By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Ernestina “Tina” Martinez is headed back to the Del Rio City Council.
Martinez, who previously served on the council for eight years, won a decisive victory Saturday over her opponent, Elizabeth “Liz” Elizalde, who had also served two prior terms on the city council.
Martinez won the At-Large, Place C seat on the council with an unofficial total of 1,310 votes. Elizalde finished the election with an unofficial total of 988 votes. The results will be official when they are canvassed by the Del Rio City Council.
Martinez and a coterie of supporters waited outside the county courthouse for the results of the election to be announced after the polls closed Saturday, then adjourned to a victory party held in the San Felipe Exes Hall in south Del Rio.
The once and future councilwoman called her victory “very exciting.”
“I have all my people behind me, all my supporters. I couldn’t do this by myself. It’s very difficult, and like I said, where there is unity, there is victory, so that’s the way I’m going in, with unity and we’ll have victory,” Martinez said.
Martinez said she believes her previous term of service on the council will definitely be an asset.
“I have always worked for the people, not for my own benefit. I want to help people whenever I can, and I think I can help the employees and everybody that’s involved with the city, that we can go out and make a better city, have a better quality of life, and like I said, unity means a lot, and it will make the city better for everyone. I’m in there for the people and not for myself,” Martinez said.
Martinez admitted the campaign this time around was more difficult, especially since it was shadowed by the death of her husband, veteran and community leader Joe Martinez.
“I also had a son who had two surgeries, this month, and I was running back and forth to San Antonio,” she said.
“But I have a group of people who helped me who are wonderful. I have Carmen Gutierrez and Ruben Gutierrez, Bobby Fernandez, Mary Mota, Linda Torre, Andrew Scarbo, who was my campaign manager, and Estella Scarbo, and Diana Elizondo, my friend from elementary school, and we were all working together, quite a number of people that helped,” Martinez added.
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