Edinburg mayoral candidates promote transparency

The election for Mayor for the City of Edinburg will be held on Nov. 4 with former city attorney Omar Ochoa and former city councilmember Johnny Garcia in the running. 

Currently, Ramiro Garza Jr. holds the position of mayor for the city. However, he announced that he will not be running for reelection as he had planned due to a recent cancer diagnosis.

Andrew Smith, assistant professor and pre-law adviser, said local politics is an important aspect of government.

“Local politics are more likely to affect your daily lives, whether that be in terms of property taxes, criminal justice matters, a number of things,” Smith said. “It is a shame that people don’t pay more attention [to local politics].”

Ochoa said it was a surprise to him that he would decide to run.

“I’ve been the city attorney for the last five and a half years and recently stepped down towards the end of last year,” he said. “I started getting phone calls from members of the community encouraging me to consider running.”

Ochoa said he knows the city, its projects, its people and the operation well.

“I’ve advised the city council for that period of time; I know in my heart that I can do a really good job as the city’s mayor,” he said. “It just dawned on me that if I don’t do it, it’s just me being selfish not providing that option for the community to vote on.”

Garcia said he has a desire to serve the community.

“I felt there was an opportunity to run again, to make a difference,” he said. “ I think the east side of Edinburg and other areas have been neglected for a long time. I want to try to focus on fixing the infrastructure of the east side of town.”

Ochoa said he believes Edinburg has potential to be “exceptional.”

“The city really needs a strong, visionary leadership to continue in this growth trajectory and to take [the city] to the next level,” he said.

Smith said that both candidates are basing their candidacies on the fact that they have been in city government.

“They see that as advantageous to their candidacies,” he said. “Former council member Garcia … he has had to run an election campaign, so he may have some election infrastructure; Mr. Ochoa is banking on the fact that he is a relatively high profile attorney.” 

Transparency is something that both candidates deem important for the city.

“I am very knowledgeable of laws that ensure the city remains open,” Ochoa said. “As mayor, I would ensure that opportunities are available for the public to not only know about what the city is doing, but to comment on it and to welcome as much citizen participation.”

Garcia said the city needs to communicate with the community.

“I am looking at how we do the executive meetings, we need to really show the community what is actually on the agenda as far as what’s taking place,” he said. 

Garcia said he believes he is better prepared than Ochoa for mayor.

“He’s also from Edinburg and I think everyone has the right to run,” he said. “I just think that I have a little bit more experience in the actual side of being an elected official versus his law.”

Ochoa said with his experience in the city, it would not be a job that he would have to learn.

“I know what I am capable of,” he said. “My message is that the city is on this high trajectory of growth and needs knowledgeable, young, energetic leadership.”

The executive meetings are held at the end of the bi-weekly city council meetings on Tuesday afternoons at the Edinburg City Hall.