Races went down to the wire in Western Hidalgo County communities as well as in Alamo, where at least one race was so close to call during Tuesday evening’s elections that it remains undecided.
In Alamo, incumbent Place 1 Commissioner and Mayor Pro Tem Oscar “Okie” Salinas defeated former Place 3 Commissioner Robert “Mailman” De La Garza by a margin of 233 votes. Salinas received 1,171 votes, or 55.52% of the votes; while De La Garza received 938 votes, or 44.48% of the votes.
In the race to fill De La Garza’s Place 3 seat, J.R. Garza defeated David Martinez Jr. by a margin of 99 votes. Garza received a total of 1,089 votes, or 52.38% of the votes; while Martinez received 990, or 47.62% of the votes.
The race for municipal court judge saw incumbent Judge Celia Garcia receiving 50.02% of the vote, a total of 1,070 votes. She received more votes than both of her challengers, Diego Manny Guerrero and Ramon Mancias, combined. Mancias received 979 votes, or 45.77% of the votes; while Guerrero received a total of 90 votes, or 4.21% of the votes.
As of deadline, it was still undetermined whether the municipal court judge race will be going to a runoff. In order for a winner to be declared, that individual must receive 50% of the vote, plus one. Garcia received 50% and half of a vote.
According to Hidalgo County Elections Administrator Yvonne Ramón, that could change Wednesday morning as a few provisional and mail-in ballots have yet to be counted — ballots that could sway the election in Garcia’s favor.
In La Joya, neither of the sitting commissioners, Mary Salinas and Rey Acosta, sought reelection in their respective Place 1 and Place 3 races.
Esequiel “Chuck” Garza led Enrique “Henry” Cantu in the race for Place 1 commissioner race by a margin of 34 votes with 100% of precincts reporting. Garza received a total of 756 votes, or 51.15% of the vote; while Cantu received 722 votes, or 48.85% of the vote.
In the race for Place 3 commissioner, Angie Garza led Edwin Eloy Zuniga by a margin of 57 votes. Garza received a total of 769 votes, or 51.92% of the vote; while Zuniga received 712 votes, or 48.08% of the vote.
The Peñitas special election saw voters deciding on whether or not to approve Proposition A, which would continue the Peñitas Crime Control and Prevention District for an additional 10 years, and whether the crime control and prevention district sales tax should be continued for 10 years.
A total of 54 voters cast their ballot in the special election, according to unofficial results. A total of 44 of those votes were in favor of the proposition, and 10 of those votes were against.
