By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Maria Botello “Carmen” Gutierrez is seeking election to the Councilperson-at-Large, Place A, seat on the Del Rio City Council.
Gutierrez was born in Laredo, Texas, but has lived in Del Rio since 1962 when her father transferred from the since-deactivated Laredo Air Force Base to Laughlin Air Force Base.
Gutierrez attended Del Rio schools and graduated from Del Rio High School in 1977.
Gutierrez said she wanted to attend college after high school, with her sights set on becoming an attorney, but due to financial difficulties and her mother’s failing health, she decided to stay in Del Rio.
“That’s what good Hispanic children do; they stay and help out their families. And I was happy to do it,” she said with a laugh.
Gutierrez at the time was working for Amos Humphreys at Beaver Lake in their business office.
A co-worker convinced her she would have a career if she went to work for the Texas Department of Transportation, so Gutierrez said, “I made the very difficult decision to leave a job that I really loved, people that treated me like family – I got married working for Amos and all those wonderful people; they treated me like a daughter – and went to work for the highway department in October 1979.”
Gutierrez indeed made a career at TxDOT, starting as a utility clerk in the maintenance department. She worked her way through the ranks, becoming an office manager and other positions, retiring in August 2008 as transportation programs administrator, a position that included oversight of budgets and personnel supervision.
Through tuition assistance from TxDOT, Gutierrez also realized her earlier dream of attending college, earning an associate’s degree in business management from Southwest Texas Junior College and a bachelor’s of business administration from Sul Ross State University (SRSU) Rio Grande College. After she retired from TxDOT, she returned to school for her master’s in business administration from SRSU Rio Grande College.
Gutierrez also worked for five years as the district representative for U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, a position from which she retired in 2020. She has also worked for two years as a substitute teacher for the local public school district, two years as an adjunct professor of Southwest Texas Junior College and as the owner of a small business, Carmen’s Professional Resources, for five years.
Gutierrez has also been an active community volunteer, serving as current chairman of the board for Border Federal Credit Union, treasurer of Los Amigos del Cementerio de la Loma de la Cruz, Treasurer of the First Kids Art Gallery for the Falcon Foundation, board member/grant writer of the Community Health Improvement Coalition (CHIC)’s Mental Health Committee, member of the American GI Forum Women’s Chapter of Del Rio, member of the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer of the International Good Neighbor Council.
She formerly served on the supervisory committee of Border Federal Credit Union, on the board of directors for the Del Rio Housing Authority and on the city of Del Rio’s Board of Adjustment.
Gutierrez has garnered a number of awards and recognitions over the years, including the 2022 Women of Distinction award from the Texas Association of Mexican Chambers of Commerce, 2021 COVID 19 Pandemic recognition from the Catholic Charities Senior Volunteers Program, 2020 U.S. House of Representatives Floor Recognition by U.S. Rep. Will Hurd and the 2019 “Above and Beyond Award” from the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and upon her TxDOT retirement, received House Resolution 464 from then-Congressman Pete Gallego.
Asked why she decided to run for a seat on the city council, Gutierrez told the 830 Times, “I want to go from being a voice in front of the dais to a vote on the dais. I have been before commissioners’ court, I have been before the city council. They’re receptive, but, like with my complaints about (the city’s shutting down comments on) Facebook, they’re the ones who are going to make the decision, so I want to go from being the voice in front of the dais to a vote on the dais. I have ideas. I have new ideas.
“As has been described, I have been advocating for many issues through the various organizations I participate in. Also volunteering in these organizations, I have become aware of many issues and concerns that our community has expressed. I believe my background has helped prepare me from being that voice in front of the dais to a vote on the dais,” she added.
Gutierrez spoke about her priorities if elected. She said her priorities focus mainly on safety and security.
“I want to ensure that our water supply is protected, and funds generated by water usage are reinvested in planned improvements to our water infrastructure by using dedicated enterprise funds,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez said she will also address ongoing concerns regarding ADA accessibility, safe parks and city-owned facilities.
“I have been a voice before the dais on ADA accessibility for mobility and vision impaired citizens. One such example is addressing the lack of any handicapped parking at Brown Plaza, a city-owned venue. It took eight months, several visits with the city manager and addressing city council regarding the violations of federal law and the serious implications/fines that the city could face, to finally have two handicapped parking spaces established next to the Rotary Park restrooms. I have continued to attend public hearings to advocate for ADA accessibility at all city events, parks and venues and to include ADA in all master and future plans,” Gutierrez said.
