Candidates set for McAllen municipal election

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Javier Villalobos will have no challenger as he seeks reelection to his second term as McAllen mayor this May. However, two of the three McAllen city commissioners whose seats will also be up for a vote on May 3 have drawn opponents.

Villalobos initially announced his intent to seek reelection via social media in December. City records show he made that announcement official by filing his campaign application on Jan. 28.

One person also filed to run for mayor of the largest city in Hidalgo County — a man named Troy Barker — but McAllen City Secretary Perla Lara rejected his application.

“A candidate for public office must be registered to vote in the territory from which the office is elected on the date of the regular filing deadline…” Lara wrote in a Tuesday letter notifying Barker of his disqualification.

“As of the filing deadline for the 2025 McAllen mayoral election, both Hidalgo County and State of Texas records reflect that the application does not satisfy this requirement,” Lara further stated.

Barker’s current residence, according to the candidate application he filed on Feb. 14 — the last day a candidate could file — is in Mission.

Meanwhile, District 1 Commissioner Antonio “Tony” Aguirre, a local businessman and longtime public servant, will face off against prominent real estate agent Tim Wilkins to represent northeast McAllen.

And District 3 Commissioner Omar Quintanilla, a local banker and businessman, will be challenged by Rolando “Rolly” Rios, a retired educator and recent real estate agent.

District 2 Commissioner Joaquin “J.J.” Zamora drew no challengers and will run unopposed to continue representing northwest McAllen.

Though Aguirre has served just one term as city commissioner, he’s no stranger to McAllen public office.

Prior to joining the commission, he served on the McAllen Public Utility board of directors — which are also elected positions — for 27 years.

Aguirre said he’s seeking reelection in order to “continue what I’m doing” and to keep McAllen a “strong, beautiful, caring city.”

A self-described family man who took a moment from spending time with his children and grandchildren in order to speak with The Monitor on Wednesday, Aguirre said he will continue to focus on two main priorities should he win reelection — quality of life and job creation.

He wants McAllen to continue to be a place where families can raise generations. But in order for them to be able to do that, the city needs to be able to provide “a good, high-paying job,” invest in education, and promote industry.

“I believe we’re on the right track. We are growing in all aspects,” Aguirre said, touting McAllen’s various revenue-generating tourism industries, such as eco- and sports tourism.

Running against Aguirre will be Tim Wilkins, a firebrand of a public figure who has courted his share of controversy during past election runs.

In a statement sent to The Monitor via text message Wednesday, Wilkins called McAllen “a remarkable city” that he is “deeply committed to enhancing its greatness even further.”

He added that the new Trump administration will provide the city with new opportunities.

“With the new national administration in place, McAllen now faces both a wealth of opportunities and challenges,” Wilkins stated.

“There are many deficiencies impacting our residents’ daily lives that can and should be mitigated. I am committed to ensuring these issues are addressed and corrected,” he added.

This isn’t the first time Wilkins has run for a spot on the dais. He previously sought the District 1 seat in 2021 and 2018.

In 2021, he came in third in the three-way race between himself, Aguirre and Lucia Thomspon.

That election cycle also spawned a lawsuit between Wilkins and the Greater McAllen Realtors Association — of which Wilkins is a member — over their public endorsement of Thompson.

Over at Place 3, Quintanilla is seeking his third and final term in office, since McAllen elected officials are now limited to three four-year terms.

Quintanilla said he’s proud of what he and the commission have been able to accomplish over the last eight years and is looking for one more term to continue that trend.

“The first four years concentrated on drainage improvement and we’ve made significant progress in that regard. The last four years, we’ve been working on district-related issues,” Quintanilla said.

Those “district-related issues” include improvements to the Las Palmas Community Center and the hike-and-bike trail along Ware Road, among others.

The career banker also touted the boom of residential and commercial development that has occurred in his west-central district of McAllen.

Should he win reelection, Quintanilla hopes to focus on bringing more industry to the city.

“What we’re looking to focus on in the next four years is economic development, driving more industry to McAllen,” Quintanilla said, though he expressed some caution over how new federal administrative changes might impact the binational trade that has become critical to the city’s economy.

Meanwhile, his challenger, Rolly Rios, is looking to bring his three decades of experience as a school administrator to the table should he win the District 3 race.

Rios worked for the La Joya Independent School District for 30 years, “all of them as an administrator,” he said Wednesday.

But his heart has always been in McAllen, where he was born and grew up.

“This is my backyard. This is where I learned to ride a bike,” Rios said.

“I love this city. I think it’s a thriving city and, just like anything else, one of the things I’ve learned from education is that there’s always room for improvement,” he said.

Some of that improvement includes the little things, like fixing potholes along the city’s residential streets, or tackling illegal dumping.

This campaign marks the first for Rios, and it comes at an opportune time — just as he is transitioning from working in the public sector to the private, which he said will give him more time to focus on being a commissioner.

It also comes after a recent sea change at La Joya ISD.

Several months ago, the Texas Education Agency took over the district and installed a new board of governors in place of the elected school board.

That board also set about implementing new policies for school administrators, including one prohibiting them from serving in elected office in other jurisdictions.

The policy came in response to widespread public mistrust in the wake of several public corruption scandals involving some La Joya ISD district leaders that are still playing out in the court system.

But the policy won’t apply to Rios, who retired from the district last June. Currently, he works as a real estate agent.

Nonetheless, working in education has made him not only familiar with, but comfortable with, public accountability.

“All my life, I’ve been accountable for producing, for having high scores,” Rios said.

“I welcome the accountability,” he said.

Rios said he hopes to focus on “fostering business growth” by continuing the initiatives city leaders have already worked so hard to create.

“I’m not coming here to turn anything upside down,” Rios said, adding that he wants to analyze “the areas that we can collectively look to improve.”

Election day is Saturday, May 3. Early voting begins on Tuesday, April 22.

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