by Legislative Media | Feb 22, 2016 | Politics
Featured, from left, in foreground: Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission and McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, and in background, from left, Steve Ahlenius, President/CEO, McAllen Chamber of Commerce, and McAllen City Commissioner Trey Pebley. The group was participating in the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s 84th Legislative Wrap-up Luncheon, held at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel in McAllen on Thursday, July 9, 2015.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
In the race for House District 36, Rep. Sergio Muñoz and Abraham Padrón, both Democrats, spent $45,432,82 and $57,002.93, respectively, for the period of January 1 and January 21, 2016, according to the most recent campaign finance reports submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission. House District 36 includes all or parts of the cities of Hidalgo, Granjeño, McAllen, Mission, Palmview and Pharr. Muñoz, an attorney, has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2011; Padrón, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Mexico, is an insurance agent. Also according to the campaign finance reports, which were received by the Texas Ethics Commission on Monday, February 1, 2016, Muñoz showed $24,450 in political contributions, not including pledges, loans, or guarantees of loans between January 1 and January 21, 2016, while Padrón reported $30,400 in political contributions during that same period, not including pledges, loans, or guarantees of loans. Both men were carrying outstanding loans. Muñoz reported $290,550 in all outstanding loans, with $188,483.90 available for campaign expenditures. Padrón had $92,300 in all outstanding loans, with $6,795.11 available for campaign expenditures. The next round of campaign finance reports were due on Monday, February 22, 2016. Early voting for the March 1 Democratic and Republic party primaries has been ongoing since Tuesday, February 16, 2016, and will continue through Friday, February 26, 2016. There are no candidates who have filed for the Republican Party nomination for State Representative, House District 36, which means the Democratic Party nominee will most likely will be sworn into office for a two-year term that begins in January 2017. Muñoz lists his campaign address as P.O. Box 1257, Mission, Texas 78573, with Marla Muñoz-López serving as his campaign treasurer. She lists her treasurer address as 1110 South Closure, Edinburg, Texas 78539. The campaign treasure telephone number is 956/381-5555. Padrón lists his campaign address as 800 North 10th, McAllen, Texas 78501, with Delfa Padrón serving as his campaign treasurer. She lists her treasurer address as 800 North 10th, McAllen, Texas 78501. The campaign treasure telephone number is 956/821-8965.
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by Legislative Media | Feb 19, 2016 | Politics
Featured: Letty Reyes, Director of Business Development & Public Affairs, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Dalila Razo, Business Manager, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Nelda Ramírez, Assistant Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos; Agustín García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; and Diego Reyna, Research Analyst, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. This image was taken at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance on Thursday, January 21, 2016, during the public affairs luncheon sponsored by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce and the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Construction and related building activities in Edinburg totaled more than $36 million for January 2016, almost five times higher than the same month in 2015, with the 9,400-seat stadium that will be home to the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros professional soccer team coming in as the most valuable project, after it was issued a building permit for work priced at $16.8 million, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The soccer stadium, which still has not been given a name, is being built on a 37-acre site, according to the city’s Code Enforcement Department, which issues all building permits. The second-most significant construction project approved for a building permit in January 2016 was a 168-unit multi-family housing complex, worth more than $9.7 million, located at 4604 South Sugar Road, next to the Edinburg Regional Medical Center/Edinburg Children’s Hospital. Located on a 9.77 acre site, this multi-family housing development, a project of Greenpoint Developers, LLC, is the latest addition to a growing and modern residential region that now includes The Villages at Sugar Road, the Bridges at Edinburg, which is an assisted living community, and the residential Summerset Estates and Summerfield Manor. Kamaldeep Gill was issued a building permit by the city in January 2016 valued at $2.1 million for a 50-room MainStay Suites, an extended stay hotel, to be located on a 10-acre site next to the Comfort Inn. Both hotels, which are part of Choice Hotels International, are immediately west of The Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley. The address for both the Comfort Inn and the MainStay Suites is 4001 S. Business Highway 281 in the Comfort Subdivision. