Palmview blew it The Turkey Leftovers Carrillo Not Happy

Call this the Turkey leftovers, because once again, I had more to write than I had the time, so my leftover stories will appear next week.

Just found out Tuesday (deadline day) that someone inside Palmview City Hall blew the municipal election. The new mayor, Ricardo “Rick” Villarreal, ran unopposed, so his name wasn’t placed on the ballot. So far so good. There’s only one little problem: according to the Palmview city charter, which apparently no one inside city hall bothered to read, anyone elected mayor has to garner at least one vote, just one, to take the oath of office. Hard to do when a candidate’s name doesn’t appear on the ballot.

Now the city will have to hold a special election at some point during the next 120 days. Pretty sure some taxpayers won’t be happy. No doubt Villarreal isn’t happy, and what with Christmas just up ahead.

Not only that, but since Villarreal’s DWI arrest is now a matter of public record, it should prove to be a miracle if no one else challenges him in the special election. Even if he is innocent until proven guilty, he’s still out on a $2,500 bond, and his alleged drunk-driving case is still pending. Plus, the now-former Palmview mayor has a high-profile job that doesn’t lend itself to a DWI arrest: Villarreal is assistant superintendent at La Joya ISD for student services.

Palmview is, well, Palmview, so who knows. Villarreal may run un-opposed.

Read the entire story on the e-Edition of our newspaper. http://www.etypeservices.com/Advance%20News%20JournalID455/