La Joya city attorney resigns to focus on his law office
The city of La Joya will start the new year with a new lawyer.
City Attorney Roberto Jackson announced his resignation during a City Council meeting on Dec. 13.
“I have some great news. Luckily, I will no longer be your attorney for the city of La Joya,” Jackson said on Dec. 13, moments before the City Council adjourned. “Everything’s gone well at our office and, because of the proper allocation of the resources and time, I have to spend it all on my business.”
Jackson said he would stick around for a few weeks to assist City Manager Leo Olivares and wrap up any pending legal work.
“We’ll sit down and make sure everything is taken care of,” Jackson said. “As far as the paperwork and everything else.”
Roberto Jackson, at right, films a video outside La Joya City Hall in August 2019. (Photo by Dave Hendricks / The Progress Times)
Jackson wasn’t just the city attorney. He’s also a key player in local politics.
He served on the City Council and became the city attorney under former Mayor Jose A. “Fito” Salinas.
Jackson, though, resigned in 2017 after he became concerned about corruption at City Hall.
In 2019, when Salinas ran for a third term, Jackson supported former police chief Isidro Casanova, former Agua Special Utility District board President Roger Hernandez and real estate agent Laura Mendiola Macias.
Jackson relentlessly attacked the Salinas administration for wasting taxpayer money and ignoring conflicts of interest. When the FBI raided City Hall, he showed up to film a video encouraging people to “vote them out” on Election Day.
They won — and Jackson agreed to advise the City Council again.
“He was here every meeting,” Casanova said. “And whenever we had questions on some of the items on the agenda, he would do his research and get back to us.”
Jackson frequently provided the City Council with frank advice and wasn’t afraid to ruffle feathers.
“He’s pretty good at it. Sometimes it was kind of hard to get ahold of him,” Casanova said, adding that Jackson had to juggle La Joya and his other clients. “Being a city attorney also is very demanding. Sometimes it is kind of hard to do both things at the same time.”
The City Council may appoint a new city attorney in January.