On safe parks and city-owned facilities, she said, “I’m talking about the public pools. As an example, last year major remodeling took place during the peak swimming period. While it’s great that city administration recognized the need and urgency to make our pools safe, any type of construction while the pools are being used creates a safety hazard.”
Gutierrez spoke about personal safety for Del Rioans.
“As a member of CHIC, the Community Health Improvement Coalition, I applied for and CHIC was awarded grants to promote mental health activities in our community. Part of one recent grant was also to re-establish a gathering or support group for cancer survivors and those undergoing cancer treatments. Thanks to the efforts of Henry Gomez and Sylvia Owens of Texas Community Bank, the number of citizens participating in these monthly gatherings is growing and now close to 30. We must continue to support these activities. Soon support groups will be established for children and later this year – a men’s support group,” she said.
Gutierrez said she would like to see the city expend efforts on biological safety as well.
“Reducing the risks of toxins, parasites or mold from infecting our citizens by ensuring businesses, especially food-handling businesses, utilize safe handling of food precautions to include safety requirements, cleanliness and hygiene. I would advocate for posting the health department restaurant food inspection scores on the doors of businesses/restaurants. This is done voluntarily by businesses in El Campo where my daughter resides and some businesses in San Antonio are recognized for consistent high scores with a ‘blue plate award.’ Posting this score helps our community members feel safe when consuming food at our restaurants and will also promote local restaurant community,” she said.
Gutierrez said she is also concerned about the city’s safety in cyber space.
“There are many citizens who will not use the city’s website to pay their water/gas bills as the city experienced a security breach a few years ago. In addition, other institutions, such as Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College also experienced a security breach. I would advocate for increasing methods to safeguard personal data with additional firewalls, yearly training of city employees regarding threats on the internet and a well-defined incident response – if there is not one available yet, if there is – then we as citizens should be informed,” she said.
Gutierrez said she will also advocate for several public safety initiatives.
“Recent business growth and growth in housing is wonderful and great news of economic development. Del Rio is growing. However, I am unaware, as many of our citizens are, that there are no plans whatsoever for a police substation south of the railroad tracks. Our Main Street is booming with restaurants, bars and shops. And our new City Hall? It’s also planned for downtown. The Main Street Program is a wonderful group of volunteers that are doing a great job in bringing in a variety of activities downtown, increasing foot and vehicle traffic, yet the security or police protection is not keeping pace.
“Keep in mind that we also have Brown Plaza, the Rotary Park, city offices, school district administration and county administration offices south of the railroad tracks. I would advocate for increase in police protection. To begin with, a police substation south of the railroad tracks. This discussion needs to start when working with the budget, and the city must begin setting aside funds for that purpose. I would advocate for a percentage of the yearly budget be appropriated to increasing police protection. Also, I would advocate for finding a way to avoid vehicle chases through town; perhaps a memorandum of understanding between law enforcement entities. What can we do to minimize or eliminate this hazard that has caused injury to innocent citizens?” she said.
“Consistent progress is ongoing in regards to paving. City council has approved various pieces of equipment to improve the quality of paving projects and it appears that a plan is in place. However, unlike the brush pickup schedule, we are not kept informed of the paving plan or why changes were made. I would advocate for a percentage of each year’s budget be designated for paving projects. As our taxes increase, paving needs to increase,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez also pledged to prioritize communication with constituents.
“I am a firm believer that two-way communication will help resolve problems at the lowest level. I would advocate and be willing to hold town hall meetings, following the lead established by Councilwoman (Alexandra Falcon) Calderon’s monthly town hall meetings. However, this is the Place A, At-Large, position, and I would try to have the town hall meetings in various locations. In addition, I’d also like to follow Councilwoman (Ernestina) Tina Martinez’s example of being accessible and informally meeting with constituents over coffee, in restaurants and community events,” she said.
“I believe the current city council and city administration is moving in the right direction, as is evident by the growth of our city, parks and other improvements, and presently they are asking for citizen input in the coming year’s budget. One resounding note is that citizens want to have the city complete projects before taking on more projects. I would advocate also for ensuring complete proposals are prepared and presented for council approval – the project, the purpose, citizen input and financing.
“As my former boss, U.S. Congressman Will Hurd states, ‘if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.’ My name is Carmen Gutierrez and I humbly ask for your vote,” she said.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
