Peñitas Mayor Ramiro Loya & Councilmembers Joel Roel “JR” Flores and Guadalupe Moreno File for Re-Election 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                           

NEWS RELEASE

Peñitas, Texas – Surrounded by family, friends, and supporters, Mayor Ramiro Loya officially filed for re-election on Monday, February 6, 2023, seeking a second consecutive term in office as the city’s Mayor, a position to which he was appointed to last year. Loya was joined by his current colleagues on the board, Councilmembers Jose Roel “JR” Flores and Guadalupe Moreno (who was also appointed last year) to officially file their candidacies to continue serving in their capacities.

“It has been my absolute honor to lead our growing City of Peñitas and our community as Mayor over the past few months,” said Loya. “I am proud of all that we have accomplished in such a short period during my tenure as Mayor and I look forward to working to continue to “Keep Peñitas Growing” in the future,” he added.

Because of the recent exponential growth and surge in businesses flocking to the area, the city’s financial outlook looks positive. Businesses such as Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A, Wendy’s and more have already announced that they will be opening in Peñitas, and many more commercial developments and businesses are coming soon. In addition, major highway and road improvements are contributing to the positive growth in Peñitas, alleviating traffic and encouraging smoother and safer transportation within and through our community.

With the increase in property taxes and sales taxes from these new developments, the incumbent candidates have a 3-point plan to benefit Peñitas families: lowering property taxes to save Peñitas families money; continuing to attract and retain businesses to keep our city growing; and continuing to improve roads, parks, city services, and the quality of life for Peñitas families.

“We have worked diligently to attract business and commerce that has helped Peñitas’ economy grow exponentially, and we have many exciting and big projects in the works with big retailers, franchises, and new businesses,” he stated. “Our plan is to continue to build on this economic development boom,” he continued. “We have the right team of visionary leaders and I know that JR and Guadalupe are as dedicated to improving our community and quality of life for our residents as I am,” Loya stated.

A lifelong resident of Peñitas, Mayor Ramiro Loya worked for the Valley Coca-Cola Bottling Company for 25 years. He is currently employed as the Custodial Services Manager for the La Joya Independent School District. He and his family have deep roots in the community, stemming back many generations.

“This is a very exciting time in our history, and I am ready to continue to blaze the trail as we continue to build our infrastructure, improve our roadways, invest in our community, and work together to attract new developers to our community,” said Loya. “Quality of life is very important to us, and we want to bring our residents the best services, job opportunities, dining and retail experiences, and provide our children with fun outdoor recreation opportunities,” continued Loya. “I am proud to run alongside JR and Guadalupe and we humbly ask for your support and your vote!”

Loya previously served on the city commission from 1996-1997 and in 2015 and was appointed Mayor in August 2022. He is married to Mary Loya and they have three grown children and enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.

Joel Roel “JR” Flores is also a native of Peñitas and has enjoyed raising his family in the tight-knit community. He is employed with La Joya ISD and has served several terms on the Peñitas City Council. He is currently serving as Mayor Pro-Tem.

“As your city councilman, I have been dedicated to improving our city services and investing in infrastructure to keep our citizens safe and our community growing,” he added. “I am most proud of our efforts to enhance city roadways, our partnership with Hidalgo County to mitigate flooding through drainage infrastructure improvements, and our most recent project, working with AEP to upgrade and expand street lighting throughout the city,” continued Flores.

Flores has played a critical role in many improvements the city has made since his election.

“We have a great team of city leaders who are working together to improve our community and the lives of our citizens,” he added. Together we have worked to create the city’s first-ever police fleet, EMS/Firefighter Department, build a new city park and splash pad, and made major improvements to our facilities and library,” said Flores.

Guadalupe Moreno has lived in Peñitas for over 15 years and has raised his family in the city. He is employed as a teacher and a coach with the La Joya Independent School District. Councilman Moreno was appointed to the Peñitas City Council on September 28, 2022.

“The last few months serving on the council have been incredible and I am proud to join this outstanding group of public servants who are devoted to making our City of Peñitas a better place for all our citizens and surrounding communities,” said Moreno. “We have worked together to continue to attract new businesses, create new community-oriented events such as Market Days, and we work hard every day to continue to grow the City of Peñitas for future generations,” he added. “As my colleagues have already stated, we have many big things planned for 2023 and the future and I hope to continue to serve our citizens and community to make sure our plans for the future come to fruition,” continued Moreno.

“We are all humbled and grateful to the citizens of Peñitas for your trust in us during our terms and we hope to continue our momentum to “Keep Peñitas Growing” and affording our citizens the best quality of life,” said Mayor Loya and Councilmembers Joel Roel “JR” Flores and Guadalupe Moreno.

“We are just getting started, but we are excited to have a great team in place of dedicated public servants who are committed to making Peñitas grow without raising taxes, attracting new commercial development, and investing in our community,” they continued. “We are grateful to each of you for your support and we humbly as for your vote this May to “Keep Peñitas Growing!”

Early voting in the May 2023 Election begins on Monday, April 24, 2023, and runs through Tuesday, May 2. Election Day is Saturday, May 6, 2023.

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