Incumbent Hidalgo County Precinct 4 Commissioner Ellie Torres has filed her application seeking reelection to a second term representing residents of Edinburg, McAllen and those who live in the precinct’s rural areas.
“As Commissioner for Precinct 4, I have worked as a tireless advocate for our community. When I started my term in 2019, I would have never imagined what we have experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said in a news release. “Together with our leaders at the County Health Department, Edinburg CISD and McAllen ISD, and the cities of Edinburg and McAllen, we responded swiftly and decisively throughout the pandemic, providing free COVID test locations for the public, coordinating resources and assistance for our residents, and promoting the vaccination of thousands of individuals.”
Torres said that despite the pandemic, she also moved forward with various projects, activities and operations throughout Precinct 4.
“A priority for Precinct 4 and Hidalgo County residents was the need for drainage improvements…” Torres said in the release, noting such need was due to recent rain events. “Through collaborative efforts with our federal, state, regional, and local agencies, we advocated for much-needed drainage improvement projects in out area.”
She said those joint efforts resulted in $39 million in funding for drainage expansion, development and maintenance of the drainage system.
Torres also touted a collaborative effort with county and state leaders for House Bill 4663, which she says is the first reclamation water project in the state. That bill allows Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 to generate revenue by selling reclaimed water based on water rights owned by the drainage district, which she says has an estimated market value of $100 million that will go toward additional drainage projects.
She also said she has been and will remain an advocate of road improvements.
“At Precinct 4, I have been very strategic with fiscal funds, paving 38 county roads to date. At the end of 2021, I will have completed a total of 50 paved roads; approximately 40 miles of overlay,” she said. “Through hard work and strategic prioritization, the Precinct has caught up with road projects that date as far back as 2016, and I am not stopping there.
“I am moving forward with paving more roads, continuing with street repairs and providing lateral road connections to help constituents of the area gain quicker access to their RGV travel destinations. I continue to manage and work on several TXDOT roadway projects and recently broke ground on the North Alamo Realignment Project.”
The incumbent also said she is leveraging a $1.2 million Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant for park enhancements for Precinct 4.
“With the combined efforts and funding of the Precinct, City of McAllen, McAllen ISD, Edinburg CISD and other organizations, the Precinct will move from one completed park to five completed parks by the end of 2022 spanning all across Precinct 4. The community parks will provide open spaces for all people to enjoy the great outdoors in a recreational setting and I have made it a priority to ensure inclusion of all children, all age levels, and all abilities,” she said.
Torres also said she has been able to expand important services to residents in rural areas, including three communities that now have street lighting with a project in the work to bring lighting to five more communities by January 2022.
“In an effort to help keep the Precinct clean and beautiful, I have hosted over 50 community clean ups in the precinct. To further expand waste transfer site access in the Precinct 4 rural areas, I will be opening an additional site in the northern Edinburg area by the end of this year and another transfer site in the San Carlos area by 2022,” she stated. “By providing more access points to dispose waste in a responsible manner, we can help reduce illegal dumping activity.”
Lastly, Torres said she has worked with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council to provide the first bust stop in San Carlos for residents there to have access to healthcare resources in the northeastern part of the county, to the county courthouse, to the university and to business areas.
“There is so much that has been accomplished in the last two and a half years and I humbly ask voters to help me keep the momentum going,” she stated. “My public servant mindset and work ethic will continue to work hard to make Hidalgo County Precinct 4 a better place for its residents.”
The former educator and small business owner was first elected in 2019.
