San Juan Election Saturday Candidates offer their views on state of the city
Ah, nothing like another San Juan city election to stir the blood.
There have been some great battles over the years.
This one is a little different perhaps: two slates; one comprised of all men; the other comprised of all women; with one independent man standing in the middle.
One one side stands the incumbent mayor, San Juanita “Janie” Sanchez, and her two running mates, Belinda Cisneros, Place 2; and Cynthia Gutierrez, Place 3.
On the other side stands Mayor Pro Tem Mario Garza who is now trying to unseat Sanchez, along with his two running mates: Rubio Muñiz, Place 2; and “Jesse” Ramirez, Place 3.
In the middle: independent candidate for city commissioner, Place 2, Neto “Coach” Guajardo.
We asked each candidate three questions. Their answers appear below and are placed in alphabetical order.
Mayor
If an undecided voter walked up to you and said, why should I vote for you and/or your slate over the opposition, what would you tell them?
Mario Garza: “Probably the first thing I would mention is that my goal, our goal, is to just basically unify the city. Show the community that I am here, we are here, to work with anybody and everybody. A prime example is, I ran on one side, Commissioner Jesse Ramirez ran on another side. Two separate factions in the past have been going at it for many years. Now we come to the present, and we mended fences, and we’ve been working good together on the commission. So this is living proof as to why I feel that the undecided voter should see and give us an opportunity. And just the simple fact that I'm here to serve the individuals who vote for me; the individuals who don’t vote for me; and anyone else who didn’t even vote at all. Basically my approach as mayor is that I want to go ahead and serve the whole community in general.”
San Juanita Sanchez: “What I will tell them is, the vision that we have, that we share, is that a part of it is becoming a reality through the street project; so let’s continue supporting street projects that have already been funded. Also, I tell voters that we are bringing to completion the master plan for the corridor, downtown revitalization, and the parks. Those three master plans. Why is that important? Because that's the vision. The vision is to create and revitalize it, to create a San Juan that is vital, and is progressive, and is vibrant. And the fact that all of it is being transparent and fiscally responsible.”
If an undecided voter were to ask you, “What’s the biggest difference between you and your slate vs. your opposing candidate and/or slate, what would you say?
Mario Garza: “We are approachable. We tend to the community in a professional and proper way. And going back to what I had mentioned, we’re here to serve.”
San Juanita Sanchez: “I think the most important thing is, I have definitely had initiatives that I have started, that I have put on the news page, that I have put (together) as programs. Those are very important as far as I’m concerned to show where I’m going. I’m not afraid to put things on the agenda, I’m not afraid to push initiatives and support, and vocalize (my positions). You look at their side. Apart from canceling Mayfest, I’m not sure what else they’ve done. They talk about things they want to do, but never is there an action item on an agenda item to show that. I’ve always tried, and maybe I’ve been shot down, but I’ve always tried (to move the city forward). That’s part of it.
If an undecided voter were to walk up to you and ask where do you stand on collective bargaining for the City of San Juan, which is what the police and fire departments are tying to get passed, what would you say?
Mario Garza: “I’m going to go ahead and respect the citizens’ wishes with regard to this issue. Now if it does go through, I’ll be more than happy to work with the police and fire departments in any way we possibly can.
San Juanita Sanchez: “The ultimate decision is going to be the voters because it’s the community that’s going to pay for it anyway. If there are any shortfalls that might come out of collective bargaining, it will be the community that is going to have to answer to any of that.
City Commissioner, Place 2
If an undecided voter walked up to you and said, why should I vote for you and/or your slate over the opposition, what would you tell them?
Belinda Cisneros: “That what I want to accomplish, along with the mayor and Cynthia Gutierrez, is in no way related to self-interests. I think presently, there is a huge void in that respect. I think we will bring more common sense to the commission. I sincerely and truly want to serve my city. I think there is a huge need for that. I, we, want to be a part of finding solutions to the current problems that now exist.”
Neto Guajardo: “I decided to run for the city commission because I wanted to be the people’s voice. I’m an open-minded person willing to work with the city commissioners, including the mayor. I will work with whoever gets elected. Part of my background like I said, I was involved in the parks and rec; also, I’m a member of the Planning and Zone Commission. That’s where I’ve been learning a lot. Now I know what are we looking at; some of the problems our city is facing. Now my job is to work with them and try to see if we can bring in more development, and more businesses. I also want to try to see if we can upgrade a park; build other things for our kids here.”
Rubio Muñiz: “I would say that we’ll be better able to work as one, and that I will always make the best decisions for the city.”
If an undecided voter were to ask you, “What’s the biggest difference between you and your slate vs. your opposing candidate and/or slate, what would you say?
Belinda Cisneros: “Besides the fact that all three of us are women? Instead of getting into a lot of arguments, we tend to get things done. We can multi-task. As a single mom (who has since re-married), I had two kids in school, and drove them to baseball, football games, and band practice. As women, I think we can do a good job of setting priorities, while working together as a team.”
Neto Guajardo: “What separates me more from the other two candidates is that I’ve been involved for so many years working for the school district. I’ve been involved with parents, in sports, in schools, and I know what it takes to help our parents and their kids in school. And also in the city, I've been having a lot of talks with people about what’s going on. My job is to work together and find a solution to be able to fix all of these problems. Like I said, I’m an open-minded person.”