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. In general, a building permit is legal permission given by the City of Edinburg to erect, construct, renovate, maintain, or conduct any other specified activity on any building or structure, or on any installations or facilities therein. The term “building permit” includes but is not limited to building permits, electrical permits, mechanical permits, and plumbing permits. During January 2016, building permits for work valued at $36,212,106 were issued by the city, compared with $7,279,701 in January 2015. The top categories in Edinburg during January 2016 were: $19,240,000 – Commercial New Construction; $9,994,464 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction; $5,885,185 – Single-Family Residences New Construction; $935,200 – Commercial Alterations; $140,075 – Residential Alterations; and $17,000 – Non-Taxable New/Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine). Also according to the city’s Code Enforcement Department, 45 single-family residences were approved for construction in January 2016, compared with 13 single-family residences during the same month in 2015. For the month of January 2016, building permits were issued for 27 additions/remodels of single-family residences, compared with 50 in January 2015. Multi-family residences – which range from two-unit duplexes to complexes of five or more units – totaled 176 units approved for construction in January 2016, compared with 20 units in January 2015. On Wednesday, July 15, 2015, plans for the soccer stadium now under construction were first unveiled with the announcement that the United Soccer League (USL) awarded its 25th franchise to Alonzo Cantú, owner of the NBA Development League Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The club, known as RGVFC Toros, will serve as the hybrid affiliate of the Houston Dynamo. RGVFC is slated to kick off later this spring. The soccer stadium, which is modeled after the Houston Dynamo’s BBVA Compass Stadium, is located at the intersection of East Freddy González Drive and South Raúl Longoria Road. “The USL is proud and excited to welcome RGVFC to our league,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said during last summer’s announcement. “We have great confidence in Alonzo Cantú, who has a proven track record in business and professional sports in the Rio Grande Valley. This vibrant economic market with a population of 1.3 million enjoys a long tradition in soccer. RGVFC is a first-class sports organization that will treat the passionate south Texas soccer fans to a state-of-the-art 9,400-seat soccer-specific stadium which surely will become a source of pride for the region.”
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by Legislative Media | Feb 16, 2016 | Politics
Featured: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, fields questions in Spanish from Valley television journalists at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance on Thursday, January 21, 2016, during the public affairs luncheon sponsored by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce and the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
More detailed information in Spanish has been recently made available on the website of the Texas House of Representatives, a response by the House leadership to legislation championed in 2015 by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg. A Spanish translation function, which is free and available to the public, has been included on the website for the Texas House of Representatives, a move that the House District 40 lawmaker said will increase the number of Hispanics who can learn more about the state legislative process. “It is both practical and beneficial to offer legislative information in both English and Spanish. As we seek to modernize our government and keep pace with the 21st century, I believe we must allow legislative information to be accessible in English and Spanish,” said Canales, who is fluent in both languages. “The success of government depends on effectively communicating with the public and offering nondiscriminatory, accurate information.” Canales gave credit to Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Ft. Worth, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Administration, which has wide-reaching jurisdiction over the administrative operations of the House of Representatives, including the official House of Representatives website (http://www.house.state.tx.us). “With a growing number of state agencies providing detailed information in Spanish on their respective websites, I appreciate Chairman Geren and the rest of the House leadership for working with me to create a bilingual presence on the Internet for the Texas House of Representatives,” said Canales. The Spanish-language component now in place does not include all documents in the House and House member’s websites because that would involve millions of words, since each state representative files up to 100 or more pieces of legislation each session. However, what is in place represents a significant move forward in democracy, he said. “We now have the most crucial information available in Spanish, such as how a bill becomes law, a glossary of every action that can be taken during the legislative process, biographies of each state representative, addresses and phone numbers, and so on,” Canales said. With this action, the House of Representatives is helping break down language barriers, the lawmaker said. “English is the most used language in Texas, but we do not want to disenfranchise those who are more fluent in Spanish,” Canales said. “According to a 2011 Census survey, almost 30 percent of Texans speak Spanish. Of that figure, more than 42 percent of those Texans speak English less than very well.” Providing more Spanish-language content on the House of Representatives websites also will help generate more commerce with non-English nations which do business with Texas. “Texas bordering Mexico also makes it crucial that our largest trading partner have access to our Legislature and the information we have,” Canales added. According to http://www.TexasWideOpenForBusiness.com, which is a maintained by the Texas Economic Development Corporation – an arm of the Office of the Governor – Mexico in 2014 was ranked number one with $102.6 billion in Texas exports. Mexico also held the top spot as country of origin for Texas imports, accounting for more than $90.1 billion, or 29 percent, of Texas imports in 2014.
