1. If elected, what three concerns would you prioritize for District 1?
Rodriguez: My plans for District 1 are to improve our infrastructure resolving the water issue by exercising all means in replacing the water lines; and to improve our community’s safety by installing more lights and speed bumps to prevent speeding violations.
Rebeles: My priorities for District 1 are:
- Air and Water Quality and Infrastructure
- Affordable Housing
- Access to healthcare
Gonzalez: One of the most important issues that needs addressing is improving the aging infrastructure for the City’s water treatment plant. I believe that clean water is a human right and as City leaders we need to do our part to ensure our community has access to safe drinking water! Another issue I plan on addressing is the high traffic congestion in South Laredo and increasing traffic safety in residential neighborhoods. I want our children to grow up safely and to feel secure when playing outside. We can discourage reckless driving by installing speed humps to reduce speeds and invest in more lighting for our roadways. I would address the high traffic congestion in South Laredo by working closely with TxDOT to find alternative routes in and out of South Laredo.
Tijerina San Miguel: I believe that the current pressing issues that are affecting our community include reliable and safe drinking water, wasteful spending, and corruption. We must invest diligently and effectively in our water infrastructure. Water is life, and we must guarantee quality water for the present and future. As I knock on people’s doors, I hear the constant complaints of wasteful spending and the lack of effectiveness in city projects. We must bring accountability and smart planning to guarantee the taxpayers that their tax-dollars are invested prudently. Lastly, promoting public trust and confidence in our local government is vital and fundamental to ensuring our municipality works efficiently for all of us.
2. What sets you apart from the current District 1 Council member?
Rodriguez: I believe Mr. Gonzalez has done a good job representing district 1. Quite honestly I’m more concerned about what my vision is for all of South Laredo. We have had strong leadership in the past so I want to continue with innovated solutions for our part of the city. It’s important that we prioritize business investment so we can provide employment and entertainment opportunities for our residents.
I also believe quality of life is a right of all Laredo residents, and my goal is to equalize as much as possible the ability for all residents to have options within their residential area to have these opportunities.
Rebeles: Many talk about being from Laredo and the history they have with our City but no one talks about how they are serving Laredo. After my service in the Navy, I returned to my city to find the lands violated by a wall, the roads and buildings crumbling, displaced families that have been here for generations, and families like mine struggling with little to no access to healthcare.
Business-as-usual on our City Council is not working for us anymore. “Good Enough,” can no longer be the standard because Laredo deserves better. We deserve a City Council that will be transparent, accountable, and bold. That is why I am running for Laredo City Council in District 1.
Gonzalez: I have two very important qualities that set me apart from the rest: My diverse public service background and the fact that I plan on retiring from Webb County to focus on serving you full-time. For the last 24 years I have worked in various departments within the County including, Juvenile Detention Center, Justice of the Peace 2 Place 1, Commissioner Precinct 1, and the Sheriff’s Department. Throughout my career in public service, I have gained an understanding on how public organizations work, understand the importance of a healthy and balanced budget, and have had the ability to serve constituents on a one-on-one basis. My entire career has been dedicated to serving the citizens of Laredo and Webb County, and as a result, my transition from the County to the City will bring great things to the City and my South Laredo community.
Tijerina San Miguel: Experience makes me stand out in the field of candidates seeking to be elected for City Council District 1. I bring over 30 years of experience as a public servant, having worked nearly twenty years in the Webb County’s Sheriff’s Department and over ten years as Administrative Assistant for Commissioner Precinct 3. The three decades of experience and dedication as a public servant have taught me skills not only in management but recognizing the importance of representing our local government’s needs and interests at the federal and state level, but also the importance of managing a budget and being fiscally responsible to ensure taxes do not increase and are lowered.
3. Please characterize the typical residents of District 1 and what they have told you their needs are. In what part of District 1 do you reside and for how long?
Rodriguez: The residents of district 1 are truly a melting pot of the entire city. We have highly educated professionals, as well as, blue collar workers who are the backbone of our local economy. We have a robust middle class, as well as some areas of lower social economic conditions. Their concerns are more about safety needs such as installing more lights and speed bumps to prevent speeding violations.
Our job is to level the playing field when it comes to basic services regardless of your economic status. We have to do a better job of providing the most basic of services and do the job well.