Rubio Muñiz: “As a maintenance supervisor with PSJA ISD, I have the ability to look at some of the city departments and see what they need. Public Works, for example. It has very old trucks. One truck recently caught fire while dumping trash at the (trash dump) north of Edinburg. The city needs better equipment to perform necessary jobs. One truck to pick up trash; it breaks down; the city uses a tractor with a claw that spills garbage all over when it picks it up. Parks and Rec is another department has needs. I think the city budget needs a better review.”
If an undecided voter were to walk up to you and ask where do you stand on collective bargaining for the City of San Juan, which is what the police and fire departments are tying to get passed, what would you say?
Belinda Cisneros: “If we’re talking about more pay, better equipment, whatever, my feeling is, if the city is in a position, financially speaking, to give police and fire those things, there is no reason they wouldn’t get those things. Now if the citizens choose that they want collective bargaining, okay, then the city commission will have to deal with it. If there’s a financial shortfall afterwards, then the city will have to (find a way to pay for it). My concern is, if it passes, and money becomes a problem, then the city’s hands are tied, and the city commission has no choice but to find other funding resources.”
Neto Guajardo: “Well, yes, I do support it. The reason being, I was a firefighter for 10 years in the past. I understand the importance of having the proper equipment. The importance of having the training that we need for the firefighters and police officers to accomplish their job efficiently.”
Rubio Muñiz “I’m in favor of it even though I need to research it some more. I think that the personnel at the police and fire departments believe they need more tools to do the job adequately, and collective bargaining is the best way to go about it. If that’s the case, I’m for it. I don’t think it’s about raising taxes. I do think that the people who are supporting collective bargaining should have done a better job of going out and informing San Juan residents about what it all entails. Don’t leave people in suspense, asking, is this going to raise my taxes?”
City Commissioner, Place 3
If an undecided voter walked up to you and said, why should I vote for you and/or your slate over the opposition, what would you tell them?
Cynthia Gutierrez: “I would say vote for us because we will be working as a team that already has a lot of ideas on how to improve the city. I want to form partnerships with schools and the college and university to provide the city with better adult education. We would like to form committees to better inform us about what’s going on in the community.”
“Jesse” Ramirez: “No, I feel that we've been stuck in a rut for too long. I think there's change that we need to happen, and I truly believe that with Mario as the mayor, with Rubio as a commissioner, and myself on the commission, I think that we can work well together, that we can bring about that change that people are looking for, whether it's with the brush, whether it's with the trash, whether it's with the street, people are paying for services that they're not receiving. It's shame that we've gotten to that point. On a monthly basis, we're paying for brush pick-up, and we receive it maybe every other month. People are fed up.
If an undecided voter were to ask you, “What’s the biggest difference between you and your slate vs. your opposing candidate and/or slate, what would you say?
Cynthia Gutierrez: “The other side of the city commission has had the majority, but they haven’t done much to help the mayor or the community. Both Belinda and I have the education and experience to help the mayor do what’s right. Just look at the videos of past city commission meetings and see how (the current commission majority) has voted. They don’t always vote in the best interests of the city.”
“Jesse” Ramirez: “The difference is I think that we're more approachable. That's what I've heard from the constituents when we're block walking. We're going over there with an open mind, ready to listen. We have not talked negatively about anybody, and on the contrary, we hear that our opponents are talking bad about ... making false accusations. I think that what has turned them off, the voters, as far as voting for our opponent. I think that's what has helped us at the end of the day that we're out there, we're asking them, okay, what is it that you want? What is it that you're looking for? What is it that we're not doing as a city to meet the needs? It's been the same thing. A lot of people complain about the alleys that they're not clean, complain about now that we're improving some streets, now they're saying, you know what, now we need speed bumps because they're driving too fast. First they complained about potholes, but now they're saying, you know what, we need speed bumps in our area because vehicles are traveling too fast through our street, and the kids can't play outside. It's not the same complaints that we usually would get. Now it's different concerns, and so it helps that we're actually asking them, what is it that you want?
If an undecided voter were to walk up to you and ask where do you stand on collective bargaining for the City of San Juan, which is what the police and fire departments are tying to get passed, what would you say?
Cynthia Gutierrez: “I realize that the police department and fire department have a lot of needs, and that they work hard. I recognize that they would like more money and better salaries. I think there has been a lot of confusion over this issue, but in the end, it will be up to the citizens to decide on how to vote. We already have unions at the fire and police departments, so that’s not what this is about. If salaries are increased, that money is going to have to come from somewhere, but only if the city can afford it. I think with enough hard work, we can accomplish what the fire and police departments are asking for without raising taxes.”
“Jesse” Ramirez: “I'm in favor of it. I've taken the time to meet with our police officers and fire fighters, not only from San Juan, but I know that other union members have come in to talk San Juan to block walk and pull for collective bargaining. I've taken the opportunity to speak to them about it and get familiar with it. Basically, they just want the opportunity. They understand we're limited in resources and money, so they understand that there's a limit, but at the same time, okay, well, if we can allocate money, let's say for training. They want to send all their officers to training, but there's no money or not enough money to send everybody. Okay, that's where this collective bargaining comes into effect, as far as their needs. Then they're willing to okay, let's negotiate. Okay, we can't send everybody, but let's bargain, and maybe we can send half of them. Maybe we can send 10 of them, five of them, whatever the deal is, but at least they're coming to the table and negotiating on what they want to do with the monies that are available to them.”