La Joya ISD employees win seats on Agua SUD board

Two La Joya school district employees won seats on the Agua Special Utility District board on Tuesday.

Jose Luis Ochoa Jr., a teacher at HOPE Academy, trounced Peñitas police Inv. Oscar Barron Jr., according to preliminary results published by the Elections Department on Tuesday night. La Joya Independent School District administrator Adriana Flores-Villarreal, meanwhile, defeated Sullivan City Fire Chief Jesus Martinez.

The Agua Special Utility District serves nearly 17,000 customers in western Hidalgo County and a small part of Starr County.

Jose Luis Ochoa Jr. (Photo courtesy of Jose Luis Ochoa Jr.)

Agua SUD is governed by a seven-member board of directors, which sets water and sewer rates. Each director represents a district with a roughly equal population.

Term limits prevented three of the seven directors from running for re-election on Tuesday. Another director resigned in 2021, leaving a total of four seats open.

Only two of the four seats, however, were contested.

District 4

Term limits prevented Director Lloyd Loya, who represents District 4, from running for re-election.

Two candidates ran for the open seat:

> Peñitas police Inv. Oscar Barron Jr., 35, of Peñitas.

> Jose Luis Ochoa Jr., 33, of Peñitas, a special education teacher at HOPE Academy.

Ochoa won nearly 60% of the vote, according to preliminary results published by the Elections Department. Barron received 40%.

District 5

Term limits prevented Director Cesar Rodriguez Jr., who represents District 5, from running for re-election.

Ana Maria Perez, 49, of Palmview, an educator and librarian employed by the La Joya Independent School District, ran unopposed.

Adriana Flores-Villarreal. (Photo courtesy of Adriana Flores-Villarreal.)

District 6

Director Adolfo Arriaga, who represented District 6, resigned in 2021 to accept a job with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The utility board replaced him with Rick Perez, 58, of La Joya, an executive vice president at Rio Bank. He ran unopposed.

District 7

Term limits prevented Director Ivan Sandoval, who represents District 7, from running for re-election.

Two candidates ran for the open seat:

> Sullivan City Fire Chief Jesus Martinez, 35, of Sullivan City.

> Adriana Flores-Villarreal, 59, of Sullivan City, the executive director for student services at the La Joya Independent School District.

Flores-Villarreal won nearly 56% of the vote, according to preliminary results published by the Elections Department. Martinez received 44%.

All results will remain unofficial until canvassed by the utility board.