As early voting kicks off in cities across the Valley, I sat down with the three slates in San Juan’s race for commission seats 4 and 5 to pick their brains about some of the issues I’ve seen arise in the city during my time covering it. Here are some Q&A excerpts– drop me a line or leave me a comment if there’s anything else you’d like to see answered before Election Day.
Mayor Pro Tem Armando Garza will be defending his seat against Alva Treviño, an ally of Mayor San Juanita Sanchez, and former Mayor Pedro Contreras. Commissioner Eddie Suarez will square off against Hidalgo County parole officer Mario Garza and former City Manager Tony Garza. For more background on the candidates, check out these previous stories:
-Ex-mayor, ex-city manager to form 3rd slate (March 6) -San Juan commission candidates vie for voters (April 21)
1) Do you support a proposal to ban the city from hiring or firing employees within 60 days before the election?
Armando Garza: “If we want to eliminate politics from this, why is it the City Commission deciding whether to call (hiring) an emergency? . . . I was very clear about how I would support (the ordinance)–that it would be with the director making the call.”
Suarez: “It’s 60 days before the election, then if there’s a runoff it’s 90 days (that you can’t hire employees). I’m against it. We need to look at it, but I’m against it.”
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Mario Garza: “I think that would be a good idea in the sense that they feel their jobs would be secure at this time. . . There are city employees, I’ve heard, at this time that are walking on eggshells.”
Treviño: Agreed.
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Tony Garza: “I don’t think we should be putting restrictions on department heads. If they need to hire somebody they should be able to hire somebody. . . I would hope that we didn’t need anything like (the ban). Not to criticize the mayor, but if you’re going to act on a rumor you should look into that rumor.”
Contreras: “It’s back to respecting the department heads and respecting everyone’s roles and if there’s a recommendation to hire someone. . . That is part of (a department head’s) responsibility to hire the best applicant.”
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How, then, do you staff the city for the summer?
Mario Garza: “I feel that we can, we should, make an exception in that ordinance (for seasonal work).”
Trevino: “I guess what (the exception) would cover would be people without permanent employment. . . Lifeguards should not be one of the concerns.”
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2) With regards to development, if you had to prioritize one over the other, would you rather focus on drawing big name businesses or supporting local entrepreneurs?
Armando Garza: “That will be determined by the grants. There is money that is earmarked for small business and money to go to large corporations. . . When we are ready to begin attracting business to our downtown area, I’m going to want local businesses there.”
Suarez: “We need small business downtown. If we can bring in a big box store in front of Walmart, that’s better.”
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Mario Garza: “A lot of cities are trying to promote big name companies in their communities for the simple reason that if we get a big name business your tax revenue increases.”
Treviño: “Initially you would need larger businesses because of the situation we’re in. . . We need to attract something that (shoppers) could stay here.”
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Tony Garza: “I think if we have a big name store that wants to come in they’re going to come. . . The best we can do is make the city attractive (for all investors).”
Contreras: “My priority would be to expose what the city has to offer (to both big and small businesses). . . There’s a responsibility that comes from the business owner. There’s a process in place.”
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3) What, specifically, would you do in your position to draw businesses? Which do you think are the most useful incentive tools, between tax increment reinvestment zones, Chapter 380 agreements, sales tax rebates and property tax abatements?
Suarez: “It depends on who’s coming in. The EDC makes all the decisions and we need to support them.”
Armando Garza: “A lot of businesses like to know they have support from the City Commission, so sometimes it’s as simple as ‘Hey, how ya doing, I’m Mando Garza and I’d love to see you come in’. . . We can offer them a partnership and a friendship that goes beyond business. . . What (incentive tools) we have at our disposal, as Eddie said, really lies with the EDC.”
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Treviño: “We would have to see what is going on with (San Juan Corners)”
Mario Garza: “It all depends on the situation you’re in. Right now the city is hurting. . . There’s got to be a certain way we can promote businesses by giving them some type of incentive. What? I don’t know, because we need to sit down and see what the options are.”
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Contreras: “That’s a difficult question because every situation is different. I wouldn’t close the door on any of those options.”
Tony Garza: “When you sit down with a business, you don’t know what they’re looking for.”
Contreras: “If we were to be elected we’d be commissioners, but that doesn’t make us the best people to do the business. We need to bring the best possible director to the EDC . . .appoint (EDC) board members who know the needs of the community.”
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4) Do you agree with the Economic Development Corp. board’s decision to fire its former director?
Armando Garza: “I’m not going to address that other than to say I support our EDC board members 100 percent. Eddie and I appointed many of them, and we appointed them because we trust their judgment. . . We don’t micromanage our EDC. . . They have not let us down.”
Suarez: Agreed. “We were not there to make the decision. It’s their decision.”
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Mario Garza: “At this time I’m not going to comment on that because last I heard there was some kind of lawsuit coming down the pipeline.”
Treviño: Agreed.
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Tony Garza: “We’re not privy to the circumstances or the reasons for the termination, so we can’t say that.”
