McALLEN — A second city commissioner announced Monday her intent to run for mayor, ending months of speculation on the matter.
McAllen Commissioner Veronica Whitacre, who serves as mayor pro-tem, made the formal announcement in a news release Monday, saying the city “deserves a mayor who is committed to the growth and development of McAllen and for someone who has the vision to keep McAllen moving.”
Talk about Whitacre’s potential run for the city’s top elected spot made headlines in October 2019, when Mayor Jim Darling announced he would seek reelection amid rumors of others vying for his seat.
At the time, Whitacre declined to confirm or deny her intent, saying it was too early to discuss the issue.
Last month, Darling abruptly changed course and announced he would no longer seek reelection, saying that after 43 years of service to the city as attorney, city manager commissioner and mayor were enough.
Two days later, Commissioner Javier Villalobos announced his intent to fill the seat. Whitacre said she waited until Monday to spare the city a costly special-called election because commissioners are forced to resign if they announce a bid for another elected seat.
Whitacre, however, said that while she is resigning, she and Villalobos will continue to fill their seats until the election in May.
“Well, I am not up for reelection, and that’s why it took me some time also to announce, because I had to announce within the terms because I did not want to create a special election for me to run for mayor. … It would have cost the city probably about $80,000 or more,” Whitacre said. “And I because I’m fiscally responsible, I wanted to make sure that I could be in the election at the same time that everybody else was in the election so there wouldn’t be a special election prior to the May election.
“So therefore, today was the day that I could announce without having (to step down).”
Whitacre will still spur a special election, but it’ll be held alongside the other scheduled elections.
“… I won’t cost my city any money,” she added.
The District 6 commissioner has been serving the city since 2013, making her the most senior commissioner on the dais, Darling aside.
“I am the one who’s been on the commission the longest and has the most experience within the commission that is able to move forward and to continue the progress that we’ve made in our city for many years,” she told The Monitor on Monday. “I have the vision, and I’m ready to give back more to my city. And I feel that because of the strength and the dedication and the vision that I have for the city of McAllen, I can continue on the momentum.”
Whitacre was born and raised in McAllen. She began her professional career as an educator and spent 15 years in the industry before moving on to health care, where she spent more than 20 years before moving on to the nonprofit sector.
Whitacre’s role as executive director for the Comfort House, a hospice-like nonprofit for those who can’t afford medical services, however, caused headlines. She was accused of creating a conflict of interest because the city gave the nonprofit money.
She eventually resigned her post as director in August 2017 after the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, which had for years granted money to Comfort House, ceased funding citing conflicts of interest.
If elected, Whitacre said she wants to invest in urban development and transportation, noting the city’s rapid growth. She’s also especially passionate about creating wellness opportunities for constituents, having spearheaded the Run, Ride and Bike Share Program, as well as securing emergency call boxes and emergency tool kits as part of the McAllen Hike & Bike Safety Initiative.
“If you’re driving around in the evenings, you know, 5 to 8, you’ll notice that the hike and bike trails are just jam-packed because of the pandemic, but it’s really an outlet for many people to be able to, you know, be outside, have some activity, be with their families,” she said. “It’s a wonderful tool for our city.”
She also plans to review some of the city ordinances that she said haven’t been updated in a while, as well as focus some of her efforts on the revitalization of some of the city’s older neighborhoods.
“We’re so big now that we’ve got to make sure that our inner-city is just as vibrant as our outer-city,” she said.
If elected, Whitacre would be the first woman to serve the city in that capacity.
“And I am Hispanic,” she added with a smile.
