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MAP: Edinburg city manager to take leave for congressional bid
Edinburg City Manager Ramiro Garza plans to take an unpaid leave of absence to seek office in a newly redrawn congressional district based in Cameron County.
Garza told city staff Tuesday that he will submit a letter of intent to the City Council next week to allow them to name an acting city manager. Garza already informed the mayor and city councilmen of his intentions to campaign for the seat of Congressional District 27, which was redrawn by a federal court to include no incumbent representative.
“I value my commitment to the city of Edinburg. I’ve been a public servant for the last 15 years,” Garza said. “This is a role I’ve looked at to be able to help the region in a scale it deserves.”
Garza, who was recruited to run the Edinburg Economic Development Corp. in 2000 and took over the city manager’s position two years ago, said he expects to file for office shortly after the council accepts his leave of absence Dec. 6. A Port Isabel native who attended the University of Texas-Brownsville, Garza still owns property and pays taxes within the district.
A federal court redrew Congressional District 27 to encompass all of Cameron County as it stretches north through Willacy, Kenedy, Kleberg and Nueces counties. The seat’s incumbent, U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, was drawn into a new congressional district — one of four in the state — that stretches north from Corpus Christi along the Gulf Coast.
Edinburg Mayor Richard Garcia said Garza’s congressional bid is a “great undertaking” but added that he is well-respected across the Rio Grande Valley for his work in economic development.
“He’s been right in the middle of our battle for jobs. A large number of the jobs that have come to the city have been due to his follow-up and his continuing to sell our city,” said Garcia, who is supporting Garza’s congressional bid. “Certainly, we know that jobs are the key word in Washington, D.C., and hopefully, with the expertise he’s gained at the local level, he can bring that to his district and the whole country.”
City employees are not allowed to campaign for political office while serving in their government positions. Garza’s leave of absence will take effect next week once the council appoints an acting city manager.
Although Garza has never run for elected office, he said he considers his work in city administration as public service.
After graduating from UTB, Garza began working in community economic development when he took a position with a federal empowerment zone program developed by President Bill Clinton’s administration. Garza’s success in helping distressed shrimpers transition into different lines of work was eventually recognized by Vice President Al Gore with an award for reinventing government.
Garza then helped Port Isabel start its first economic development corporation and launch its strategic plan when he was hired to work on economic development in his hometown. He left Port Isabel in 2000 to run Edinburg's economic development corporation, a position he held until the City Council named him the city’s chief administrator in 2009.
During his time in Edinburg, Garza secured a commitment from Brazilian denim manufacturer Santana Textiles to place its first North American plant in the city.
But Garza remains well-respected in the Laguna Madre area and comes from a well-known family, said Port Isabel Mayor Joe Vega, who called him a “perfect candidate for the position” with his experience in public administration. Vega said voters in the congressional district will “respond to his record and to his message.”
“When he told me he was interested in running for Congress, I said, ‘That job suits you well. You’ll be a great representative for Cameron County,’” Vega said. “He’s got an outstanding vision. He’s an outsider in terms of being a politician, but he’s done very well for himself in every capacity.”
Garza will join what is shaping up to be a crowded primary field for a district that is strongly Democratic. On Monday, Corpus Christi resident Murphy A. Junaid filed to run for Congressional District 27. Former Nueces County Democratic Party Chairwoman Rose Meza Harrison is also expected to run for the seat, along with Cameron County District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos.
Garza said he will campaign on a platform of increasing economic opportunities for residents of the district. He said his background in attracting and expanding businesses would help a district with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, and he said his city experience has also shown him the importance of bringing an interstate highway to the Valley, further developing vocational programs and improving the region's healthcare infrastructure.
“We need to put people back to work. These are economically hard times and we need to find some opportunities,” Garza said. “We need to redefine what we’re doing to position communities to take advantage of opportunities.”
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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and legislative issues for The Monitor. He can be reached at jjanes@themonitor.com and (956) 683-4424.
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