I currently reside in the Wright Ranch Subdivision and have since April 2017.
Rebeles: They are water quality issues, having enough water pressure, clean water. District 1 has flooding concerns due to poor assessments of land, design, and engineering. District 1 residents need affordable and accessible healthcare. They want transparency about what is being built, what it costs, and how it will affect them.
I’ve lived in Lomas Del Sur subdivision for 6 years.
Gonzalez: For the past 20 years, I’ve had the pleasure of living and working in District 1. I live in the Colonia Las Palmas neighborhood. District 1 is made up of humble and hardworking people. My agenda has always been the needs of my District 1 neighbors: the water issue, addressing the high traffic congestion in South Laredo, and increasing traffic safety in residential neighborhoods by installing speed humps to deter speeding motorists.
Tijerina San Miguel: South Laredo is an area in our City that is rapidly growing. In order to grow effectively, we must invest wisely to ensure South Laredo continues to thrive. When elected, I plan to bring more city funds for a new water system to guarantee our families reliable and clean water. Additionally, the safety and wellbeing of our community is key – that is why we must invest in our first responders to safeguard our police and fire protection. Our infrastructure is in much need of betterment, and we must bring more city funds for better streets and roads. Lastly, our trash service is in need of attention, and we must work diligently to beautify South Laredo and bring cleanliness to our community.
4. What about you do you believe invites the electorate’s trust in your ability to serve without compromising or violating their trust?
Rodriguez: Honestly I believe any political officeholder or Candidate running for office can only build trust and confidence by their actions. Too many people running for office promise so many things that they know they cannot comply with or accomplish. The business of government is a complicated maze of bureaucracies that can only be tamed with persistence and dedication to the people we serve. So I hope to gain my constituents’ trust by having them believe in me and trusting me to get the job done so that they can see that I am a person of action and deeds and not of hollow promises.
Rebeles: Residents of District 1 trust me because I am one of them. I’m the daughter of working class immigrant parents. I’m the sister who shows up to your medical appointments when you need me. I’m the mom that is working to break generational trauma within her own family. I’m the teacher at your schools fighting to teach the truth in our classrooms. I’m the Laredoan calling for clean air and water, land protections, access to affordable housing, and healthcare as a right. I am dedicated to improving and protecting Laredo!
Gonzalez: I am a family man who is heavily invested in the success of my district. As I have repeatedly told my constituents, I am doing this for US! My resume speaks for itself. I’ve dedicated my entire career to serving my people, the people of South Laredo. Win, lose, or draw, I’ll always be here in support of my people!
Tijerina San Miguel: My impeccable experience in government of over 30 years invites the electorate’s trust in my ability to serve the constituents of District 1 and the City of Laredo. Specifically, having worked for the Webb County Sheriff’s Department for almost 20 years reassures the public that my service to community will be without compromising or violating their trust. Furthermore, the last ten years working for County Commissioner Precinct 3 has taught me the importance of transparency and accountability thus giving the trust of the residents of the City of Laredo and Webb County. It is my goal to reinstate public trust and confidence to give the voters and constituents the representation they deserve.
5. It is no secret that there are morale issues among City employees who have witnessed the micromanaging of City staff and department heads, and the demoralizing practice in the past by some Council members to ask for jobs for friends and family members, sometimes at a salary higher than a skilled, experienced employee. How will you address employee morale in this and other aspects?
Rodriguez: As a former government employee for several local agencies I can tell you firsthand about how the action of policy makers affects the organization as a whole. I know the city has had some tremendous challenges especially in areas of real basic services. I believe we need to honor our employees with the hard work that they do. We also as council members need to remember that the city manager is the person who oversees the operations of the city. We cannot and should not micro manage any aspects of normal city government operations. Our job is simply to hire a competent City Manager, set policy, and approve the budget. We should be advocates for our constituents, however, not at the cost of micro managing our city operations. I know that each and every employee is a hard working proud member of our community, and each of them know how to better our city. We need to foster that pride in our city so they are 100 percent invested.
Rebeles: As we all know, fixing or dismantling broken systems takes time. I’d begin by having listening sessions.
