By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Twelve Del Rioans have filed applications for election to four open seats on the city council.
The filing period for the four open council seats ended at 5 p.m. Friday with several candidates filing on the last day.
The open seats include those of Mayor, Councilperson At-Large, Place C; Councilperson District I and Councilperson District II.
Only one incumbent, Jim DeReus, who represents District II, has filed for re-election.
Mayor Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano and Councilman At-Large, Place C, Raul C. Ojeda have not filed for re-election, and Councilman District I Alfredo “Fred” Carranza Jr. is seeking the Democratic Party nomination as Val Verde County Commissioner Pct. 4.
Four candidates will vie to become Del Rio’s new mayor: Alvaro “Al” Arreola, Alfredo “Fred” Contreras, Virgil Armstrong and Alejandra D. “Alex” Hernandez.
Arreola, who has served on the city council before, is the manager of Zales jewelry store in the Plaza Del Sol Mall and currently serves as an elected member of the hospital district board of trustees.
Contreras has also served previously on the city council and is currently employed as the city’s U.S. postmaster.
Armstrong, a retired Border Patrol agent, is the owner of a small business in Del Rio, Amistad Predator Control.
Hernandez is a veteran of the U.S. Army.
There are three candidates for the position of Councilperson At-Large, Place C: Elizabeth “Liz” Elizalde, Diego Martin Almaraz and Ernestina “Tina” Martinez.
Elizalde and Martinez have both served on the city council before.
Elizalde is currently employed as the executive director of Val Verde Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Almaraz is employed as an intelligence analyst for the federal government.
Martinez is a retired small business owner and is currently active in the Del Rio chapter of the International Good Neighbor Council and in the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Three candidates have filed applications for a place on the ballot for the position of Councilperson District I: Mario Bosquez, Jesus Lopez Jr., and Janice Sandoval.
Bosquez is currently employed as a court security officer at the federal courthouse.
Lopez is a production supervisor at Halyard, Owens and Minor, a local medical mask manufacturer.
Sandoval works in advertising sales for Advertise Anything.
Two candidates have filed applications for a place on the ballot for the position of Councilperson District II: DeReus and Arturo Rodriguez.
DeReus is a retired Air Force pilot who currently works as a T-6 simulator instructor at Laughlin Air Force Base. He has served on the council since 2018.
Rodriguez, a retired federal law enforcement agent, is currently a licensed Realtor. Rodriguez is also seeking the Republican Party’s nomination for Val Verde County in this year’s Primary Election.
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Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
