By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
LeRoy Briones joined the Del Rio City Council on Monday following his swearing-in as the new Councilperson At-Large, Place C.
Briones bested two other candidates for the city council seat. Briones garnered a total of 1,454 votes to win the election. Incumbent Councilwoman At-Large Place C Ernestina “Tina” Martinez received 565 votes, and a third candidate, Alexandra Falcon Calderon, who formerly served as a member of the city council, received 665 votes.
Briones was joined by his wife, Nelly Briones; his son, LeRoy Briones Jr.; and daughters, LeaBella Briones, Laylee Briones and LeAnna Briones, as Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 Hilda Lopez administered the oath of office.
Briones was sworn in during a special city council meeting Monday.
During the meeting, the council also canvassed the results of the May 2 city election, formally accepted the election results, declared the
winners and set a runoff election for the office of mayor, since none of the six candidates for that office won the election outright.
The council and city staff on Monday also bid farewell to outgoing council members Martinez and District 1 Councilman Jesus Lopez Jr., who did not seek re-election.
After those ceremonies were complete, Mayor Al Arreola called on Justice of the Peace Lopez to administer the oath of office to Briones.
Following the swearing-in, Arreola invited Briones to make introductory remarks to the council and audience.
“First and foremost, I want to say thank you to my family who supported me throughout this whole journey,” Briones said.
“Also, I faced two experienced opponents who were very respectful to me. I look forward to reaching out to you, Councilwoman Martinez, in the future. I’m excited to get to work, and I want to give everyone a thank you for being so welcoming to me, from the city secretary’s office to the assistant city manager. Thank you so much for everything. God bless everybody,” Briones said.
Though he might be new to the city council and local elected office, Briones is no stranger to serving the community. He is a licensed funeral director and the owner of Hillcrest Memorial Funeral Home. He is also the president of Del Rio Babe Ruth and a member of the Rotary Club of Del Rio.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