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by Legislative Media | Feb 14, 2016 | Politics
Featured, from left: City Councilmember David Torres; Raúl Castillo of McAllen, who is an American stage and film actor and playwright known for his roles in Amexicano, Cold Weather, and for his role as Richie Donado Ventura in the HBO series Looking; and Ellie Torres, Secretary/Treasurer for the Board of Directors of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. The image was taken during the South Texas International Film Festival on Saturday, August 22, 2015 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. On Monday, February 15, 2016, Ellie Torres and the EEDC Board of Directors will hold a public meeting beginning at noon in the Council Chamber at Edinburg City Hall. Also on Monday, February 16, 2016, David Torres, along with the mayor and Edinburg City Council, will have their public meeting, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber of Edinburg City Hall. David and Ellie Torres are husband and wife. Ellie Torres is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Edinburg school district. David Torres was formerly a member of the Board of Trustees for the Edinburg school district.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors and the Edinburg City Council will have their regular public meetings on Monday, February 15, with each governing body scheduled to review and take possible action on pending and potential business-growth projects, the EEDC has announced. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. Richard García and Agustín García, Jr. are not related. The EEDC will begin its meeting at noon in the Council Chamber of Edinburg City Hall, while the Mayor and City Council are set to begin their public session at 6 p.m., also in the Council Chamber. Usually, the Mayor and City Council hold their regular meetings on Tuesdays beginning at 6 p.m. Both meetings are broadcast live by the Edinburg Cable Network through Time Warner Cable, and are also available through the city’s website at CityofEdinburg.com On the EEDC’s agenda are key economic development strategies, which are scheduled to be held in executive session (behind closed doors), as allowed by state law. Those executive session items include: Deliberate authorizing the executive director to execute a development agreement with Project Domain; Deliberate authorizing the executive director to amend the development agreement with Burns Brothers, Ltd.; Deliberate authorizing the executive director to enter into an interlocal agreement with the City of Edinburg regarding the city’s soccer park; Deliberate authorizing the executive director to amend the construction agreement with Cantú Construction regarding the city’s soccer park; Deliberate authorizing the executive director to enter into a development agreement with Qube Hotel Group; and Deliberate authorizing the executive director to execute into a drainage easement to Edinburg Plaza, L.L.C. Several of the City Council’s agenda items will deal with potential or ongoing projects that will also lead to economic development and jobs-creation in the city. Those items, which will be considered in executive session, are: Discussion and possible action regarding proposed interlocal agreement between the City of Edinburg and Edinburg Economic Development Corporation for participation in the construction of soccer fields; Discussion and possible action regarding approval of a sales tax reimbursement agreement between the city and Vipers Arena, L.L.C., relating to granting certain sales tax revenues to reimburse Vipers Arena, L.L.C. for certain additional improvements relating to the Bert Ogden Arena Project; and Discussion and possible action regarding legal issues concerning proposed support agreements concerning La Sienna Apartments.
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by Legislative Media | Feb 12, 2016 | Politics
Featured, from left: Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen; Terri Drefke, President and CEO of the Food Bank RGV; Pharr Mayor Dr. Ambrosio Hernández; Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission; and Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., D-Brownsville. Hinojosa, Muñoz, and Lucio were among several South Texas legislators honored during a legislative reaction hosted by the Pharr Economic Development Corporation and the Rio Grande Valley Partnership at the PEDC headquarters on Tuesday, June 23, 2015.
