Incumbents win San Benito commission seats

SAN BENITO — Incumbent City Commissioners Carol Lynn Sanchez and Pete Galvan won landslide re-elections Saturday.

In the race for Place 3, Galvan won 1,227 votes to defeat former Mayor Ben Gomez, who picked up 549 votes, and political newcomer Jesus Loperena, who took 88 votes.

Meanwhile, Sanchez won 1,038 votes to defeat Victor Rosas, a retired firefighter and former San Benito school district trustee who finished with 795 votes in the race for Place 4.

Amid a crowd of supporters, Galvan said voters ushered in a new generation of leaders.

“The citizens came out and voted,” he said. “We had some well-qualified candidates. The city of San Benito is ready for a strong voice. They want to progress the town to the next generation.

“I feel the same concerns. I feel the future is bright and I’m looking forward to it.”

Sanchez is an attorney winning her second full term in office.

“I hope everybody liked the work I did. I plan to continue to make the same progress,” she said.

Six months after losing his bid for a second term as the city’s top elected official to Mayor Rick Guerra, Gomez, a school district parent educator, was fighting for the commission seat Galvan, a pharmacist, won the unexpired term which Guerra left open after he resigned to run for the city’s top elected position.


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