PEÑITAS — The city council here remained silent about the arrest of Mayor Rodrigo “Rigo” Lopez during its regularly called meeting Monday evening.
Lopez, who was arrested on bribery and fraud charges last week, was noticeably absent from the meeting, with only Mayor Pro Tem Ramiro Loya, Councilman Jose R. Flores, and Councilman Felipe Quintanilla present to form the quorum.
Monday’s meeting, which was originally scheduled for Monday, June 13, did not have any items on the agenda pertaining to Lopez’s arrest, and the topic was avoided throughout the one-hour-and-thirteen minute meeting.
None of the items on Monday’s agenda appeared to address the fallout or the city’s response.
Following the meeting’s adjournment, councilmen Loya and Quintanilla said they were unable to comment on the situation. When pressed, Loya said the city would not be releasing a statement.
Lopez, 38, was arrested last Monday and pleaded not guilty to bribery and fraud charges in federal court. He was granted a $50,000 unsecured bond.
The mayor is accused of bribing a La Joya Independent School District employee for the approval of about $70,010 worth of purchases from Xizaka, LLC, a company that he owned, from March 2018 through August 2018.
He is also accused of allegedly helping the school district employee fraudulently obtain and misapply the school district funds to pay the invoices his company submitted.
Members of the community present at Monday’s meeting were seeking answers on how the city will move forward following the mayor’s arrest, but they have yet to receive any.
“He dragged our city name through the mud, and he wasn’t the only one,” Alma Ramirez said.
“I think (the city) should at least make a public statement as to what’s going on because right now we don’t know,” she continued. “We know that he pled not guilty. Ok, so if he didn’t do anything, then make a public statement and let us know what’s going on.”
Mario Chapa, another resident, said he wasn’t going to draw any conclusion until more information comes to light regarding the mayor’s arrest.
“I’m not happy about it to say the least,” Chapa said. “I have to presume he’s innocent. We all expect that, and that’s the way our country works — that there is a presumption of innocence. Unfortunately, there is a lot of stuff going on around us that makes presumption a little more difficult. But for the time being, until I know more, I’m going to give him the presumption of innocence.”
A final pretrial conference for Lopez is tentatively scheduled for July 26 and jury selection is tentatively set for August 2.
If found guilty, he faces up to 10 years in prison for each count.
