By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Del Rio voters have selected three new Del Rio City Council members.
All of the city’s 21,422 registered voters were eligible to cast ballots in the election for Councilperson At-Large, Place C.
In that race, voters selected business owner LeRoy Briones from a three-candidate field that also included incumbent Councilwoman Ernestina “Tina” Martinez and former Councilwoman Alexandra Falcon Calderon.
Val Verde County Clerk Teresa Esther Chapoy announced the results outside the Val Verde County Courthouse about 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Chapoy said Briones received an unofficial total of 1,453 votes, Calderon received 665 votes and Martinez received 563 votes.
Briones was not present Saturday night when the vote totals were announced.
Reached by phone, Briones said when he heard the results, “I couldn’t believe it, especially going up against two strong candidates, one who had been on the council before and one who was on the council. I really believed we would go to a runoff, and we worked with that in mind.”
He said his campaign focused on meeting voters across the city.
“We went all over the city, knocking on doors and talking to people in San Felipe, in Buena Vista, all over. We met with the police officers’ union and the firefighters’ union and got together a grassroots effort,” Briones said.
Briones said he is looking forward to working hard once he is sworn in.
“I believe in holding regular town hall meetings with the community, and I’m planning a series of community events … to get more interaction with members of the community and with organizations,” he said.
Del Rio voters also selected Elsa Reyes as the new Councilperson District 1 and Leno Hernandez Jr. as the new Councilperson District 2. Reyes will succeed Jesus Lopez Jr., who did not seek re-election, and Hernandez will succeed Jim DeReus, who reached his term limit and ran for mayor.
Reyes received an unofficial total of 473 votes, while her opponent, Jorge “George” Vargas, received 317 votes.
Hernandez won his race with an unofficial total of 832 votes. His opponent, David Scarbo, received 416 votes.
Hernandez and Reyes may be newcomers to elected office, but both have worked for the city for decades and said that experience will guide them as they take on their new roles.
Hernandez is currently the city’s civic facilities manager and has worked for the city for 28 years, since 1997.
He said he will have to leave his position before being sworn in as a member of the city council.
“I’ve been saying this over and over again: That’s what the school board benefits from because they have professionals who were involved in education at one point or another who are now on the board, and the hospital board is the same way,” Hernandez said. “But it’s really kind of rare for a city employee to jump in there.”
Reyes also worked for the city for two decades, serving in various roles, including several high-level administrative positions.
After the unofficial totals were announced, Reyes said, “I think I’m going to start crying … No, I’m really happy, and this time around, I did work a little harder.”
She said she prepared by studying city operations more closely.
“I did stuff like download and read the city audit … I think it’s really important we explain things like that to our citizens,” Reyes said.
Reyes said she is excited to serve alongside Hernandez and Briones.
“I have insight about how the city works, and I know what the employees go through. I want them to be in a stable work environment where their leadership is stable, and I think that starts with the council,” Reyes said.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
