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SAN JUAN — The city of San Juan will hold a special election in July following the resignation of Place 4 Commissioner Leonardo “Lenny” Sanchez.
Sanchez’s resignation, which was submitted on May 9, was officially accepted on May 17. During Tuesday’s San Juan City Commission meeting, his seat on the commission was unoccupied. Sanchez sat in the back of the San Juan Memorial Library Multipurpose Meeting Room before addressing his fellow commissioners and constituents — offering a formal goodbye to the seat he has occupied since 2018.
He said that he was forced to choose between his current job position and serving on the San Juan City Commission.
Sanchez has served in law enforcement for nearly 27 years. He was recently sworn-in as La Joya ISD Chief of Police on Sept. 12, 2023.
On Feb. 1 of this year, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) took over La Joya ISD and appointed a board of managers and a new superintendent following a TEA investigation into allegations of fraud and conflicts of interest by members of previously elected board of trustees.
According to Sanchez, the new board of managers implemented a new policy on April 11 that prohibits department heads and administrators from holding public office.
“With that being said, I had to discuss this with my family and so forth,” Sanchez said during public comment. “We made a decision. I have two passions and I have to pick one of them, and it’s the one that pays my bills.”
Following his short address, commissioners, constituents and department heads stood in applause as the emotional Sanchez returned to his seat.
“It’s a feeling of relief because I held this for a while,” Sanchez said as he prepared to leave the meeting. “It went pretty well. My time here was great. I loved serving the community. Maybe in the future, we’ll see what it holds. It was a good experience, and it’s helping me in my career now when it comes to decision making and so forth.
“Being a commissioner was very instrumental even in my own career now.”
Mayor Mario Garza described Sanchez as an asset to the community who brings a wealth of city governmental knowledge to the commission.
“He had a choice. It was either his job or being a public servant. He obviously chose his job, and we totally respect that,” Garza said. “I know we’re going to miss him because he’s very knowledgeable.”
With Sanchez’s resignation, the city commission will host a special election through Hidalgo County on July 30. Applications are currently being accepted for candidates from now until Thursday, June 20 at 5 p.m. The commissioners also approved Early Voting for July 15 through July 26.
Garza said there voters will have two locations to cast their ballots for early voting and Election Day: the San Juan Memorial Library and the San Juan Fire Department 2 on the north side of town.
“He’s greatly going to be missed,” Garza said after the meeting. “We are preparing for an election. We need the community’s support to come out and cast their vote for who they think will be a good fit for Mr. Sanchez’s place.”
