BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Brownsville Navigation District has two new board members following Saturday’s election.
Former government official and public policy consultant David A. Garcia won the vacant Place 2 seat. Businessman Luis Villarreal won the vacant Place 4 seat.
They replace Esteban ‘Steve’ Guerra and John Wood on the board. Neither sought re-election.
Here are the unofficial results:
Garcia put his vistory down to a team effort.
“We did it. This was a team effort, and I'm grateful to each and every one of you. We triumphed because voters knew what was at stake and what this campaign offered for the future of this community. For me, it will always be about you. Thank you. Let's get to work,” Garcia said, in a posting on social media.
In his posting on social media, Villarreal said his victory was overshadowed by the passing of his grandfather.
“Yesterday, I was honored to earn your support and win the Port Commissioner race. I want to certainly thank every supporter, volunteer and voter who stood with me in this election. Your hard work, time and belief in this campaign made this victory possible. "
“Today, I lost my grandfather. He lived a full life and is now at peace, reunited with my grandmother. My out-of-the-box thinking and fearless approach to construction and life came from him. As a kid, I would always wake up every day to go see him, and we were always doing something, charging a battery, fixing a restroom or tearing apart something, just to understand how it worked. He was always trying to make things better."
“He never believed in 'if it's working, don't fix it.’ In his view, there was nothing we could not fix. I remember just last year when his walker was not braking properly. He put it on the table, took it apart, and we put it back together to fix the brake. He had a new one right there, but he wanted to fix it. He did not need a new one. He had one."
“My grandfather was orphaned at a young age, and because of that, he worked hard his entire life to make things better. I can honestly say I saw him almost every single day until I graduated from high school. He meant everything to me and his values, work ethic and mindset shaped who I am today.”
Villarreal told the Rio Grande Guardian his victory was all the more impressive because he was not endorsed by any of the sitting port commissioners.
Garcia was endorsed by Port Commissioner John Reed.
During the campaign, Garcia down for a podcast with the Rio Grande Guardian. Click here to watch it.
During the campaign, Villarreal sat down for a podcast with the Rio Grande Guardian. Click here to watch it.
