Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes’ Application for Re-Election Disqualified by City Secretary Due to Term Limits City Ordinance, Sifuentes to Legally Challenge
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
The City of Eagle Pass, Texas Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes announced on his Facebook Page on Friday, January 15, 2021 that he had “received word from the City Secretary [Imelda B. Rodriguez] that my application to seek re-election as Mayor was going to be disqualified due to the fact that I had served or had been elected to two four year terms, two consecutive four year terms.”
Mayor Sifuentes added that “I don’t believe that the City Secretary’s decision is consistent with the intent of the Charter when it was voted on. As such, I have talked to an attorney and we are not going to back down and we are going to take whatever recourse we can to make sure that we can fight this and be serving as your Mayor for the next four years. This is a technical legality and I am sure that once we are done with this we will be able to move forward to keep Eagle Pass moving forward and fighting this pandemic.”
Although Eagle Pass City Secretary Imelda B. Rodriguez has not issued a press release announcing her disqualification of Mayor Sifuentes’ application for re-election, Mayor Sifuentes candidly addressed the issue to the citizens of Eagle Pass in his Facebook Page on January 15.
At issue is a City of Eagle Pass Ordinance that limits City Council members and Mayors to being elected to two four year terms. Mayor Sifuentes served at least two four year terms as City Councilman before being elected as Mayor for the unexpired term of former Mayor Ramsey English Cantu at the City Special Officers Election held on February 1, 2020.
Mayor Sifuentes registered his candidacy for re-election as Mayor on Wednesday, January 15, 2021 before City Secretary Imelda B. Rodriguez at a public ceremony held at City Council Chambers in City Hall and did not mention anything to Sifuentes about being disqualified to run for re-election due to the City Ordinance on term limits. City Secretary administered the Oath of Candidacy to Sifuentes at the January 13 registration.
Also registering to run for Mayor on January 13 was City Councilman Place 4 Rolando Salinas before City Secretary Imelda B. Rodriguez.
The City of Eagle Pass is holding a City Officers Election on May 1, 2021 for the positions of Mayor, City Council Place 2 and 4. The candidate registration period opened on January 13 and runs through February 12. There is still plenty of time left for any other persons interested in running for any of the three positions up for election may do so with City Secretary Imelda B. Rodriguez at City Hall, 100 S. Monroe Street, Eagle Pass, Texas or may contact her at (830) 773-1111.
Mayor Sifuentes will more than likely have to legally challenge City Secretary Rodriguez’s decision to disqualify his application for re-election in either state or federal court in the immediate future.
