MISSION — The city made history Monday, swearing in Norie Gonzalez Garza as the first woman to serve as mayor there.
Gonzalez Garza, a former councilwoman, rose to the position of mayor before a crowded room at the Mission Event Center that also included officials from around Hidalgo County.
She and Councilwoman Jessica Ortega, who was reelected to place 1 on the city council, took the oath of office following a long campaign season that extended into a runoff.
“I’m very excited, I’m so thankful, I thank God for bringing us to today,” Gonzalez Garza said. “I’m ready to get to work tomorrow at 8 a.m. I’m here for our citizens, for our residents; we’re going to make Mission a better place, a place where you can come live, play and work.”
One of her first acts as mayor will be the introduction of an ethics policy for the city, which the council is expected to vote on during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
Gonzalez Garza explained she wanted the city council to adopt a code of ethics similar to what had been adopted in the city of Edinburg earlier this year.
While her election as the first woman to take the mayor’s position is notable, Gonzalez Garza said it wasn’t something she or voters were necessarily focused on.
“I think the most important (thing) is that I felt like I was the best qualified candidate,” she said.
Nevertheless, she saw it as a good thing for young women.
“This is great for our young ladies that are looking at what’s going on in our city and our state and we have so many female candidates that have gone (on) and are going to be in the November’s race,” she said, “and so it’s a different time for our kids and I think it’s an awesome thing.”
To become the new mayor after 15 years of serving on the city council, Gonzalez Garza defeated then-Mayor Armando O’Caña who unsuccessfully ran for reelection.
In the runoff, which was held June 11, Gonzalez Garza received 3,946 votes, while O’Caña received 3,103 votes, according to the official canvass of the votes.
In the Place 1 race, Ortega won reelection with 3,671 total votes, while Moises “Moy” Iglesias received 3,274 votes.
Ortega said she felt overwhelmed with the results and was ready to get back to work.
For her new term in office, she hoped to continue focusing on projects that meant a lot to her, such as those dealing with mental health.
“Law enforcement and city employees and constituents need a lot of help with that, with training, and so I hope that that project is going to be bigger this time around,” Ortega said.
She added that she wanted to help animals with the establishment of a new shelter where pets could be spayed, neutered, vaccinated and, hopefully, adopted.
“I’m really excited to see what Norie brings to the table. I’m happy that I’m not going to be the only woman sitting on the council, that would have been kind of interesting I think, but I think that we have a lot of wonderful projects that we already have and very much futuristic projects that we’re going to work (on) together.”
Before passing the torch to Gonzalez Garza, O’Caña wished her luck and thanked the citizens of Mission.
He also took the opportunity to address a claim from City Councilman Ruben Plata that circulated online.
“I know that there’s a video going around that I saw where Mr. Plata mentioned that the city of Mission was minus $8 million in the hole,” O’Caña said, denying that allegation. “I just wanted to (set) record straight.”
After Monday’s ceremony, Plata clarified that his statements were referring to $8.3 million the city had advanced toward a project to install smart water meters, but which is now embroiled in a lawsuit.
The lawsuit stems from the city’s attempts to terminate the agreement with the contractor, Performance Services Inc. or PSI.
The city’s move to end their relationship with PSI came after the company itself became entangled in a federal investigation into a kickback scheme that already implicated several officials from western Hidalgo County, including the mayor’s nephew.
By the time the project was halted, Plata said only about 23% of the water meters had been installed, while the city had paid more than 50% of the cost.
O’Caña assured residents the city was healthy and prosperous and offered to make himself available to Gonzalez Garza for any help or advice on ongoing projects.
Prior to being elected mayor in 2018, O’Caña served on the city council.
Ortega recognized O’Caña for his years of public service, presenting him with a plaque and the key to the city.
“We truly appreciate all the energy, effort, and thoughtfulness you poured into making the city a place to be,” Ortega said. “Thank you for serving the city of Mission as a councilman and mayor for a total of 16 years.”
