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McALLEN — Paul R. Rodriguez and Dalinda Alcantar appeared to be set to win places on the South Texas College Board of Trustees based on unofficial voting tallies Saturday evening, although Alcantar was trailed by opponent Michael Fallek by a relatively close margin.
As of press time, 74.9% of precincts had completely reported.
Rodriguez, who was defending his District 3 seat against challengers Prisciliano “J.R.” Treviño and Lorena Saucedo Singh, had a commanding lead with 1,869 votes, or 50.57%.
Treviño trailed with 1,020 votes, or 27.6%, while Singh had accumulated 807, or 21.83%.
Two debates in that race featured Rodriguez and Treviño sparring, with Rodriguez touting his experience and the college’s successes and Treviño suggesting ambitious changes were needed to remedy deficiencies.
Speaking to The Monitor on Saturday evening, Rodriguez said he felt the college’s performance is what won him a lead at the polls.
“I think what resonates is that South Texas College has done a fantastic job for all of its constituents, whether it’s your high school students, people trying to get a GED, people trying to get into vocations, associates degrees and so many different areas,” he said. “The college has just been doing lots of great things, and I feel like this is a validation of that effort.”
If his lead holds, Rodriguez expects returning to some kind of post-pandemic normalcy to be a priority for a prospective additional term, along with an ongoing commission on community college financing and funding.
“We’re really hoping to see what it accomplishes, what it recommends, and they’re working as we speak…” he said. “The reality is community college is the future of education, not just in Texas but in the United States. And what we’re doing to give people the ability to acquire careers without having to go to a four-year institution is what’s happening today — that’s what’s hot.”
Rodriguez thanked his campaign team and supporters — especially his wife — for their support during the race.
The race for Place 4 was decidedly closer as of press time, with Alcantar in the lead by 214 votes.
That seat was left undefended by longtime trustee Gary Gurwitz, who did not seek reelection.
Alcantar garnered 2,734 votes, or 36.26%, to Fallek’s 2,524 votes, or 33.47%.
Meanwhile, Ronnie Ontiveros trailed in third by a couple hundred votes, with 2,283, or 30.27%.
Speaking to The Monitor Saturday evening, Alcantar said she was feeling confident about the way things were shaping up.
“I can tell you that I definitely activated a lot more voters today,” she said. “I mean, all the way until 6:55, that was the last message that I sent. So I’m feeling good, but we’re gonna wait until everything comes in.”
Alcantar, a former STC student with a family full of former STC students, said she felt personal familiarity with the institution played a role in her lead.
“I think people really want to have someone with experience,” she said. “They want a frontline perspective and not someone that has this overarching perspective. I think that resonates. I think my years of community service, years at the Boys & Girls Club, my 13 years in education — I think everyone resonated with the story because I’m like most of the Valley, my story is the same as everyone else’s here.”
If that lead holds and she wins the seat, Alcantar said she would prioritize humanizing decisions over policy and strategy.
“Making sure that the faculty and staff are taken care of. It’s not just compensation,” she said. “When I’ve had conversations with them throughout this campaign, they talked more about just respect and other benefits that may not cost the college money. That can happen, so I’m definitely going to look at that, because we have to be able to attract and retain quality staff.”
RESULTS: May 7, 2022 election tallies for RGV cities, schools
