Saucedo, Torralba, and Bowles Win in Dismal Maverick County Voter Turnout

By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

A dismal voter turnout in Maverick County with only 5,805 persons voting out of 28,300 registered voters (20% voter turnout) decided several contested local races including County Judge, Eagle Pass Independent School District Board of Trustees’ Places 1 and 3 while over 15 unopposed local candidates easily won re-election or election to their respective races.
The paltry 5,805 votes cast in Maverick County in a mid-term election is one of the lowest in history; if not, the lowest. The low voter turnout may have cost Congressman Pete P. Gallego his bid to be re-elected.

For Maverick County Judge, Democratic Party candidate and incumbent County Judge David R. Saucedo defeated Republican Party challenger Jose Reyna with 3,631 votes compared to 1,944 votes for Reyna, earning re-election to another four year term.

In the Eagle Pass Independent School District Board of Trustees Place 1 race, Eagle Pass Police Department Officer Humberto Torralba, Jr. upset appointed Trustee and local businessman Benjamin “Bennie” Rodriguez, III with local educator Mashyell Calderon finishing third. Torralba received 2,175 votes compared to Rodriguez’s 2,086 votes and Calderon’s 575 votes. Torralba edged Rodriguez by a slim margin of only 89 votes while earning a three year term on the EPISD School Board.

For Eagle Pass Independent School District Board of Trustees Place 3, retired EPISD administrator Rudy Bowles defeated incumbent Ramon Ramirez with 2,915 votes compared to Ramirez’s 2,102 votes, earning a three year term on the EPISD School Board.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, District 23-Texas, Republican Party challenger Will Hurd upset incumbent Democratic Party candidate Pete P. Gallego with the aid of over $3.5 Million “dark money” from extreme, right-wing conservative political action committees. Hurd received 57,901 votes, Gallego received 55,436, and Ruben Corvalan finished third with 2,960. Hurd earns a two year term as the new Congressman for Maverick County and the largest geographic-land district in the United States with over 800 miles of U.S.-Mexico border. Hurd is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer.

For the Chief Justice of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals post, Republican Party candidate Sandee Bryan Marion defeated Democratic Party candidate Irene Rios.

The Quemado and Normandy referendum to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages in Precinct 3-C failed with 167 votes against and 75 for it. Quemado and Normandy will remain “dry” prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages in Precinct 3-C for more than 90 years.

In local unopposed races. State Representative Poncho Nevarez won re-election to another two year term as District 74 Representative in the Texas Legislature. 293rd Judicial District Judge Cynthia Muniz won re-election to another four year term as state district judge for the tri-county judicial district comprising Dimmit, Maverick, and Zavala counties. 365th Judicial District Judge Amado J. Abascal, III, also won re-election to another four year term as state district judge including Dimmit, Maverick, and Zavala counties.

Elected to a three year term as Eagle Pass Independent School District Board of Trustees Place 4 is local pharmacist Dr. Hilda Martinez-Caballero unopposed with 3,751 votes while incumbent Trustee Lupita Fuentes won re-election unopposed to Place 5 with 3,778 votes.

In Maverick County races, Gerardo “Jerry” Morales wins unopposed a four year term as County Commissioner Precinct 1; Rosy Cantu wins unopposed a four year term as County Commissioner Precinct 2; Roberto Ruiz wins unopposed a four year term as County Commissioner Precinct 4; Leopoldo “Polo” Vielma wins unopposed a four year term as District Clerk; Sara Montemayor is re-elected unopposed to another four year term as County Clerk; Rito J. Valdez, III, wins unopposed a four year term as County Treasurer; Kina Mancha is re-elected unopposed to another four year term as Justice of the Peace Precinct 1; Dora Madera wins election to a four year term as Justice of the Peace of Precinct 2; David Castaneda wins unopposed a four year term as Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 A & B; Jeannie Smith won re-election unopposed to a four year term as Justice of the Peace Precinct 3-C; and Tere Melendrez wins unopposed a four year term as Justice of the Peace of Precinct 4.

The Maverick County Hospital District Board of Trustees waived the election for the two Trustee positions as only two candidates registered and certified incumbent Trustee Joaquin L. Rodriguez and local psycho-therapist Dr. Ronald Hixson as the winners to a four year term each.

Local citizens who chose not to vote in the November 4th election cited a myriad of reasons for not going to the polling place from apathy, disillusionment with corruption of public officials, distrust of local public officials, too busy to go vote, lack of interest in politics or democracy, public officials do not listen to constituents needs, and not caring who gets elected.