By KAREN GLEASON
The 830 Times
A second Del Rioan has thrown his hat into the local political ring to run for mayor.
Virgil Armstrong, a retired Border Patrol agent, filed his application Tuesday, Jan. 25, for a place on the May 7 city election ballot, City Secretary Mari Acosta told the 830 Times.
Armstrong served in the Border Patrol for 25 years. He has lived in Del Rio for six years and has owned a predator control business here for two years.
Armstrong will run for the mayor’s seat against former Del Rio City Councilman Alvaro “Al” Arreola.
Arreola is the manager of Zales jewelry store in the Plaza Del Sol Mall and has formerly served on the city council. He is currently a member of the Val Verde Regional Medical Center’s board of trustees, serving as secretary and the Precinct 3 representative.
January 19 was the first day to file applications for a place on the city council election ballot. The deadline to file is 5 p.m. on Feb. 18.
The city council election is scheduled for May 7, and there are four council positions on the ballot, including Mayor, At-Large, Place C; District I and District II.
Mayor Pro-tem Jim DeReus, who serves as the District II representative on the Del Rio City Council, was the first person to file his application for a place on the May 7 ballot. DeReus filed his application with Acosta minutes after filing opened on Jan. 19.
DeReus, a retired Air Force pilot who currently works as a T-6 simulator instructor at Laughlin Air Force Base, has served on the council since 2018.
Another former city council member also filed on Jan. 19.
Elizabeth “Liz” Elizalde filed her application for election to the At-Large, Place C, seat on the city council currently held by Raul C. Ojeda.
Elizalde currently works as the executive director of Val Verde Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
An informational packet for prospective candidates is available on the city’s web site, www.cityofdelrio.com.
Applications for a place on the city council ballot can be dropped off at the city secretary’s office inside City Hall, 106 W. Broadway St.
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Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
