Contested Mayoral race in Progreso for the first time in 10 years

PROGRESO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Early voting is underway in Progreso city elections. Currently, the Place 2 Commissioner's seat and Mayor's office are both vacant. Raul Martinez, a former school board and city Alderman member, is facing off against political newcomer Hugo Gamboa.

This year's election is going to be different from mayoral contests the city's seen over the past decade. For the first time in ten years, there will be two candidates on the ballot. “It has been a long time. Yes, it’s been a long time”, said Martinez.

For the last couple of elections, incumbent Mayor Jerry Alanis ran unopposed. Alanis was in office for a decade before resigning last month, following his arrest on federal drug trafficking charges.

Despite a series of high-profile arrests of city officials, both candidates in the running for Mayor said they think residents believed the city was being run well. Martinez said, “To me, I think the city was going well. I mean it was well-managed. That was to me, right?"

Gamboa added, “Maybe they were doing a good job running the city before, But for now, I think they want that change, right?

Martinez served on the school board, which has repeatedly been a target for law enforcement. He also served as a City Alderman at the same time authorities say former Mayor Alanis and his brother Frank were involved in drug trafficking.

But he said voters have asked about his connection with those incidents during door-to-door campaigning. “I’ve talked to them. They know me, many people know me around here. I take my family with me when I go to their houses, and I’ve talked to them", Martinez said, "So they know I haven’t been in trouble, and I don’t plan to be in trouble.”

Both men said Progreso has had its troubles, but they want to move the city forward.

Gamboa said one of the first things he wants to do as Mayor, is conduct a financial audit to see where the city stands.

He'd also like to collaborate with leaders from other cities. “I would like to work with the cities around me, right? With the mayors around us.

I would like to see how they work so we can put Progreso on the same level as them”, Gamboa said. He went on to say he believes more could have been done for the city during the last administration.

Martinez and Gamboa both said they're looking at expanding economic opportunities in Progreso.

Martinez said, “We’re going to try to bring some more businesses because we are a small city.”

Gamboa added, “They want a bigger city, they want an HEB here. They want different businesses. We’re trying to lean on that and trying to make the community happy.”