By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Long-time city employee Leno Hernandez Jr. was sworn in as the newest member of the Del Rio City Council during a special council meeting Tuesday.
Hernandez was elected to the District 2 seat on the city council during the May 2 General Election after defeating David Scarbo. Hernandez, who has worked for the city for almost 30 years, was required to give two weeks’ notice before retiring, so he was not sworn in with the other two new members of the council two weeks ago.
Val Verde County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. administered the oath of office to Hernandez as Hernandez’s wife, Sobie, held the Bible and members of Hernandez’s family, including his mother and father, Mary Sue and Lino Hernandez, looked on.
Mayor Al Arreola then presented Hernandez with a certificate noting Hernandez had been duly elected as the District 2 councilperson on the Del Rio City Council.
After the requisite round of photos and congratulations, Hernandez took his seat on the council dais, between Councilman Randy Quinones and fellow council freshman and former city work colleague, Councilwoman Elsa Reyes.
Arreola then invited the newly seated councilman to address the council and audience.
Hernandez said, “I just want to say thank you to a couple of people. To my family, my friends and my supporters, you guys are amazing. All of us up here know that we can’t run a campaign by ourselves. It requires a big support group, and I believe I had one of the best. I love you all so much.
“I want to thank the voters that came out. I understand that our turnout wasn’t as big as all of us would hope, but I hope that the work that we do moving forward inspires everybody to jump on board and participate in the next elections.
“I want to thank Councilman (Jim) DeReus for not just his experience and his motivation and the energy he put into it, but the example of what it was like to be a great councilperson for District 2. I saw him listen to his constituents. I saw how he handled concerns that he had. He was very deliberate in every action, and I thank him for the example that he left.
“Finally, I want to thank the city council that I’m honored to be a part of, and the members that are here, we stand on the shoulders of people who were here before us, great people like Mayor Dora Alcala, Mayor Bob Chavira, Mayor Dr. Alfredo Gutierrez Jr. and all the numerous council members who’ve sat up here on the dais to make things happen, and it’s an honor for me to sit up here with you all, and I can’t wait to show what we can do, developing a new culture for the city of Del Rio, where everyone is proud to see the service that we provide and that the employees are proud to be a part of.
“I can’t wait to get started. God bless you guys. Thank you so much,” Hernandez finished.
The special meeting to say farewell to Hernandez’s predecessor, DeReus, and to seat Hernandez was adjourned, and the regular city council meeting convened a short time later.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
