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SHERIFF
COMMISSIONERS
Sheriff’s successor
Vela beats Flores again
New top lawman Alonso Lopez 11 votes shy of runoff By JJ VELASQUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata County voters tabbed Alonso Lopez on Tuesday to succeed outgoing Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez. With 50 percent of the votes, Lopez claimed victory in a three-way race that included opponents Raymond Moya III and Joaquin Solis Jr.
Just 11 votes away from surrendering the majority of votes, Lopez narrowly avoided a runoff election with Solis, the nearest candidate with about 30 percent of the votes. Lopez, who resides in Lopeño, serves as captain of administration under Gonzalez. He started his law enforcement career as a dispatcher and jailer in 1982. Gonzalez will hand the baton
to his captain in January after holding his post for 18 years. The sheriff decided to retire instead of pursuing another term. Lopez could not be reached for comment Friday, but he told The Zapata Times in April that his administrative experience qualified him to be sheriff. Solis, a 32-year veteran in law enforcement who retired last year, could have forced a runoff
with a few more votes. Solis worked in both the sheriff ’s and the county attorney’s office, the latter in which he was a chief investigator. After returning to the sheriff ’s office for three years, he retired in September and turned his attention to his bid for election.
See SHERIFF PAGE 7A
FOUNDERS’ DAY CELEBRATION
By JJ VELASQUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Pct. 1 County Commissioner Jose E. Vela will serve another term. Vela defeated his challenger, Jose Luis “Tata” Flores, in voting which ended Tuesday. Flores held that seat from 1985 to 2004, when Vela claimed his first victory. Flores has challenged Vela in every election since. “It was very satisfying to win the election by a large margin, and I’m very happy for that,” Vela said. Vela believes voters chose the right candidate and pointed to his record in his years as commissioner as evidence. “We’re going to be here for the next four years,” he said. “We’re going to continue what we’ve been doing, protecting the taxpayers and keeping the county in the right path.” Vela said he would turn his attention to adding infrastructure to attract industry to the
See COMMISSIONERS PAGE 7A
1 wins; one runoff By JJ VELASQUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Other Results Photo by Danny Zaragoza | The Zapata Times
Renato Ramirez, right, stands with his cabinet members after being named the 2012 Republic of the Rio Grande president last Saturday afternoon during the Founders’ Day Luncheon, held in the TAMIU Student Ballroom.
HEAD OF THE REPUBLIC Ceremony honors banker with presidential sash By JJ VELASQUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A sash was draped across Renato Ramirez’s torso, and then he shouted, “¡Viva la Republica!” The Zapata County banker, who was instrumental in the creation of the Tejano Monument, was inaugurated Saturday as
president of the Republic of the Rio Grande. The ceremony was part of this year’s Founders’ Day Celebration, a Webb County Heritage Foundation event honoring the founder of Laredo, Don Tomás Sánchez, and his descendants. This year, which marks Laredo’s 257th birthday, saw local artist Armando Hinojo-
sa and Ramirez, along with several others, complete their decade-long work on the Tejano Monument, which was unveiled at the state Capitol in March. Ramirez said the completion of the project was “like winning the Super Bowl.” He said passage of the legislation that
See HONOR PAGE 7A
The race for Pct. 1 constable is headed for a runoff, as Gabriel Villarreal and Adalberto “Beto” Mejia Jr. were neck-and-neck after Tuesday’s primary — with 37 percent and 42 percent of the votes, respectively. Mejia, the incumbent, swapped places with his challenger Villarreal after early voting. With 40 percent of the tallies, Villarreal held a lead after early voting results came in. Mejia had 38 percent. In the Pct. 3 commissioner race, incumbent Eddie Martinez won his race comfortably, garnering about 67 percent of the votes. Eloy “Jay” Martinez sealed another term as Pct. 3 constable on Election Night, as he secured 70 percent of the votes. Martinez had two challengers, Erica BenavidesMoore and Randall L. Ivey.