In the Navy, I discovered that in order to start understanding the problems, you need to listen to the ones closest to the fracture in the systems to begin to understand where the issues lie. The two major issues impacting our local administration are greed and corruption. Profit is always prioritized over our pueblo for these reasons. As I’ve previously said, the only way to start healing and fixing the structural failures within City Hall is through transparency, accountability, and courageous action.
Gonzalez: This is an excellent question! Employee morale is critical to an organization’s success. The role of the City Manager is to mediate between politics and administration, and the City Council must respect that distinction. Equally important, no one should be micromanaged or demoralized at work. If we micromanage departments, we are not allowing our directors to succeed on their own. Currently, the city is conducting a salary study to analyze pay grades and job descriptions for all city positions. When elected, I plan to respect what comes out of the study, trust directors’ decisions when hiring individuals for positions within their department, and not interfere with hiring processes for employees. I would also like to work with the human resources department and City Management to see what analysis they have done to gauge employee morale within the organization and work in conjunction with City management to invest in our employees to bring up morale.
Tijerina San Miguel: Employee morale is important to ensure high quality customer service and a productive working environment. I’d make employee morale an expectation of city management since they are responsible for the operations and management of the city and its employees. Additionally, I believe that guaranteeing the City Manager’s Office that no elected or public official should overreach their power into the operations of the city would help in addressing this issue.
6. The recent instability in City government has been unsettling. The hiring and speedy exits of city attorneys, and the hiring (and exit) of an inexperienced individual as City Manager (over the recommendations of a nine member search committee appointed by the Mayor and Council in 2019) – these are telling indicators of dysfunction and a lack of leadership.
Rodriguez: The role of the city council is clear as explained in my previous response. However, it is the responsibility of the council to choose a competent individual to operate our city. Remember, it is the men and women who are the boots on the ground that preform the day-to-day operations of our city. They just need strong leadership to inspire them to be 100 percent committed to the city. I would not want to comment on previous selections because I’m not well versed on the unique circumstances of the qualification or applications. I do believe that the instability that has been created over the last 8 years has undermined our ability to be a destination of choice for quality candidates. Who would take a job here if you will be replaced in a couple of years? There is something to be said about having stability at the head of the organization. We also need someone with the guts to tell people no when it’s called for. The right of the council to select a qualified applicant is a right given to them by their constituency, if they are unhappy with the choice that is made, then the ultimate veto power that people have is the subsequent election timeframe.
Rebeles: I believe the first step is to identify the source of the issue. No one will feel safe speaking up if the workplace is unfriendly. Before any improvements can be made, those who are just interested in their own personal gain must be fired from their posts. As long as they are the best candidate for the position, it doesn’t matter whether an outside CM needs to be employed. Golden parachutes must be stopped since Laredo won’t have any left to save itself.
Gonzalez: The City is planning on hiring a firm to help scout a new City Manager. If elected, my role in ensuring the new City manager is capable of doing their job would be to hire someone that is both qualified and experienced in running a municipality of our size, if not larger. The City needs someone who has an education in public administration and managing a multimillion dollar budget. This person must be ethical, dependable, and capable of dealing with nine very different personalities; each with their own ideas about how to move the City or district forward as well as managing the operation and administration of the City. In a recent interview by a former city manager, he said “If everybody could get their oars in the water and decide to row in the same direction. I think that’s one of our biggest problems.” City Council needs to work together for the betterment of Laredo!
Tijerina San Miguel: The City is in dire need of an innovative leader that can take the City to the next level. The instability that has been caused by the current City Council does not transpire well with the constituency and affects the recruitment of a City Manager. First, the City must conduct a “real” nationwide search. Second, I believe the City Council should put together a list of characteristics and goals they expect of the new manager so that the applicants know what the City Council is expecting of them. Lastly, the City Council needs to guarantee the prospect manager that they will support their management style and everyday decision making, without making any threats of termination, so that they work diligently without fear of retaliation or threats.
7. Do you use cañoneros(as)to harvest votes for you?
Rodriguez: Recent legislation at the state level has restricted any kind is assistance even to the point of not allowing staff members to give water out. That in my mind is voter suppression!
To be specific to your question about having people harvest votes? I do not have anyone who I associate with that “harvest” of votes.
Rebeles: No, I never have and never will.
Gonzalez: No, I do not.
Tijerina San Miguel: No.
