Reprint from the Progress Times - April 25, 2008
©Progress Times 2008 - All Rights Reserved

 

Investigation of County Elections head continues

 

Because of a state law requiring four-fifths vote of the Hidalgo County Election Commission followed by a majority vote of Hidalgo County Commissioners Court members to terminate the elections administrator, Teresa Navarro will keep her job despite the fact that the Hidalgo County Election Commission voted unanimously to oust her.

After the election commission voted to terminate Navarro, the Commissioners Court discussed the matter in Executive Session for half an hour before returning. Not one of the county commissioners decided to call for an official vote, thus leaving the matter unsettled and Navarro still employed.

The move to terminate Navarro comes after a county audit dated March 28 that, according to Election Commission members, showed multiple bookkeeping discrepancies regarding vehicle rentals, fuel card usage and travel. Although the report does not name an employee specifically, in the commission’s opinion, Navarro should have been more aware of what her department was doing.

Despite the report, members of the commissioner’s court did not believe they had enough evidence to terminate Navarro and are waiting for the results of a Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office investigation.

"They thought that she needed due process," said Chief of Staff for the County Judge J.D. Salinas, Rigo Villarreal. "They’re waiting for the investigation to come up with their findings. In the meantime, I don’t know what they’re going to do."

The investigation, headed by Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino, is now in its third month with the findings to be sent to the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office in the next month where it will then be decided if criminal charges are in order.

Navarro took office in 2000 after Noe Perez, her predecessor, retired amid voting irregularity allegations.