|
Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
May 7, 2001
Newcomers win P-B-T school board races
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, May 7, 2001 - Pecos-Barstow-Toyah voters elected three new members
to three-year terms on the district's school board and elected a fourth
to an unexpired one-year term on Saturday.
Lila Cerna, Crissy Martinez and Saul "Chip" Flores received the most
votes in the seven-candidate race for the three-year seats, while Michelle
Galindo was elected to the unexpired term in a three-person race.
Cerna received the most votes of any candidate, 1,023 out of 1,944 ballots
cast in the school board race. Martinez was next with 864 votes while Flores
won the final seat with 785 votes, 84 more than Paul Deishler, who was
appointed to the board last year and was seeking a full three-year term.
Incumbent Brent Shaw was fifth in the balloting with 485 votes, and
was followed by Veronica "Ronnie" Dutchover with 300 votes and Julio Torres
with 252 votes.
Deishler had held the seat won by Galindo, and which will be up for
election again next May. Galindo received 747 votes to beat out Francisco
"Frankie" Rodriguez, who picked up 530 votes, and Ruben Salazar, who received
294 votes.
"I am both proud and humbled to have been elected as a member of the
school board and I wish to thank my supporters for their votes, and especially
their encouragement and support," said Cerna. "It has been an interesting
and challenging campaign and I wish to commend the other candidates for
their professionalism and desire to help our community."
"I sincerely hope that the lessons we have learned from this campaign
continue to inspire us to make this community a better place, not just
for us, but for our children," she added.
Martinez said, "I'm thankful for this experience which has allowed me
to learn a lot and meet some really great people. I appreciate the opportunity
to serve on the school board and I will do the best job that I can."
Martinez added that she wanted to thank everyone who went out to vote
in support of the school district.
Flores also wanted to thank all his family and friends and those who
voted for him.
"I just want to get on this board and work together for the benefit
of all the kids, so that they can get the best education," said Flores.
"Whether they will be attending college, or whatever they plan to do we
want them to be well prepared," he said.
Flores said he would also like to work towards attracting quality teachers
and work towards keeping all the quality teachers that the district already
has. "I want to work towards giving them more and making this a great district,"
he said.
Galindo, the wife of Reeves County Judge Jimmy B. Galindo said, "I would
like to thank the voters for participating in this election. I look forward
to working with the parents, teachers and the administration to make the
educational process in our community the best that it can be."
The school board will meet in their regular monthly meeting this Thursday,
at which time the four new board members will take their oaths of office.
The election, coupled with last year's election, means the P-B-T board's
membership has almost completely turned over in the past 13 months. Billie
Sadler is the only member who currently has served more than one year on
the board, having been elected in 1999 after serving on the board earlier
in the 1990s, while Steve Valenzuela and David Flores were elected to the
school board for the first time in May of 2000.
Balmorhea backs bond issue, most incumbents
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, May 7, 2001 - A $1.6 million bond issue for improvements to the
Balmorhea school district's auditorium, gym and two new computer labs was
approved by voters by a 3-1 margin Saturday night, while the school board's
two incumbents were elected to new three-year terms in a four-person election.
Voters in Balmorhea also returned two of their three incumbents on the
city council to office, in a five-person race for the three available two-year
terms.
The $1.6 million bond issue, which is designed to bring the Balmorhea
ISD facilities into compliance with a 1990 Americans With Disabilities
Act, was approved by a 168-55 margin. Superintendent Elizabeth Saenz said
last week that the State's Office of Civil Rights cited the school district
in September of 2000 for the second time for not being in compliance with
federal ADA laws.
School locker areas also are to be improved using the bond issue, and
Saenz said passing the bond issue would allow the school district to receive
state funding for 86 percent of the total amount, requiring the district
to raise only $14,000 out of the $100,000 per year for the length of the
bond.
In the school board election, incumbents Armando Mondragon and Paul
Ward defeated challengers Cathy Carrasco and Eva Portillo for new three-year
terms. Mondragon received the most votes, 191, while Ward received 137
votes, just less than double the total of Carrasco, who was third with
69 votes. Portillo received 57 votes.
The Balmorhea City Council elections also produced three clear-cut winners,
with challenger Ruben M. Fuentes picking up the most votes, 122, and was
joined by incumbents Sammy Baeza and Ike Ward in claiming the three seats
up for election.
Baeza received 99 votes and Ward 94 from Balmorhea voters. The other
two candidates, incumbent Olga Lopez and challenger Marty Galindro-May,
picked up 66 and 40 votes respectively after Saturday's returns were counted.
The other two area cities, Toyah and Barstow, had no contested city
races this year. In Toyah, Incumbent Diana Tollet will get a new two-year
term on the council and will be joined by newcomers Danny Wayne Enmon and
Laura E. Budlong. In the Barstow City Council race, incumbent aldermen
Olga Abila, Dora Villanueva and Lucio Florez were automatically elected
to new two-year terms under the state law that allows local elections to
be canceled to save money if there are no contested races, bond issues
or ballot initiatives.
Tellez, Terrazas re-elected, Sanchez earns council seat
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, May 7, 2001 - Two of the three incumbents on the Town of Pecos
City Council were re-elected to new two-year terms on the council Saturday,
while a former Pecos mayor was elected to the third contested seat as a
result of the Saturday's polling.
