HARLINGEN — The results are in, and the city of Harlingen was not among the 10 cities selected Wednesday as a 2020 All-America City by the Nation Civic League.
Harlingen was the only city from the Rio Grande Valley and represented the state of Texas, along with El Paso, as one of the 18 finalists from across the country. El Paso was among the cities selected this year.
In a press release issued Thursday, Mayor Chris Boswell said being named as a finalist confirmed the many great things happening in the community.
“ This reflects Harlingen’s spirit of cooperation and support for each other working in partnership with the HCISD, UTRGV, the Housing Authority, Legacy Foundation, the Parks Board, and Wellness Council along with local businesses and each and every citizen of our great City,” Boswell stated.
This year’s finalist presentations, all under 10 minutes, followed the theme of “Enhancing Health & Well Being Through Civic Engagement”. Presentations were done virtually via Zoom instead of live in Denver, Colorado, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Harlingen was the last city to present and included Mayor Chris Boswell, Commissioner Ruben De La Rosa, City Manager Dan Serna, HCISD Superintendent Art Cavazos, UTRGV Vice President of Governmental Affairs Veronica Gonzalez, TSTC Provost Cledia Hernandez, and other members of the community. All presenters gathered Wednesday at the Harlingen Convention Center.
Harlingen was previously awarded the designation in 1992. This is the second time Harlingen has applied.
