By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Randy Quiñones is seeking election to the Councilperson, District III, seat on the Del Rio City Council.
Quiñones was born and raised in Del Rio. He attended local schools and graduated from Del Rio High School in 2004. Quiñones attended Southwest Texas Junior College, where he became interested in the criminal justice field.
“At the time, all the 9/11 stuff was still really fresh, and the college was offering a lot of homeland security and counterterrorism courses, so I ended up getting an associate’s degree from there,” Quiñones said.
After earning his degree, he went to work in Del Rio. He worked at Laughlin Air Force Base while still in high school and for some time after he graduated, he worked for a restaurant on base. He also worked as a sales associate for a jewelry store at the Plaza Del Sol Mall and for a local bank.
“Then I got into the field I’m in now, home and commercial security and fire alarm systems,” Quiñones said.
He relocated to Puerto Rico for several years to work with a company looking to expand its products and services.
“I met somebody at a convention and he said, ‘Hey, come out for a little bit and help us with this product,’ and it was one of those situations where a couple of months turned into four years,” Quiñones said.
He moved back to Del Rio after a major hurricane struck Puerto Rico in 2017 and started his own business, Connected Home Solutions, which he has owned and operated since then.
“I do assessment, service, sales and installation of all our systems for homes and businesses, including security systems, access control, fire alarm systems,” he said.
Randy and his wife Victoria Quiñones have been married for two years.
Asked why he decided to run for the council seat, Quiñones told the 830 Times, “I just feel like I have more to give. I have a bunch of ideas, and I’ve seen what I’ve been through, trying to establish and run a small business, trying to grow and expand, and noticed early on that Del Rio is big. It’s not a small town anymore. It’s time for more than one option. I think we’re on the verge of really blowing up as a city, and I want to be part of that and help out.”
Quiñones spoke about his priorities if elected to represent District III on the city council.
“I want to bring fresh ideas to the table. I want to try, obviously, to make a difference and give back to the community, and I want to see positive changes here in the city,” Quiñones said.
He said one of his main priorities is to make sure the city is taking care of everything it already has established.
“I know four years is really not enough time to get a lot of things done, and chances are, we’ll be working on projects initiated by councils in the past, things that have been in the works for many years, and I want to pick up the ball and continue to move it forward,” he added.
Quiñones said he believes one of his major advantages is that he is approachable.
“I deal with people on a daily basis, and I solve problems every day. I want people to know that they can come to me with their concerns or ideas, and I will bring those to the table and look at what we can do with them, realistically, as a team and a council, to make everything better, and continue to grow and invest in our city.
“From what I’ve heard, some of the complaints from people, and I tell them, ‘You need to come out and vote,’ whether it’s for me or for my opponent. If you have complaints, the only way your voice is going to be heard is for you to come out and vote, on a city level, whether it’s the school board or the hospital board or the county, you need to vote,” Quiñones said.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