Gerald Tellez, Jr., and Johnny Terrazas will remain on the council and
will be joined by former mayor Frank Sanchez defeated incumbent Larry Levario
and challenger Mary Patino for the third and final council spot.
Tellez picked up 998 votes to win a fourth full-term on the council,
while Terrazas was elected to his third two-year term with 851 votes. Sanchez,
who served as Town of Pecos City's first Hispanic mayor in the mid-1980s,
picked up 640 votes to beat out Levario, who was seeking a second term
on the council and received 494 votes. Patino ended up with 396 votes after
all the ballots were counted Saturday night.
Sanchez said that he is excited that he was elected to office and is
thankful for those who voted him.
"I'm glad that people remembered me," he said.
Sanchez was Pecos mayor from 1984 to 1986 and only ran for one term.
He said that when his mayoral term was up he promised that he would
run for office again in the future.
"I made my promise and I kept my promise," he said.
Terrazas said he is thankful to all the voters for coming out to vote
in the elections.
He added that he is looking forward to be working with Sanchez but is
sorry that Levario was not re-elected.
"I was a little disappointed that Larry Levario didn't get back in,"
he said.
Terrazas said that Levario is a good man and has been a great "resource"
to the Council by keeping them informed of state programs that the city
could apply for.
Terrazas said that Levario plans to continue to help the Council when
he is needed.
"He did say he would continue to be a resource for us," he said. "He
is a good guy so he's going to do that for us."
Terrazas said that Sanchez would be a good addition to the Council because
he has experience in the city government, which he believes will help in
the transition.
"It should be a good transition for us," he said.
Tellez, who has had seven years of service to the city, said that he
is also sorry to see Levario go but is also looking forward to working
with Sanchez.
"I want to congratulate and welcome Mr. Frank Sanchez to the council,"
he said.
Tellez said he is thankful to his family, supporters, voters and the
Lord for making the election possible.
Levario said that he has enjoyed his time on the Council and has no
hard feelings about the outcome of the election and feels that the "best
man won."
Levario said that he believes that the council will continue to do their
best for the community.
"I know they will do what they can to promote Pecos and help the community,"
he said.
Sanchez said that he wants to congratulate all the candidates who took
the time to run for office, whatever that office might be.
"I want to congratulate the candidates because they're doing it out
of their own satisfaction to help the community," he said.
Terrazas and Tellez also wanted to congratulate the candidates on running
in a good clean election.
"Welcome to the political process," Terrazas said.
All three members of the Council will be sworn into office along with
the appointment of the Mayor Pro Tem at the regular Council meeting scheduled
for 7:30 a.m., Tuesday morning in Council Chambers at City Hall.
The new Council will also discuss a proclamation for the proposed Rodeo
Hall of Fame and the adoption of the Pecos Police Department policy for
the canine unit.
The second reading of the ordinance to rename the Interstate 20 Frontage
Road as Raul Florez Boulevard will also be the topic of discussion at Tuesday's
meeting.
Gholson wins out over Lindley for Precinct 2 RCH board seat
PECOS, May 7, 2001 - Reeves County voters in Precinct 2 elected Linda Gholson
to a two-year term on Reeves County Hospital Board on Saturday, while Hugh
Box won the other seat on the RCH board while running unopposed in the
Precinct 4 race.
Gholson defeated Clark Lindley by a 347-213 margin in voting for the
Precinct 2 seat, which had been held by Marcella Lovett for the past six
years. Lovett opted not to seek as new two-year term on the hospital board.
In the Precinct 4 race, Box received 252 votes and we replace Holly
Key, who served one term on the hospital board.
"I plan to work for the best interest of everyone in the area," said
Gholson. "To work for the best health care that will benefit everyone."
Gholson said that she doesn't have a particular agenda. "Other than
to work towards having the best health care system that we can," said Gholson.
"I'll work together with the board in trying to meet the particular needs
of the patients."
Gholson said she looks forward to working with the board and the administration
as a whole, for the needs of everyone.
A total of 617 people voted in Precinct 2, while Box picked up just
under 60 percent of the 425 Precinct 4 voters who cast ballots on Saturday,
with the others leaving their hospital district ballot unpunched.
"I'm just glad it's over," Box said. "I'm proud of those who won and
I'm proud of those who lost."
"I'm excited about it and looking forward to working with the hospital
board," he added.
Both box and Gholson are first-time hospital board members, and both
have previously served on the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah school board.
Hair stylings, massages set as fundraiser
PECOS, May 7, 2001 - A Hair-A-Thon and Massage-A-Thon will be held from
9 a.m. until 5 p.m., on Saturday, May 12, at Gilda's Sheer Talent Salon,
1405 Johnson.
Proceeds will go to send youth to Camp Paisano.
For more information call Gilda at 447-2141 or Kim at 447-3759.
Obituaries
Santiago Matta and Arvil Talamantez
Weather
PECOS, May 7, 2001 - High Sunday 93. Low this morning 54. Forecast for
tonight: Cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Low
55 to 60. East wind 10 to 20 mph. Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent
chance of showers or thunderstorms. High 80 to 85. Southeast wind 10 to
20 mph. Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers
or thunderstorms. Low 55 to 60. Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with a slight
chance of thunderstorms. Highs 80 to 85. Thursday: Partly cloudy with a
slight chance of thunderstorms. Lows 55 to 60. Highs 80 to 85.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
|
