BROWNSVILLE, RGV – Cameron County Commissioner Alex Dominguez on Friday announced he is running for the Texas House of Representatives in District 37.
The seat has been held since 1981 by state Rep. René Oliveira, D-Brownsville.
District 37 includes Brownsville, South Padre Island, Port Isabel, Los Fresnos, and Rio Hondo.
Dominguez, a Brownsville native, has been county commissioner for Precinct 2 since June 2014.
In a news release, Dominguez said he has closely followed the previous two legislative sessions and feels he is ready to lead District 37 in Austin.
“I believe that District 37 needs a representative who will not only represent the public during the legislative session, but will also work in coordination with the County Commissioners Court and city commissions to bring much needed jobs, infrastructure, and exposure of what this area has to offer for the full two years of the term. As a former educator, I want to be a voice for students at UTRGV to push for their education needs.”
Dominguez, a criminal defense attorney and former educator, has worked with three different county judges and four different commissioners.
“As a county commissioner, we determine the county budget, establish county policies, address indigent health care services and work for the betterment of the quality of life of those in the county. Since joining the commissioners court, we joined the effort to bring Space X to Brownsville, implemented vast improvements to county parks including Isla Blanca and E.K. Atwood on South Padre Island, and negotiated several economic incentive agreements to bring much needed jobs to the area,” Dominguez said.
“In my own precinct, I worked to finish the street paving project in Cameron Park, bringing street lights to Olmito and San Pedro, addressing the clean water needs of residents of San Pedro, and introducing the first all- inclusive playground in the county.”
Dominguez currently represents Cameron County on the Brownsville Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Lower Rio Grande Development Council, Brownsville Economic Development Corporation, the Animal Shelter Committee, the county Audit Committee, and in Austin with the Conference of Urban Counties (CUC). At the CUC, Dominguez recently became vice-chairman of administration on the policymaking committee in Austin. He also served as active judge pro-tem when former Judge Carlos Cascos was appointed Texas Secretary of State.
“I have enjoyed working for the public as a county commissioner and will continue to do so for the next year. Due to election rules, I have been unable to make this announcement until this month,” Dominguez said.
Oliveira is the dean of the Rio Grande Valley legislative delegation and the fifth longest serving House member. He serves as chair of the House Committee on Business & Industry and is a member of the House Committee on State Affairs, the Select Committee on Economic Competitiveness, the Select Committee on Texas Ports, Innovation & Infrastructure.
Oliveira held his re-election campaign kickoff last Wednesday. He recently told the Rio Grande Guardian that he was thinking of retiring but was persuaded to run again by House Speaker Joe Straus. Ironically, Straus later announced he would not seek re-election.
Two candidates have so far filed to run for Cameron County Commissioner, Precinct 2 – Joey Lopez and Rico Bocanegra. The deadline to file to run in the March 2018 primaries is Monday, December 11.
