Last Wednesday, UTRGV held a debate for the Edinburg’s mayoral candidates. Gina Alamia and Richard Molina are challenging incumbent Richard H. Garcia.
The Progressive Young Democrats and the College Republicans hosted the event and asked the candidates questions submitted by other UTRGV organizations. The questions varied from social to city infrastructure problems. The audience had the opportunity to ask questions and talk to the candidates after the debate.
“The objective of tonight’s forum is to gain a better insight of where the candidates stand on issues that are of great concern to us as residents of Edinburg, as well as students at UTRGV,” Bianca Garcia, co-host and president of the College Republicans, told the audience gathered in the Student Union Theater.
The candidates answered a total of 13 questions in an hour and had two minutes each to respond. The first question the candidates were asked was submitted by the Environmental Awareness Club.
“As the Valley continues to grow, so do the amount of cars on the road,” said Mimosa Thomas, co-host and president of Progressive Young Democrats. “Would Edinburg be able to implement public transportation systems that connects with Valley Metro and McAllen Metro to help ease traffic and lessen CO2 emissions?”
Other questions were submitted by UTRGV student organizations. The candidates were asked about their stance on subjects, including taxes, flooding, student parking, disaster preparation, equal justice, recycling, immigration and drainage systems.
Asked about the city’s financial state, Mayor Garcia replied, “The city is doing very, very well. … The city received statewide and nationwide recognition for financial management, for recording, for accountability.”
Garcia, who is an attorney, said the city has $10 million more than required in reserves. Last year, Edinburg had the best credit rate it has ever had.
“It’s hard for me to understand that we’re doing so well if we have 75 percent of our employees here in the city that make below a living wage,” said Alamia, who works for her father Richard R. Alamia’s law firm as an immigration consultant, brief writer and office manager.
Alamia also said the living wage is currently $10.03 per hour for someone who does not have a child.
“So, if we have that many reserves, if we’re doing well, why are we not paying the citizens that have these jobs something that they can adequately live on?” she said.
Molina, the current Place 1 City Council member, said, “The City of Edinburg right now, financially, is surviving. It’s doing OK, but it can do a lot better. … Are we going to survive? Yes. Are we going to live? Yes, but we can do much better. We’re nowhere near where the City of McAllen is.”
He owns Molina Rental Properties and Odyssey Home Health Care.
Some of the candidates also discussed Proposition 1, “the constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of part of the market value of the residence homestead of a partially disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of a partially disabled veteran if the residence homestead was donated to the disabled veteran by a charitable organization for less than the market value of the residence homestead and harmonizing certain related provisions of the Texas Constitution,” according to the Texas Secretary of State website. They also spoke about Senate Bill 4, which “requires local government entities and law enforcement officials to comply with federal immigration laws and detainer requests, and creates criminal penalties for entities that do not enforce the law,” according to the Office of the Texas Governor website.
Early voting starts today and ends Nov. 3. Election Day is Nov. 7.
For more information on the debate, contact the Progressive Young Democrats or the College Republicans at their Facebook pages.
