Maverick County Water Control & Improvement District No. 1 Board grid-locked in appointing new Board member
By: Jose G. Landa
Copyright 2013
The Maverick County Water Control & Improvement District No. 1 Board of Directors are grid-locked in appointing a successor Board member to Abdallah Moses, who resigned several months ago, as evident by their inability to name a new Board member at their September 10, 2013 regular meeting held at the water district’s office located at the Radar Base.
For the fourth consecutive time an agenda item was placed to discuss and take possible action to appoint a new Board member, but the current M.C.W.C.& I.D. No. 1 Board of Directors once again split on a 2 to 2 vote in naming a replacement.
Three M.C.W.C. & I.D. No. 1 registered members presented themselves at the September 10th meeting to volunteer being appointed to the Board of Directors, however, two current Board members blocked the appointment of all three by voting against them during the public meeting.
U.S. Veteran and local rancher and farmer Gabriel De La Cerda was nominated by Board member Yolanda Mauricio to be appointed to the Board and seconded by Board member Xavier Mancha. When Board Chairman Travis Kelly called the motion of De La Cerda’s appointment to the Board, Chairman Travis Kelly and Board member Marcelino Perez voted against De La Cerda while Board members Yolanda Mauricio and Xavier Mancha voted in favor of De La Cerda. The motion failed for a lack of a majority vote.
Then Board member Xavier Mancha nominated long time Quemado Valley farmer and rancher John Earl Smith to be appointed to the Board and seconded by Board member Yolanda Mauricio. Once again, Chairman Travis Kelly and Board member Marcelino Perez voted against John Earl Smith while Board members Yolanda Mauricio and Xavier Mancha in favor of John Earl Smith. The motion failed.
Board member Xavier Mancha then nominated long time Maverick County farmer and rancher Walter Herring to be appointed to the Board and seconded by Yolanda Mauricio. For the third time, Chairman Travis Kelly and Board member Marcelino Perez voted against Walter Herring while Board members Xavier Mancha and Yolanda Mauricio voted in favor of Walter Herring. The motion failed.
Board Chairman Travis Kelly thanked Gabriel De La Cerda, John Earl Smith, and Walter Herring for volunteering to serve on the Board of Directors, but stated that he preferred to have Maverick County Commissioners Court appoint the vacant Board of Director to the M.C.W.C. & I.D. No. 1. Kelly stated that he did not have anything personal against the three candidates nominated, but that he believed it would be best for Maverick County Commissioners Court appoint the vacant Board of Director because of the grid-locked on their Board.
Pioneer Quemado Valley farmer and rancher John Earl Smith questioned Chairman Travis Kelly on why he thought that the Maverick County Commissioners Court would be the best solution to appoint the Board member instead of the M.C.W.C. & I.D. No. 1 Board. Chairman Travis Kelly answered Smith that he thought the Maverick County Commissioners Court would be impartial in the appointment of a new Board member.
Board member Yolanda Mauricio disagreed with Chairman Travis Kelly’s response and opined that the M.C.W.C. & I. D. No.1 Board was best suited for naming its own Board member. Mauricio stated that Maverick County Commissioners Court probably already has a candidate in mind and that they would not be impartial in appointing a successor Board member to the water district.
Present at the Board meeting was Maverick County Judge David Saucedo’s Executive Assistant Leopoldo Vielma monitoring the situation on behalf of County Judge David Saucedo. The previous month, County Judge David Saucedo attended the M.C.W.C. & I.D. No. 1 Board meeting to monitor the grid-locked situation between Board members.
The M.C.W.C. & I.D. No. 1 Board of Directors have until October 7th to name the successor Board member before Maverick County Commissioners Court may appoint the Board member.
M.C.W.C. & I.D. No. 1 members present at the September 10th Board meeting expressed their disappointment in the Board’s failure and refusal to appoint a successor Board member despite outstanding water district members volunteering to serve on the Board.
The M.C.W.C. & I.D. No. 1 may play an important role in delivering and/or providing water to the foreign-owned Dos Republicas Coal Partnership’ Eagle Pass Mine should the open surface coal mine on the banks of the Elm Creek ever become operational. It is well-known from the Railroad Commission of Texas public hearings that Dos Republicas Coal Partnership does not have sufficient water rights to operate the Eagle Pass Mine and will have to obtain water to do so.
Dos Republicas Coal Partnership has purchased some Rio Grande River water rights from Rio Grande Valley sources but need the M.C.W.C. & I.D. No. 1 to deliver and transport its water from the Rio Grande River to the open surface coal mine site on Elm Creek through the water district lateral canals. Dos Republicas Coal Partnership has also considered that the M.C.W.C. & I. D. No. 1 provide it water by changing its classification from agricultural use to mining or industrial use.
