Reprint from the Progress Times - March 28, 2008
©Progress Times 2008 - All Rights Reserved

Gonzalez, Ochoa win -- again

 

By Jim Brunson

LA JOYA—After nearly a year of fighting and losing election challenges in court, La Joya ISD school board trustees Arturo Gonzalez and Esperanza "Espie" Ochoa prevailed when it counted—on election day. In a court-ordered do-over election, held March 25, Gonzalez defeated challenger Domingo "Mingo" Villarreal Jr. by a thin margin of 66 votes. Former school trustee Elma Garza lost to Ochoa by 145 votes.

The same two candidates won the first election in May, 2007. That election was voided by a district judge who ruled that due to "fraud" and "illegal conduct" by election workers the true outcome of the election could not be determined. The court decision was upheld in February of this year by the 13th Court of Appeals, which instructed the district judge to set a date for a new election.

The day after this week’s election Ochoa said, "Praise the Lord. The people’s voice spoke out again."

"We just need to focus on our students and put all this behind us," she added. "There’s been a lot of negativism. That’s in the past. We just need to focus on the interest of our community."

Hidalgo County Elections Administrator Teresa Navarro said the county-conducted election went smoothly this time around. Due to inadequate street addresses for voters on the records, there were questions regarding where certain voters resided.

"But with issues like that we were able to ask them to show the election worker on a map exactly where they lived. So, we were able to make a lot of corrections," Navarro said. 

 Navarro confirmed that the Secretary of State’s office did send an inspector to monitor the election. The inspector visited all three polling sites on election day and although the county has not yet received an official report from the secretary’s office, election workers told Navarro the inspector was happy with what she saw.

Voter turnout was strong for a quickly ordered election with an abbreviated early voting period of just three days. There were 10 days of early voting in the May election.

Out of 5,032 votes cast, Gonzalez garnered 2,510 votes to Villarreal’s 2,444. Villarreal captured 49.33 percent. Ochoa received 2,554 votes to Garza’s 2,409 (48.54 percent).

Ochoa said, "I was real surprised how many people came out to vote in those three days of early voting compared to a 10 day early voting (in the last election). We were only 400 votes short. And they were expecting a low voter turnout.  But people felt an urgency to come out and their voices were heard again."

The La Joya board will canvass the election Monday, March 31, according to Navarro.