Contreras: “I don’t know what happened. I was completely surprised.”
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What would you like to see happen with that entity?
Armando Garza: “I would like to see the EDC grow as an organization and build to more capacity to attract businesses.”
Suarez: “They need a good director so they can move forward.”
Armando Garza: “And I’d like to see a director who has built-in experience and already has some contacts. . . My friendly advice to (the board) would be to hire a professional.”
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Mario Garza: “Just work together to push and promote developing business. . .Have people on the board who are, for instance, business owners. Get a variety of people from all over San Juan, a diverse group. . . That way you have different minds looking at different things in a whole different way.”
Treviño: Agreed. “They would know what it entails to have those businesses coming in.”
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Contreras: “I hope they get a strong director. . . When it’s time to look at the (board) members, one of the first things I’d like to consider is involvement.”
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5) With regards to library issues, do you think library staffing needs to be increased at this time?
Armando Garza: “Initially Eddie and I did not see eye-to-eye. . . I felt like we could have had more people, but I’m kind of a ‘the more the merrier’ mindset and he’s more realistic and wanted to see how it went.”
Suarez: “Yeah, see how it goes. They haven’t complained, so it must be working.”
Armando Garza: “Could they have more staff? Sure. Could The Monitor have more reporters? But I bet Freedom newspapers would like to keep its costs down. We’re not a business, but it’s the same idea. . . Never did the management company say they were going to need a (staff) increase like what they recommended.”
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Treviño: Yes. “At least another two or three (employees are needed). We need to have it well staffed for the needs of the community.”
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Tony Garza: “I’d like to see a follow-up report from the city manager or LSSI. We need to revisit that issue.”
Contreras: “My thought is tell me more information.”
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Should the city continue utilizing Maryland-based Library Systems & Services (LSSI) to operate the library?
Armando Garza: “I think we need to evaluate their contract and it’s like everything else, we need to look at it objectively. I’ll tell you this, I will not support a five-year contract.”
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Treviño: Yes. “It’s a good thing.”
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Tony Garza: “I’d like to see a recommendation from the staff. Can they take it on? If LSSI is doing a good job, that’s fine.”
Contreras: “I was against it when I first saw LSSI—I was a commissioner when the mayor first brought it to the city. . . (But) if the city manager thinks LSSI is doing a good job (OK). I mean, we’ve got a library and we didn’t get there by ourselves.”
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Which programs/services should be the main focus at the library?
Armando Garza: “Computer education and children’s reading. I think we need to start really focusing on computer literacy classes for adults and kids reading classes. Generally, I’d like to see us offer more educational services of all types.”
Suarez: “I don’t know. (Would have to evaluate.) The children’s space and the computers.”
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Treviño: “It would be offering tutoring courses for the kids, computer classes, the GED.”
Mario Garza: “Have a partnership with the local community college to have people come into our library and offer some kind of certifications.” Also implement a reading program for young kids where volunteers could help them learn to read.
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Tony Garza: “A lot of people want to learn to speak and write English. Keep programs for adults who want GEDs. Always, always, always have programs for kids to get them exposed to the library.”
Contreras: Agreed, kids programming especially. Also—“I want to make sure that (youth) programs keep going, but I don’t want to forget about the college student who can’t get a ride to Pan Am but can walk to the library, and I don’t want to forget about the elderly. . .I want to make sure the library works with the school district.”
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6) Some other nearby cities have recently passed texting-while-driving bans—would you support that in San Juan?
Suarez: “I guess we need to check with the Chief– how many accidents does he have that involve texting?”
Armando Garza: “This is one of those organically grown issues– it needs to come from our community. If our community believes it’s a major traffic concern we’ll address it. . . Personally, I think we have bigger fish to fry. . . I don’t think the problem has been identified, so it doesn’t need our attention (now).”
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Mario Garza: “Definitely.”
Treviño: Agreed. “The texting, that’s probably one of the biggest distractions while driving.”
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Contreras: Yes.
Tony Garza: Yes. “Texting while driving is very dangerous and I’ve seen it.”
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7) Which two to three neighborhoods are your top priorities for street paving/infrastructure improvements?
Armando Garza: “As far as streets go, for me I think Sioux Road and Eldora in particular require immediate attention. Eldora more than Sioux because there’s now . . . three schools within a half-mile radius. It’s a two-lane road and it’s completely deteriorated.”
Suarez: “Another one that might take longer is San Antonio. That’s getting worse and worse.”
Armando Garza: Also, Iowa Street and some of the north side neighborhoods. “I’d like to have an expert opinion on which to prioritize.”
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Mario Garza: “What I’d like to do is come up with some kind of analysis and see what streets really need repair.” Possibly San Antonio Avenue and the area around Raul Longoria and Eldora Road.
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Tony Garza: Eldora Road needs to be repaired. Also—“ There’s a big issue with that neighborhood off Minnesota north of Earling—it’s a flood prone area.”