Photograph By ISMAEL GARCÍA
Gov. Greg Abbott’s visit to McAllen on Friday, February 12, 2016, will provide him a historic opportunity to support a plan by Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission, which would allow a statewide vote to require that half of all future gubernatorial appointments go to qualified women, a move which would dramatically increase the number of women in powerful state leadership positions. Under the Muñoz measure, Texas voters in a statewide election would have the power to create a law that women receive half of all gubernatorial appointments to powerful state boards, commissions, and agencies, such as the Texas Transportation Commission and The University of Texas System Board of Regents. During a four-year term, a governor will make about 3,000 appointments, according to the governor’s office. Muñoz would file the proposal when the Texas Legislature begins its regular session in January 2017. If approved by lawmakers, state voters could see it on the ballot as soon as November 2017. “Gov. Abbott will be in the Valley for a fundraiser for the Hidalgo County Republican Women, and I know many of them will be very interested in hearing from him whether he believes qualified women should receive half of all gubernatorial appointments,” said Muñoz. “I have developed the legislation that would achieve what I believe will forever improve the representation of women at the highest levels of state government.” Muñoz said that Secretary of State Carlos Cascos, the former County Judge of Cameron County who was the first gubernatorial appointment for Abbott, on Thursday, January 21, 2016, during a luncheon in Edinburg, was presented Muñoz’ plan for delivery to the governor. “The governor has had time to study my proposal, and I cannot think of a better time or place for him than the Valley to let all of us know what he thinks, and what he plans to do about it,” said Muñoz. Abbott is the featured guest for the Lincoln Reagan Dinner, which will be held at the Valencia Event Center, located at 3012 S. Jackson Road in McAllen. The event begins at 6 p.m. “I encourage Gov. Abbott to make history, just as he made history by becoming the first governor of Texas who is physically-challenged and must use a wheelchair, by supporting an idea whose time has come,” Muñoz added. Muñoz said the idea was brought to him by David A. Díaz, a legislative consultant from McAllen. Díaz and Miriam Martínez had worked together on the issue when Martínez, a South Texas broadcast journalist and business owner, ran for Texas governor, seeking the 2014 Republican Party nomination, which was won by Abbott. Martínez said if elected governor, her gubernatorial appointments would be been divided evenly between women and men, and she would have asked for a statewide vote to make that practice a permanent requirement. There are more than 200 state boards, commissions and agencies whose members are appointed by the governor, with the consent of the Senate. “Under this proposal, if approved by the Legislature and Texas voters, every time vacancies occur in each state board, commission and agency which requires a gubernatorial appointee, the first vacancy shall be filled by a qualified woman, the next vacancy shall be filled by a qualified man, and so on,” Muñoz said. “This method will guarantee that women will receive their fair share of the most powerful gubernatorial appointments.” Cascos, who was in Edinburg on Thursday, January 21, 2016, was provided with a copy of the Muñoz plan, and the Secretary of State, who was formerly county judge of Cameron County, agreed to present it to Abbott. Cascos was the first gubernatorial appointment announced by Abbott in November 2014. The Texas Senate confirmed Cascos as the 110th Secretary of State on Wednesday, February 18, 2015. In agreeing to take Muñoz’ plan to Abbott, Cascos shared his own commitment to increasing the roles and number of women in leadership roles in Texas. “I think it’s important to have a diverse representation of qualified women and men of different origins,” Cascos said. “I don’t think there is anyone who does not welcome diversity: male, female, Hispanic, African American, Asian American. Diversity is good.” The Secretary of State, who serves as the chief elections officer for Texas, reflected on the importance of Muñoz’ plan. “I think it’s something that’s noteworthy. There are a lot of groups that are not that well -represented,” Cascos said. “In my office alone, we have African American, Hispanics and Anglos. So my office, since I have been in there, has become more diverse than what it was before I got there.” Muñoz said his proposal is not a quota, which favors one group at the expense of another. “Under this plan, a majority, in this case, men, would not lose out to a minority – women – because the population of Texas is, and most likely will always be, about half men and half women,” Muñoz said. “Any Texas governor would find no problem whatsoever finding women who are very qualified for half of all gubernatorial appointments.” The UT System Board of Regents, which is currently operating under a $16.9 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2016, has two women and seven men on that governing board. The Texas A&M System Board of Regents, which is currently operating under a $4.2 billion budget for Fiscal year 2016, has two women and seven men on that governing board. The Texas Ethics Commission, which is responsible for administering and enforcing laws that require financial disclosures of state lawmakers and legislative employees, has one woman on its eight-member commission. The Texas Department of Transportation, which has a $23 billion two-year budget, is governed by the five-member – and all male – Texas Highway Commission. Only three women have been appointed to this powerful commission since 1993. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, a seven-member board which oversees the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and its 2016-17 $719 million budget, is comprised of all men.
