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Progress times Vol. 47 - #26
Friday, February 22, 2019
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Mission EDC names
Ruby Red Ventures winner
www.ptrgv.com
Complaint raises questions about McAllen candidate’s residency By Dave Hendricks Just three months after she voted in Mission, attorney Tania Ramirez announced her candidacy for the McAllen City Commission. Ramirez voted with a Mission address in November, according to Hidalgo County Elections Department records. In January, though, Ramirez filed a ballot application with the McAllen City Secretary’s Office, seeking to represent City Commission District 4. The document stated that Ramirez had lived in McAllen for the past 22 months. Ramirez said the Mission address belongs to her parents. She voted from that address but actually lived in southwest McAllen, where Ramirez shares a home with her sister.
Photo courtesy of Mario De Leon.
McAllen City Commission District 4 candidate Mario De Leon.
“I never changed it,” said Ramirez, when asked about her voter registration. “I think that was just a procrastination issue, I guess. And that’s the reason for it.” The campaign for District 4 pits Ramirez, a 30-year-old attorney, against Mario De
Leon, 41, an Apple solutions consultant, and Joe Califa, 60, who served on several city advisory boards. Where, exactly, Ramirez lived during the past 22 months became an issue when Mario De Leon’s brother, Victor, filed a complaint with the city. Victor De Leon provided the city with Elections Department records, which showed Ramirez voted with a Mission address during the March 2018 Democratic Party primary, the May 2018 Mission City Council election, the June 2018 Mission City Council runoff election and the November 2018 general election. “Some concerned residents reached out to ask if I knew who she was or if she
See MCALLEN CANDIDATE Pg. 4
Progress Times photo by Jamie Treviño.
Ruby Red Ventures winner Miriam Villaseñor holding her $25,000 check from the Mission EDC for her company, Don Porfirio’s.
By Jamie Treviño Miriam Villaseñor wants to make her organic salsas available to the public. During this week’s regular meeting at the Mission Economic Development Corporation, Villaseñor was named the only winner of this round of Ruby Red Ventures, a program that has been ongoing at the EDC for seven years. The Ruby Red Ventures program allows local business owners to pitch their burgeoning companies and
products to the EDC. Winners are awarded with monetary prizes that will go toward growth and making their ideas successful. According to Mission EDC Chief Executive Officer Daniel Silva and Director of Social Impact Cristina Garza, the Ruby Red Ventures program is about to undergo some changes. “We actively promote the increase of innovation, entrepreneurship and small business support,” Silva said. “Cristina and I are looking at revamping the
After unsuccessful campaign for utility board, businessman will join Sullivan City Commission By Dave Hendricks Businessman Julian Peña will join the Sullivan City Commission in May Peña — a 34-year-old construction contractor who mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the Agua Special Utility District board last year — will replace City Commissioner Daniel Flores, who didn’t run for re-election. “In order to understand Sullivan, you have to live here,” Peña said. “And I’ve been living here for 34 years.” Peña submitted a ballot application on Feb. 15. Nobody filed against him or City Commissioner Adriana Rodriguez, who’s running for re-election. The lack of contested City Commission races demonstrates that Sullivan City is united, said Mayor Leo Garcia. “At the end of the day, if we don’t stand together, we’re not going to progress,” Garcia said. “And I’m just glad we’re all working together.” Perhaps nothing proves that point more than Peña joining the City Commission without a fight. In May 2018, when Peña campaigned for the utility board, Garcia supported his opponent, incumbent utility board Director Ivan Sandoval.
Julian Peña During the campaign, Peña criticized a partnership between the utility district and Sullivan City to repave El Pinto Road. The utility district provided Sullivan City with about $134,000 to cover paving costs. Garcia personally supervised the project, which Sullivan City handled inhouse to save money. Peña said he considered that a mistake and warned Sullivan City would be responsible for any problems with the project. Meanwhile, people who supported Sandoval spread rumors that Peña owned or operated game rooms that allowed illegal gambling. Peña’s father, Osvaldo Peña Sr., received a game room permit from Sullivan City in
See SULLIVAN CITY Pg. 4
program, because we need to make it a 2.0, a new level.” Silva said that the EDC has had companies tell them that even though they did not win, they were glad for the experience because they’ve been able to learn several things from the process. “We’ve given about $625,000 in the past seven years,” Silva said. “It’s our version of ‘Shark Tank,’ we’ve had over 300 companies apply.” Mission EDC has helped
See RUBY RED VENTURES Pg. 4
Photo courtesy of Tania Ramirez via Facebook.
McAllen City Commission District 4 candidate Tania Ramirez.
UTRGV debuts documentary during FESTIBA pre-event By Jamie Treviño A lesser-known part of American Civil War history in the RGV was brought to light this week at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. During an event leading up to the annual Festival of International Books & Arts (FESTIBA), a locally produced documentary film entitled “Just a Ferry Ride to Freedom,” focusing on the Texas-Mexico border and its connection to the Underground Railroad, was screened. The reception prior to
the screening was held at the UTRGV Visitor’s Center, where guests gathered to view various artifacts in an exhibit called “War and Peace on the Rio Grande” pertaining to the Valley’s role during the Civil War, and how history was made in the pre-Civil War era. Admission was free, and community members, participants in the documentaries and representatives of family cited in “Just a Ferry Ride to Freedom” filled both the Visitor’s Center and the Performing Arts Complex, where the film was shown for the first time.
The documentary was produced by the UTRGV Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) program through funding from the Houston Endowment, The Summerlee Foundation and the UTRGV College of Liberal Arts. “This is what education really should be,” Dr. Pamela Anderson-Mejias, Senior Associate Dean of the UTRGV College of Liberal Arts, said. “It brings together faculty from all different
See UTRGV FESTIBA Pg. 4
INSIDE
City of Alton Updates
Mayor Salvador Vela reflects on nearly three decades of service to the city as he runs for the May election unopposed, and the city has begun implementing a safety sticker program. Jose De Leon III has the latest.
See Pg. 5
Palmview Asset Forfeiture Program
Progress Times photo by Jamie Treviño.
People explore a contextual historical exhibit put up in the Visitor’s Center at UTRGV prior to the screening of “Just a Ferry Ride to Freedom” at the Performing Arts Complex.
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See Pg. 10
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Lifestyle...................pg. 3
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Classifieds............pg.11