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Donna residents head to polls to vote for Councilman Place 2

Donna residents head to polls to vote for Councilman Place 2
1 month 2 days 21 hours ago Wednesday, October 23 2024 Oct 23, 2024 October 23, 2024 1:39 PM October 23, 2024 in News - Local

The latest Early Voting show more than 20,000 early votes were cast in Cameron and more than 37,000 in Hidalgo County. 

In Donna, the race for Councilman Place 2 is heating up as voters head to the polls.

The election comes after a 13th Court of Appeals ordered city leaders to call an election for Councilman Place 2 and Place 4 council seats.

Incumbent Joey Garza wants to keep his job after serving for 15 years on the council. He says he chose to run for a sixth term to finish projects he already started.

"It's very important to me to make sure these things we follow through and get things done," Garza said.

Garza is facing a challenge by Art Mendoza.

Mendoza serves on Donna's Economic Development Corporation; he was appointed to the board earlier this year.

He says his decision to run for the Place 2 seat is motivated by his desire to help the city grow.

"It does not grow," Mendoza said. "I want to bring more and offer more to the city to the citizens."

If re-elected, Garza says he plans to prioritize the proper spending of the $45 million from a voter approved bond in May.

Mendoza plans to concentrate on Donna's infrastructure.

During the council's disagreement on calling for the Place 2 and Place 4 elections, Donna city leaders hired outside legal counsel using taxpayer dollars to help with the decision. Not all city council members agreed.

Each candidate explained how they plan to handle taxpayer dollars in the future.

"It's transparency, we need to make sure we dot our I's and cross our T's and read everything thoroughly to make sure they are not misspent," Garza said. 

Mendoza says to help manage taxpayer money, he will research how much other cities the size of Donna pay staff members.

He wants to make sure employee salaries are adequate for the position they're in.

"This is how much we are going to offer you, something fair. Not something over to the extreme because that's how we figure out if there is overspending," Mendoza said.

With the division the counsel is facing, both candidates agree communication will help unite the city.

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