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BROWNSVILLE — Democrats came out on top Tuesday in three Cameron County Commission elections, according to unofficial returns.
Esteban “Steve” Guerra beat Republican Mauro Garza in the county judge race. First-time office-holder Joseph Lucio won the Precinct 2 election over Republican candidate Jonathan Campos. Precinct 4 incumbent Commissioner Gus Ruiz defended his seat against Republican challenger Oscar Guerra.
Guerra ended the night with nearly 67% of the votes, according to early results. He won the Democratic primary in May against longtime incumbent County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr.
Guerra, an entrepreneur, most recently served for eight years on the Brownsville Navigation District Board, which included four years as chairman.
His election during the primary came with a “mandate from the people of Cameron County for change, and that’s what we plan on delivering for the people of Cameron County.”
“People are hurting in South Texas,” Guerra told The Herald. “We’re looking at affordability issues, and that’s going to be one of my main concerns. Starting day one, we’re going to look for ways to alleviate (residents’) pocketbooks, we’re going to lower their taxes, we’re going to go back to basics on infrastructure.”
Some of his other priorities upon taking office will be drainage to protect the area from flooding, ensuring the area has sufficient water and power for industry moving to the county, and transparency and accessibility to the public. Guerra said he’s grateful for the support he received throughout the campaign.
“Once we take office, we’re going to be accessible to Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike,” Guerra said. “We will work for all the people of Cameron County.”
Mauro Garza, an entrepreneur who owns a commercial real estate business and others, shared congratulations for Guerra.
“I want the county to flourish,” Garza said. “It didn’t go our way, and I thank everyone who supported and had confidence in our message and what we wanted to do for the county.”
In the race for the County Commission’s Precinct 2 seat, unofficial results show Democrat Lucio ending Tuesday with just over 70% of ballots cast. Lucio is a training and exercise officer with the Texas Department of State Health Services and a former employee of the Cameron County Health Department. He’s the nephew of former Texas State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr.
Lucio, who said the race was his first time running for office, said his experience in emergency preparedness will be an asset to his role on the commission, and his time working for the county gave him ideas of what he wanted to do better.
Some of the issues he ran on included retaining county employees, improving infrastructure like roads to help protect residents during emergencies, and what he called “responsible economic growth.”
“Responsible economic growth means that (while) we grow very quickly here in Cameron County, we’re doing it in a way that our infrastructure has not been left behind,” Lucio said, “and also we’re making sure we’re staying on top of taking care of our environment, being good stewards of our environment.”
A common refrain Lucio said he heard from voters was a desire for accountability and for a commissioner who would be responsive to residents’ requests in real time.
“My job as a Cameron County commissioner is to serve everybody in the county, red or blue, I’m here for you” he said. “The only way we can bring real change is by reaching across and getting as many people as we can (to work toward) a similar mission or goal.”
Jonathan Campos, a general contractor, ran opposite of Lucio on the Republican ticket. The race was Campos’ first foray into politics, a decision he made after talking to other small businesses owners about their needs and prayer. He was also affected by the near-eviction from county property experienced by the Chapel by the Sea on South Padre Island, which was ultimately renewed to allow the chapel to remain on county property.
“Talking to other small business owners, they feel shut out from the county,” Campos said. “They see all these big businesses and getting these tax abatements, these tax breaks, but the small businesses that built Brownsville feel neglected.”
Campos said he was grateful to everyone who supported his campaign and that “God has a bigger plan in store for us all.”
Precinct 4 Commission Gus Ruiz held on to his seat with about 62% of the vote. He faced Republican candidate Oscar Guerra.