By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Candidates for county, state and federal elected offices answered questions and met with voters during a forum at Southwest Texas College on Tuesday.
The entire event can be viewed here.
The forum was hosted by the college and The 830 Times and included candidates running in three contested elections in Val Verde County, as well as a candidate seeking re-election to an office at the state level and a candidate seeking election to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The event moderator was The 830 Times Publisher Joel Langton, and The 830 Times staff prepared sets of questions for the candidates.
Langton welcomed those attending the event and laid out the rules of engagement for the evening: candidates each would be given a set amount of time to make an opening statement, then asked questions and be given three minutes to answer, then be given time to make closing statements. The questions were not given to any candidates in advance.
“Tonight will be an example that we do not see eye-to-eye all the time, but we are going to be civil and respectful of each other, and, in my opinion, Del Rio is small-town America at its finest, a place where many cultures come together seamlessly,” Langton told the audience.
Langton also thanked the event’s sponsors: SWTC, Ashley Furniture and the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce.
The first set of candidates on the stage were those for County Commissioner Precinct 1: the Republican Party nominee, Alfinio “Al” Flores, and the Democratic Party nominee, Kerr Wardlaw.
Their portion of the evening can be seen here.
Flores and Wardlaw fielded the questions by emphasizing how their life and work experiences qualified them for the county commissioner position.
Flores said if elected he would begin working on projects started by the county, especially the water extensions to Escondido Estates, as well as working with the city to clean up neighborhoods in the San Felipe neighborhood. Flores said he believed there are state and federal grants available to help the county with those projects.
Wardlaw said if elected he would begin working to stretch the Precinct 1 budget, which he said had been cut from $226,000 to $150,000. He said that will be the Precinct 1 commissioner’s biggest challenge, as well as continuing the work in Escondido Estates and placing lights in a Precinct 1 park just south of the Del Rio city limits and on streets like Guyler, Gilchrist and Rose that start in the city but move into the county.
The candidates for Val Verde County Tax Assessor Collector were next on the stage: the incumbent and Democratic Party nominee, Elodia “Loly” Garcia, and the Republican Party nominee, Maricar Ortega Chattler.
Both Chattler and Garcia introduced themselves to the audience,
two candidates for Val Verde County Tax Assessor Collector during a candidate forum
on Tuesday. The candidates are the incumbent and Democratic Party nominee, Elodia
“Loly” Garcia, left, seated facing audience, the challenger and Republican Party
nominee, Maricar Ortega Chattler, right, seated facing audience. (Photo by Karen
Gleason)
then answered a series of four questions.
Their portion of the event can be viewed here.
Chattler said she believed her biggest challenge would be to make a positive difference in the office, protect taxpayers’ funds, increase accountability and ensure fair treatment for everyone.
Garcia said she believed her office’s biggest challenge is helping taxpayers understand how its processes worked and the paperwork required.
In describing how their backgrounds made them the best-qualified candidate, Garcia emphasized her 25 years of
experience in working in the tax assessor collector’s office, noting, “I’m familiar with everything and if there’s anything I don’t know, I know where to go and ask and look for it.”
Chattler emphasized her experience in working in accounting and customer service in her husband’s company, saying, “I know how to listen and provide what my community needs.”
Regarding improvements to the office, Garcia noted she has asked for, and received, a new staff position and is currently remodeling the office to increase access for customers.
Chattler said she would work with the county judge, commissioners and county clerk to deal with problems and make sure everyone is on the same page.
In their closing statements, Garcia emphasized her experience, accessibility and willingness to work with the public, and Chattler thanked those attending the forum, the voters, asked for their votes and said she would create a welcoming atmosphere, increase voter turnout and work to lower taxation and see to accountability in spending.
Of the two candidates seeking the office of Val Verde County Sheriff, only Joe Frank Martinez, the incumbent and the Democratic Party nominee, participated in the forum.
This portion can be viewed here.
Martinez introduced himself to the audience, giving a history of work in law enforcement with the Del Rio Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office. Martinez also spoke of his family, noting he is the oldest child of the late Leonel and Viola Martinez, and sharing some of his public service work in the community, which included coaching for Little League baseball, Pee Wee football and the Boys and Girls Club of Del Rio.
“I am seeking my fifth term as sheriff of Val Verde County, and I am committed to serve and protect the citizens of this county,” Martinez said.
Martinez was then asked a series of questions about the sheriff’s office.
Martinez said he would like to see further increases in pay for sheriff’s deputies’ salaries. He said he would like to see all deputies’ salaries to at least $52,000 to $56,000 a year so his office could retain experienced personnel, though he noted county commissioners court “has been very generous” over the years in leveling the playing field of pay.
“We have to be able to attract top-notch individuals to serve and protect our community. That’s my number one goal, to attract those individuals and to keep them here,” Martinez said.
He said another issue is increasing the jail space available at the county detention center, and he noted he has been working with commissioners court on this issue.
Martinez told the audience he is more qualified than his opponent because of his 47 years of law enforcement experience and his work as a leader of his office of 82 persons who perform a variety of functions.
After the local candidates, Langton introduced Texas Rep. Eddie Morales, the incumbent Texas House District 74 representative and Democratic Party nominee, who spoke to the audience about
candidate forum on Tuesday in the Southwest Texas College auditorium. The forum was
hosted by the college and The 830 Times. (Photo by Karen Gleason)
his work in representing the district and the challenges facing his district, including development of new infrastructure like roads and water systems, protection of regional water resources and support for public school education.
This portion can be viewed here.
Morales also said he believes in the right of citizens to be armed,
but noted he has had Republicans, Democrats and Independents speak to him in favor of universal background checks, prohibiting most persons under the age of 21 from purchasing AR-15 rifles and enacting “red flag” provisions that allow for law enforcement or the judiciary to temporarily remove guns from a person who has been found to be dangerous or mentally unstable.
Morales, who called himself “a moderate to conservative Democrat,” also urged citizens not to blindly follow a single party’s dogma, but to investigate candidates as individuals and look at their records and their work on the issues.
Morales’ opponent Republican Robert Garza was already committed to a West Texas campaign event, campaign staffers said.
The last candidate to address the audience was Santos Limon, the Democratic Party nominee for U.S. House of Representatives District 23.
This portion can be viewed here.
Limon, a civil engineer who said he was born and raised in Del Rio, also spoke about his personal and work history, said infrastructure, economic development and border security are two of the most important needs of communities along the border.
“We need leadership in Washington that understands the border,” Limon said.
Afterward, candidates were able to visit one-to-one with those attending the forum.
“Our goal tonight was to give the public a chance to meet and see the candidates in a public forum,” Langton said. “We want people to be able to select the candidate that best reflects their values and on Nov. 5, vote for them. We beg the public, whatever you do, please vote.”
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
