By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Elodia “Loly” Garcia has been re-elected as Val Verde County Tax Assessor Collector by
a narrow margin of 22 votes over her challenger, Maricar Ortega Chattler.
Garcia, the incumbent and Democratic Party nominee for the office, won the race with an
unofficial total of 6,835 votes. Chattler, the Republican Party nominee, had an unofficial
vote total of 6,813 votes.
Val Verde County Clerk Teresa Esther Chapoy announced the results of the November
General Election in Val Verde County outside the county courthouse just before 10 p.m.
Tuesday.
Chapoy announced the unofficial results of early voting by personal appearance at 7:40
p.m., and Chattler took an early lead in the race for the county tax assessor collector seat,
posting 5,043 votes to Garcia’s 4,768 votes.
Both candidates and their supporters then waited in the cool, clear night outside the
courthouse for about two more hours until the unofficial final totals were announced.
When they were, cheers resounded from Garcia’s camp, which included her husband and
other members of her family, friends and supporters.
After receiving their congratulations, Garcia told The 830 Times, “It was good. I don’t
really know what to say.”
She admitted to a sense of relief.
“I was down (in early voting), and I’m really grateful for the people that came out on
Election Day and voted, that decided to choose me to stay there, and I thank them for
their votes,” Garcia said.
She also praised all the members of her campaign team.
“I really want to thank my husband, Ben Garcia, my cousin Mary Sue, who left personal
notes to everybody she talked to, everybody she visited. Also, my three daughters, they
helped a lot. My granddaughter even campaigned for me, talking to her teachers at
school, so I want to thank her.
“It was my whole family, really; my mom, my aunts, who came from out of town. They
don’t even live here, but they came here today to help,” she added.
Garcia said she couldn’t point to one particular factor that made voters choose her.
“The people chose me for four more years, and I’m going to be there for them. I’m ready
to go. I like my job, and I’m really glad I’m going to get to be there four more years,” she
said.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com .