Contreras: “Another regional project we worked on is fixing Cesar Chavez. . . If we could revisit that project, that would be great.”
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8 ) Losing the south side of your extraterritorial jurisdiction to Pharr was a big blow—how can the city can grow now?
Armando Garza: “If it does anything it lights a fire under us (to grow). . . I don’t think it changes our focus.”
Suarez: “We have lots of land here to work on infrastructure. What else can we do? We lost it.”
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Mario Garza: “The north is growing, it’s growing big time.”
Treviño: “Whoever was heading the city (in 1993) dropped the ball. It’s something no other commission had control over.”
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Tony Garza: “We continue improving the areas we do have.”
Contreras: “There’s always room to improve what we have. Plus, we have 500 feet (on both sides) on Stewart Road and Dicker Road. They can’t take that—it’s already in the city limits—and that’s prime commercial real estate.”
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9) What changes (if any) would you like to see made to city staffing or operations?
Armando Garza: “I’d like to see us try to increase the size of our administrative space.” The city could possibly add onto City Hall. Also– “The other thing Eddie and I have looked at is the size of our Parks & Rec. department. . . I’d really like to look at us creating a space for them as well.”
Suarez: “We just got started with our new police station. That’s pretty good for us.”
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Treviño: “You would have to look at it in detail. You’d have to look at which departments are staffed and understaffed.”
Mario Garza: “I would like to increase manpower in the maintenance department. A lot of these guys are really short-handed in the streets and right-of-ways.”
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Tony Garza: “Right now we’d have to go in and evaluate. I couldn’t talk about changes now because I’ve been out a couple of years.”
Contreras: “You’re going to scare people with that (question). I don’t want people walking on eggshells thinking they’re going to get fired. I don’t know how to answer that, but I’d look at it when we came in. . . I would love to hire a grant writer. That’s the kind of change I would like.”
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11) Which programs from other nearby cities would you like to see implemented in San Juan?
Armando Garza: “A hike and bike trail. . . I’d really like to see something similar to what McAllen did along Second Street.” Also– “I’d like to see us really increase the size of our recycling plant. . . I’d like to see it really grow and start promoting it more. Some cities’ recycling departments are revenue generators.”
Suarez: “Maybe a bigger pool. Our city’s getting bigger; our pool’s the same size.”
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Mario Garza: “I would love to implement like a (city sponsored) 5 or 10K walk/run. . .Having some kind of walk/run would really bring the community together.”
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Contreras: “Don’t text while driving.”
Tony Garza: Not sure. “Maybe I should get out more. . . I know we were looking at one of those splash parks, like McAllen has. . . That was very doable.”
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12) How many city meetings have you attended (or missed) in the past year?
Armando Garza: Missed 2 or 3, mostly while traveling to Austin for legislative matters.
Suarez: Missed 1 or 2.
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Treviño: Attended a few after the election, not sure how many.
Mario Garza: Attended four or five, around the time of the discussions over Ordinance 08-08.
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Tony Garza: Attended five or six. “Some of those we avoid on purpose. . . But we keep in touch with people who go to the meetings.”
Contreras: Attended six or seven. “When I was commissioner and mayor I rarely missed.”
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13) What, in your opinion, is the biggest mistake San Juan has made in recent years?
Armando Garza: “Losing our south side to Pharr. . . That is, I feel, one of the biggest mistakes.” Also– “The size of our water plant. The administration that was in charge of the commission was very aware (of the situation) and took absolutely no steps to correct it.”
Suarez: Agreed.
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Treviño: Not renewing the agreement with Pharr in 1993. “That’s the biggest one ever.” But not sure about any more recent mistakes.
Mario Garza: “A mistake here in the city is not concentrating on San Juan Corners, because that’s an ideal spot to bring in businesses to the area. I don’t know why they kind of put that on the back burner.”
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Tony Garza: “Losing the south side.”
Contreras: Agreed. “The city in general should have kept up with that. . . The biggest mistake is to lose property.”
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What is the biggest triumph?
Armando Garza: “I think there’s a couple of them, but definitely would start with the library.”
Suarez: Agreed. Also– “Mercedes-Benz, the streets themselves from First to Railroad, sewer, water and drainage.”
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Mario Garza: “Getting the library built.”
Treviño: “That was a big success.” Not sure about others.
(On the opening of Mercedes-Benz and Audi)—
Mario Garza: “I can’t say that bringing these dealerships down was good.”
Treviño: “They got their assistance, but what did our citizens get?”
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Tony Garza: “The library.”
Contreras: Agreed. “Most definitely. . . Many commissions worked for that and it got done.”
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13) Overall, what are your top three city priorities?
Armando Garza and Suarez: 1) The water plant, 2) Police Department/new public safety building, 3) Attracting new businesses
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Mario Garza and Treviño: 1) Paving streets, 2) Police Department support, 3) Library programs
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Tony Garza and Contreras: 1) Infrastructure and water/sewer plant expansion, 2) Employee retention, 3) Political unity/peace
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