After 10-month ordeal, same candidates return to La Joya school board

Final vote tallies:

ARTURO GONZALEZ, JR 2,510 votes, 50.67%
DOMINGO "MINGO" VILLARREAL, JR 2,444 votes, 49.33%

ESPERANZA "ESPIE" OCHOA 2,554 votes, 51.46%
ELMA GARZA 2,409 votes, 48.54%

PALMVIEW - The outcome of La Joya's school board election Tuesday was the same as in an earlier election that was ruled invalid.

Esperanza "Espie" Ochoa and Arturo Gonzalez will return to their school board seats after a 10-month battle over the legitimacy of the school district's May 2007 election.

However, their margins of victory over Elma Garza and Domingo "Mingo" Villarreal - 145 votes for Ochoa and 66 for Gonzalez, out of the more than 5,000 cast - were even slimmer than in the earlier contest, a testament to the political polarization of the district.

Nearly as many voters turned out for Tuesday's court-ordered rematch as they did for last year's election.

A judge found in October that the May 2007 election had been flawed and the voters' true intent impossible to determine in the races between Ochoa and Garza and between Gonzalez and Villarreal.

Former County Judge Ramon Garcia challenged the results of the previous election on behalf of Garza and Villarreal and mounted a complex court case accusing state Rep. Ismael "Kino" Flores, D-Palmview, and his allies of a conspiracy to mishandle and steal the election.

The two-weeks of court proceedings led to what is believed to be the county's first ever judicially voided election. A state appeals court upheld the ruling.

Candidates and supporters on both sides were exhausted in victory and defeat Tuesday after running an abridged race in which turnout was crucial,

"I was just totally amazed how the community came out to vote, because we just finished the primary," Ochoa said via cell phone from a victory party at the office Flores recently used by for his primary campaign. "Praise and thanks to the Lord for this victory, once again."

"The people came out and voted, and I congratulate (Gonzalez)," Villarreal said. "I do want to wish (Team) USA the best," he added, referring to their majority bloc on the board.

Despite the outcome of Tuesday's election, Garza will officially remain on the school board for one meeting.

The board is scheduled to meet tonight, but will not canvass the vote totals until its April 9 meeting.

Gonzalez has remained on the board throughout the challenge, but on March 10 state District Judge Fred Hinojosa restored Garza to the seat Ochoa had held for months.

Ochoa said she would watch the meeting on TV and would not attend, out of respect for Garza, who could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Ochoa said the 48.5 percent of voters who cast their votes for Garza and Villarreal - allies of La Joya Mayor Billy Leo - will be satisfied with her work on the board in the future.

"I know that within time they are gong to see that Mr. Gonzalez and I mean well for all of the community," she said.
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Sara Perkins covers Mission, western Hidalgo County, Starr County and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4472.