By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Miguel Zuniga is seeking election to the office of County Commissioner Pct. 3.
Zuniga will be one of four candidates who will be on the ballot for the office in the March 5 Republican Party Primary Election.
Zuniga was born in San Antonio, Texas, and was raised in Comstock. He attended school in Comstock and graduated from Comstock High School in 1996.
After high school, he moved to Dallas for several years, where went to school and worked in the electrical trades.
“Growing up in Comstock, through high school, in the summers, I would get out of school on a Friday and on summer breaks, I would go to Ft. Worth and work all summer, in electrical, then come home, and I did that all through high school. Then after high school, I went back there and worked full-time for about three or four years.
“Then I got a job at Texas Parks and Wildlife, at Seminole Canyon (State Park and Historic Site), and I worked there 15-16 years as their maintenance supervisor and lead ranger,” Zuniga said.
“After that I worked for the Texas Department of Transportation for a few years, so overall, I worked for the state for 20, 21 years, and after that, I started my own construction business, doing fencing, ‘barndominiums,’ tractor, bulldozer work, working on roads,” Zuniga said.
His wife works for the Comstock School District and the couple has three sons and two daughters, as well as two grandchildren, with one more on the way.
Zuniga spoke about why he decided to run for County Commissioner Pct. 3
“I’ve been involved with the county fire department now for more than 20 years, and it’s always been about what I can do for the community and help out, volunteer. I like to do what I can to improve the community. Everything that I’ve done for the county has been on a volunteer basis.
“I’ve also been involved with the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce, volunteering for the Wild Game Dinner, and I’ve been working with the ROTC kids, the culinary arts students, the CTE kids, and it’s the same in Comstock. Any opportunity I get to work with kids and young people, because I’m a firm believer that they’re the future, and if you can get our kids involved in anything and keep them going in the right direction. I’m also a firm believer that everything starts at home, with good parenting and a good education,” Zuniga said.
He said when he learned Beau Nettleton, the incumbent commissioner, announced he would not run again.
“I felt it was the right opportunity and the right time. I’m all in. I’m ready for it, to see what I can do to improve things and help out. I always look at things instead of complaining about problems, if we can see where we can help out. There’s no such thing as a perfect world, but there are always things we can do to make things better,” he said.
Zuniga also spoke about priorities he would focus on if elected.
“Maybe some roads, parks, more parks for youngsters, and not just youngsters, but for people to get outside, walk around and enjoy the outdoors,” he said.
“I’d also like to see what we can do as far as safety. I know the sheriff’s office has always been kind of short-handed, and I’d like to see what I can do as commissioner to help with that. . .Overall it goes back to working together. We might not be able to put our commissioners budget into the sheriff’s budget, but I’m sure there are other ways we can him recruit or help him retain deputies.
“I understand the biggest thing is working with other entities or agencies. In my experience in those years volunteering with the county fire department, working with Union Pacific Railroad, the National Park Service, the state game wardens, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the International Boundary and Water Commission, if there’s more interaction between agencies involved in our county, I believe we can achieve a lot more. Everybody has their own department, their own budget, but, for example, during COVID, I was involved in getting sanitary supplies to the Comstock community because the county was tied up in Del Rio, so I was involved in hauling those supplies to Comstock and passing them out to the community,” he said.
“If you can work with each other, I think that’s a big plus, and I think we can achieve a lot more,” Zuniga added.
Zuniga also pledged to work with the other commissioners and other precinct personnel on commissioners court to further mutually-beneficial projects.
“So if one precinct doesn’t have the money to pave a particular street, but it really needs it, and another precinct does, maybe we can work together and use some material and manpower from another precinct to get that done, to further the bigger picture, because at the end of the day, it all benefits the entire community,” Zuniga said.
Zuniga said he believes the voters of Precinct 3 should cast their ballots for him because of his experience working for the state.
“I have experience working with budgets, through my work for the state, and nowadays, everybody’s on a budget. I also have a lot of experience working with all different kinds of people and agencies, whether it’s the city or county or state, the chamber of commerce,” he said.
“I also have experience working in construction, and every precinct has a crew, and you have to know what your priorities are, how to budget for material, your fleet maintenance. . .I think working for the community, my experience with heavy equipment, the budget and outreach with different programs and working for the state government gives me experience and insight on the public and what they want for recreation and the outdoors and in Comstock, living out there, I also spearhead the safety programs for kids with the game wardens, like the hunter education courses,” Zuniga said.
“And anything I can do to help out at the school or community and my family, my friends and myself, I’ve gotten them involved. . .and I think my whole experience is, I’ve worked in different precincts and I know my precinct really well and have contacts with surrounding counties for mutual aid if we need it,” he said.
Zuniga also pledged to be transparent.
“Transparency is very, very crucial and vital. People in the community have busy lives, and as a commissioner I would find locations to have meetings with them and schedule them periodically, like every three months, so instead of asking them to come to court, why don’t we as commissioners reach out to the community?
“In the end, the commissioners are the voice of the people in their precincts, and I feel once they are informed and they know exactly what’s going on, it gives them peace of mind that their tax dollars are being well-spent and it keeps them supporting you for other projects coming down the road. Transparency and communication are key,” he said.
Zuniga also pointed to his good relationships with the county judge, the sheriff, the rest of the commissioners on the court, the superintendent of the Comstock schools, business owners and citizens.
“I’m excited, I’m passionate, and I feel this gives me a chance to do more for my community. Politics aside, I think it’s about what you can do to help your community, and how you can work together to improve the community. Anything I can do to try to help out, I’m all for it,” Zuniga said.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
