DILLEY MAYOR RECOUNT – The Decision Stands…

The recount for Dilley Mayoral election was completed at 9:15am on Saturday, May 13th.

Mayor Mary Ann Obregon’s election win stands, and the numbers changed only slightly from the unofficial count.

Oney Ramirez gained one vote from 81 to 82
Mary Ann Obregon gained one vote from 184 to 185
Gilbert Ortiz stayed at 167

At the end of the recount, Ortiz asked, “how long do I have to challenge the election?”

30 days…

THE RECOUNT FOR MAYOR IS ON!

The City of Dilley posted official notice at City Hall, verifying Mayoral challenger Gilbert Ortiz’s petition for a recount after a narrow 17 vote loss last Saturday, May 6th.

The recount will be held at City Hall on Saturday May 13th at 8am. While the event is not open to the public, residents may be present up to 30 feet from the entrance to the door in which the recount is conducted.

-written by Jose Asuncion

Mayor Obregon Stays, Ortiz Eligible for Recount, Council Incumbents Lose

2017_election

The results for the 2017 Dilley municipal election are in…

In the Mayor’s race, Dilley residents once again chose Mary Ann Obregon to be the city’s chief officer. However, her margin of victory was slim enough (less than 10% of her total votes) to ensure that challenger Gilbert Ortiz will petition for a recount, an action for which his campaign is eligible. The recount is attended by the recount chair and committee members, the candidates and their representatives, the custodian of the voted ballots, the recount supervisor, and any state or federal inspectors.

In the council races, Sabino Mena beat incumbent Joanna Olivarez by a 64 vote margin, and Gilbert Villanueva Eguia defeated 16-year city councilwoman Esther Davalos by a 46 vote margin.

–written by Jose Asuncion. 
Jose received an MFA from University of Southern California in 2008, a BA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2003, and is a former writer/photographer for the Frio-Nueces Current of South Texas. He currently lives in Dilley, TX, home of his grandparents.

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: City Truck Reserves Campaign Spot for Incumbents

IMG_0526
Dilley City Councilman Ray Aranda’s 2016 campaign tent

Each year on Election Day, Dilley city council candidates set up campaign tents along the grassy area across the street from the City Hall. Each candidate uses various strategies to secure the most coveted spot: 100 feet from the polling place, the legal minimum distance and as close as they can be to residents on their way to vote. Continue reading “YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: City Truck Reserves Campaign Spot for Incumbents”

BREAKING: TCEQ Pursues Enforcement Action Against City of Dilley

Left: Enforcement Action letter from TCEQ against the City of Dilley. Right: Mayor Obregon's campaign signs read "Integrity * Honesty * Leadership"
Left: Enforcement Action letter from TCEQ against the City of Dilley, addressed to Mayor Obregon. Right: Mayor Obregon’s campaign sign, posted in a Dilley yard, reads  “Integrity * Honesty * Leadership”

Recently released documents show that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has pursued “enforcement action” as recently as February for unresolved e. coli and suspended solids limit violations that started in 2015. The violations and potential penalties have yet to be mentioned in city council meetings. Continue reading “BREAKING: TCEQ Pursues Enforcement Action Against City of Dilley”

Dilley Oral Histories: When Celso Threatened to Jump off the Water Tower

Celso San Miguel
The former Dilley volunteer firefighter, Celestino “Celso” San Miguel, received one dollar for every monthly meeting he attended, despite his unorthodox firefighting methods.

Born April 1955, Celestino “Celso” San Miguel’s reputation started as a young man who could extinguish house fires with only his coat, but his legend was solidified when he threatened to jump from Dilley’s water tower, only to tell the local probation officer… Continue reading “Dilley Oral Histories: When Celso Threatened to Jump off the Water Tower”