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by Legislative Media | Feb 11, 2016 | Politics
Featured: An illustration of the proposed $150 million Hidalgo County Courthouse which would be built in downtown Edinburg, and, weather permitting, be completed by October 2018.
Graphics Courtesy ERO ARCHITECTS
The City of Edinburg would contribute a total of $30 million towards the construction of a $150 million, six-story Hidalgo County Courthouse, which would reshape and revitalize the city’s historic downtown, under an initial agreement authorized by the Mayor and Edinburg City Council on Monday, February 8, 2016, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. Richard García and Agustín García, Jr. are not related. If all goes as planned, work could begin on the new courthouse before the end of this year, with a completion date of October 2018, weather permitting. The existing courthouse would continue to function while the new facility is being built. The $30 million city contribution would not result in any city property tax rate increase or take funding away from other major city projects, Mayor García said following the joint work session, which began at 2 p.m. at Edinburg City Hall. “After hearing from our financial advisors, I feel very comfortable that we’re in a sound financial situation, where we can contribute to this worthy project, without raising taxes and without it affecting the other projects we have going on around town,” he told the Edinburg Cable Network. The mayor added that Edinburg hasn’t raised city property taxes in 21 years and he doesn’t plan to start raising them now. In addition to Mayor García, Mayor Pro Tem Homer Jasso, Jr., Councilmember Richard Molina, and Councilmember David Torres participated in the event. Councilmember J.R. Betancourt was excused on important business. Hidalgo County Judge Ramón García, Precinct 1 County Commissioner A.C. Cuellar of Weslaco, and Precinct 4 County Commissioner Joseph Palacios of Edinburg represented the commissioners court. Precinct 2 County Commissioner Eduardo “Eddie” Cantú of Pharr and Precinct 3 County Commissioner Joe Flores of Mission were excused on important business. Mayor Richard García and Hidalgo County Judge Ramón García are not related. Final details for the courthouse project, as well as the formal signing of an interlocal agreement setting out the financial contribution by Edinburg, are both scheduled for a joint session on Tuesday, March 8, of the Edinburg City Council and the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court. During the Monday, February 8 joint work session, the city and county leaders reviewed the architectural and financing details provided, respectively, by Eli Ochoa, PE, AIA, who is Partner and Architect with ERO Architects of McAllen, and Noé Hinojosa, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer for Estrada • Hinojosa Investment Bankers of Dallas, which is the city’s financial consultant. “This is a historic moment in our county’s history,” the county judge said in his opening remarks during the joint work session. “We are here today to discuss the possibility of entering into an agreement with the City of Edinburg to properly fund an adequate courthouse to provide safety and security for our constituents, our residents of Hidalgo County.” Edinburg city officials are optimistic that the new courthouse complex is on the right track. Mayor Pro Tem Jasso said key issues relating to the planned courthouse complex have been resolved for him. “From the time we began this, I am really happy with the outcome, with what we have today,” said Jasso. “Eli (Ochoa) has addressed many of our concerns, such as the facade of the building, the landscaping. I am really looking to moving forward.” Councilmember Molina, who also serves on the Edinburg Planning and Zoning Commission, predicted the new courthouse complex will have a beneficial impact that will help businesses located along East University Drive and beyond. “We have been trying to help the east side of Edinburg, and when people see this mammoth building all the way from the expressway (Interstate Highway 69C), it’s going to catch people’s attention,” said Molina. “We are going to have all kinds of businesses go up in the area.”
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