McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos announces reelection bid

McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos has officially announced his intent to seek a second term as the city’s top elected official.

Villalobos made the announcement via a brief post on Facebook Monday.

“I have been honored to serve as your Mayor. We have accomplished so many things, yet there are many projects that need to be finished,” the post reads.

“I ask that you allow me to serve you one more term. I hereby announce my bid for reelection,” it further reads.

McAllen voters first elected Villalobos as mayor in June 2021 during a hotly contested runoff against Veronica Whitacre.

At the time, both candidates were serving as McAllen city commissioners, with Villalobos then serving his first term at District 1, and Whitacre having sat as the District 6 commissioner since 2013.

A 2020 announcement by then-Mayor Jim Darling to not seek another term in office spurred a flurry of activity from campaign hopefuls.

Not only did the two commissioners toss their names in the hat, but so did three other people, including physician Shahid Rashid, businessman Michel Fallek, and Othal Brand Jr., the son of a former McAllen mayor, the late Othal Brand Sr.

But none of the five candidates received a majority of the votes in the May 2021 municipal election, prompting a runoff the following month where Villalobos emerged victorious by just 1 percentage point.

Since then, the city of McAllen — and the city commission — has seen a lot.

From taking the leadership reins during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, to the economic boom that McAllen is currently experiencing, Villalobos was happily introspective during an interview with The Monitor this week.

“When I first got in, I mean, it was a little rough because we still had COVID and the immigration problem together. So, it was coupled, and it got a little difficult, but we were fortunate that we were able to weather it,” Villalobos said.

The mayor said he is most proud of the strides that McAllen has taken to further cement the good fortunes of its economy, from seeing sales tax revenues skyrocket, to continued investments in international trade, and more.

“We have so many things going on that it pulls you in. And I’ve never seen the city in this great of a position, and I want to try to help as much as I can at least one more time,” Villalobos said via phone from Mexico City.

There, he and other city leaders were meeting with Mexican officials, including the undersecretary of Mexico’s Department of Transportation, as well as members of the Mexican Congress.

This week’s trip is just one of several that McAllen leaders have made to forge business ties across the border.

Villalobos hopes McAllen voters will allow him to serve another term in office in order to continue guiding the city through that sort of relationship building, as well as its newest age of development.

“That’s exactly what it is. … I’m so glad that it happened during my tenure,” Villalobos said.

To that end, the mayor also enthusiastically pointed to the recent passage of new land use and development code.

“When I became commissioner six years ago, I kept on saying we need to change the way we are, the way we build because the traffic is too congested and we’re too old fashioned,” Villalobos said.

“So, we were so proud when finally we passed the development code where we’re gonna start getting a little but more mixed use,” he added a moment later.

But the mayor was also quick to point out that none of the McAllen’s progress would have been possible were it not for the rest of the city commission and the hundreds of city employees.

“I always keep on praising our team, our administration, our staff. Everybody,” the mayor said.

A moment later, he added that the commission’s cohesion also plays an important role..

“We’re very fortunate that in McAllen we have a very stable government. We don’t have a majority, a minority. And we don’t have a hidden agenda anywhere. You go and you do what you’re supposed to do,” Villalobos said.

McAllen will hold its next municipal election in May 2025.

In addition to the mayoral seat, Districts 1, 2 and 3 will also be up for a vote.

Thus far, only District 3 Commissioner Omar Quintanilla has formally announced his intent to seek reelection.

McAllen elected officials are limited to three terms in office. Each term lasts for four years.

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