Voting in municipal election under way

Cameron County will hold the Brownsville Municipal Elections and other jurisdictions’ elections Saturday, with early voting ending Tuesday. 

Remi Garza, Cameron County elections administrator, said there will be 11 jurisdictions holding elections.

“Primarily, we’re electing mayors and city council individuals, and there are some school-board elections for trustees,” Garza said.

He said the Brownsville Municipal election will have three seats on the ballot: At-Large B, District 3 and District 4 commissioner positions.

Nurith Galonsky Pizaña, Roy De los Santos, Alejandro Garcia and Jason Moody are running for commissioner At-Large B; Yvonne Barraza, Gustavo de Leon and Denise Chavez for commissioner District 3; and Daisy Zamora, Mike Rodriguez, Louie Tijerina and Pedro Cardenas for commissioner District 4. 

Garza said the turnout during the May election is usually about 10% of the overall registered voters.

“There’s always a smaller percentage that participates,” he said. “… In May, the City of Brownsville election, last time, it was close to 7%, when the city had some position in the ballot back in ’24.”

Over 234,000 individuals are eligible to vote in Cameron County. An average turnout is expected, according to the elections administrator.

“We haven’t seen quite the level of activity as we approached Election Day but, you know, I would think that we would fall within that 6 to 10% of the overall registered individuals,” Garza said. 

He added he believes this election is extremely important for Cameron County residents because they are running to represent residents in city councils and school boards.

“They are making policies with respect to how the government is run locally, how our tax dollars are allocated,” Garza said.

Galonsky Pizaña, former Brownsville commissioner District 1, said she decided to run for this position because she wants to continue serving the community, despite losing her last bid for reelection in 2023.

“So, this position opened up, which would allow me to represent the entire city, and I decided to throw my name in the hat in January,” she said.

Galonsky Pizaña said the city’s most pressing issue is its infrastructure.

“We need to continue fixing our streets, fixing stormwater drainage, improving our parks and just, you know, keep up with everything,” she said. “Our city is growing so fast. It’s hard to keep up with the growth, so I am running so that we can try to get ahead [of] the ball.”

She said she plans to work with UTRGV and the Memorandum of Understanding, created March 18, since she used to represent the areas where UTRGV and Texas Southmost College are located as District 1 commissioner.

“To hear that the university has entered into an agreement with the city to bring more classes, more services to Brownsville is great, and I fully support that and would love to assist in that,” Galonsky Pizaña said.

She encourages students to vote in the local elections since they most influence the community, yet very few participate.

De los Santos, current District 3 commissioner, is running for commissioner At-Large B and said he has been an insider for the last four years in his current office.

“Sometimes district commissioners aren’t listened to as closely as At-Large commissioners, and it’s important that the people have a voice that is strong, and I believe I can be a stronger voice for them as an At-Large commissioner,” he said.

De los Santos said his platform has been consistent since the first time he ran as District 3 commissioner.

“The focus has always been on the basics as far as the city’s concerned, so infrastructure and emergency preparedness is one of my top priorities,” he said. “Special needs communities is also high-up on my priority list.”

De los Santos said ensuring economic development is a priority because it is a missed opportunity that Brownsville is not capitalizing on.

“There’s a lot [of] cases for variances from builders who are wanting to build a certain way that may not be consistent with code,” he said. “… In all my years doing that, one of the things I hear consistently is that Brownsville is the hardest city in the Rio Grande Valley to work with when it comes to building permits.”

De los Santos added, if other cities can work with the community to bring in new business and new industries, “there’s no reason Brownsville can’t be doing that.”

He said it is in his plans to work with UTRGV and the Memorandum of Understanding since it is to make sure Brownsville receives the attention it deserves.

“Anything that’s going to be good for students of Brownsville, which will mean less time on buses, more time in the classroom, and more opportunities to complete your four-year degree in Brownsville completely, that’s gonna be a win for our community,” De los Santos said.

Moody said he decided to run for commissioner At-Large B because he has a passion for service with 20 years of experience as a public servant and wants to introduce, if elected, a comprehensive plan, “keep BTX moving forward.”

“This is gonna be a 20-year strategy to guide our city’s growth and development,” Moody said. “Right now, we do not have a comprehensive plan that prioritizes each of the different departments from police, fire, transportation, [human resources], maintenance, any all the different departments that we have.”

He said investing in city employees to have competitive salaries, raises and stipends can help to make sure to retain local talent and boost morale.

The candidate said his platform is also quality life projects and supporting small business.

“Supporting our small businesses is the heart of our economy, we need to make sure they’re thriving, not just struggling,” Moody said.  

He said there would be programs not only for new businesses but also for existing businesses.

“We’re seeing a lot of businesses that have been here for 20-25 years that are closing because they may not have the assistance,” Moody said.

He said he plans to work with UTRGV and the Memorandum of Understanding to make sure students have all the resources and opportunities while attending the university and ensure they succeed.

Moody added his goal is to strive for positive change and growth in Brownsville.

“I wanna push for excellence, innovation and community engagement,” he said. 

The Rider tried to contact Garcia for comment about his candidacy. As of press time Friday, he was not available.