people over the age of 18 in the city. There is no school board election, no bond election or statewide elections to vote on in Mercedes.
So the stage is set for a May 14 election as the candidates have been pushing their platforms and preparing voters with information. All saying they are fit to lead Mercedes as the new mayor.
Mercedes has operated without a mayor since three-term Mayor Joel Quintanilla was elected Hidalgo County Commissioner in the November 2010 General Election.
Henry Hinojosa, a lifetime resident of Mercedes was a three-term city commissioner from 1997-2005. He dates his community activism all the way back to the 1970’s in his youth as a Mercedes Community Helper. Today his campaign is to make Mercedes into a more economic success.
“Business development for the downtown and surrounding area is a priority,” Hinojosa said.
David Garza, a life-time resident was elected to two separate terms for city commissioner in 1993, 2005 and lost his re-election to commissioner Dianna Tovar in 2007.
Ruben “Chano” Guajardo has left his commission seat open in his bid for mayor. He is in his second term after being elected in 2005. Guajardo said he promotes open government and excellent services.
Vernon Hoover has been a resident of Mercedes since 2000.
“My goal is to see Mercedes continue to grow from the inside out and the outside in,” Hoover said. “There is a lot of people out of a job and I want to pull in more businesses into Mercedes.”
Former Mayor of Mercedes Gilbert Dominguez has been very vocal in recent council meetings since returning home after retiring from the Lansing School District in Mich.
“I’ve had a life long interest and commitment to community interest as apposed to politics,” Dominguez said. “For me community service has been some what of a calling.”
Ten years ago the City of Mercedes was cash strapped and known to many as a bedroom community but with the influx of tax dollars from the Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets’ 150 stores the city is richer than ever and has the funds to realize community needs and any department wish lists.
What has changed the political air in Mercedes is the Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets has shot the city into an international destination and hub for economic development. Mercedes is stronger than ever with a Standard and Poor’s A rating and enough money to operate the city for six months with no revenue.
Mercedes has not seen a heated political race since 2007 and will end up in a runoff and the city will continue operating for another month without a mayor. A run-off of the top two vote getters would be held 30 days after the May 14 election. People are saying Garza and Hinojosa and others say Hinojosa and Guajardo will meet in the run off.
No one knows who has an edge and all the candidates are confident they will win. For the most part some think Hinojosa is the candidate to beat, others think Guajardo is still the front-runner, some say Garza is outspoken and is sure to make the run-off, Dominguez was a strong candidate in the ‘80s but is in now a political unknown who believes can win the race outright. As for Hoover he has been taken seriously but is still a political novice and unknown to Mercedes.
# posted by Raul Garcia Jr. @ 1:32 PM 
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