Lawsuit, heated arguments are latest symptoms of San Juan infighting

SAN JUAN -- The widening rift between supporters of the city's current and former mayors erupted Tuesday in the Hidalgo County Courthouse and during the City Commission meeting here.

The city filed a countersuit in county court seeking $7,500 in attorney fees in response to a temporary restraining order that barred city commissioners from meeting Monday.

Separately Tuesday, municipal officials asked police to remove a woman from that night's City Commission meeting and had to intervene in a heated argument over San Juan politics.

Mayor Pedro Contreras was elected June 7, replacing San Juanita Sanchez, but Sanchez has not gone quietly. Members of Sanchez's slate and her appointees have mounted an attack on Contreras, saying he will undo her achievements and hurt the city after he convened special meetings earlier this month to replace the city manager and city attorney.

Legal maneuvering began Monday when Ignacio Almaguer, board president of the San Juan Economic Development Corp., obtained a temporary restraining order against the city and against Contreras and two city commissioners who ran on his slate.

The petition for the order alleged they sought to remove Almaguer for political reasons, which he said violated the city charter. He ran against one of the commissioners on Contreras' slate in the recent elections.

The court's order barred city commissioners from having a special meeting Monday at which some commissioners said Contreras and his allies planned to remove the entire development corporation board. The mayor and his allies comprise the majority on the commission,

Tuesday, city attorney Jerry Muñoz filed a strongly worded response to the order, accusing Almaguer of conspiring to violate the Texas Open Meetings Act. The response also denies Almaguer's own allegations and seeks $7,500 in attorney fees.

"(Almaguer) filed a lawsuit with absolutely no basis in law or fact," reads Muñoz's response, which goes on to allege that Almaguer sought the restraining order to harass the city and delay its meeting.

Members of the development corporation spoke Tuesday night out at a packed City Commission meeting, verbally sparring with Contreras and Muñoz over procedural points such as the mention of a city employee's name during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Contreras also asked police to remove a woman who spoke out of turn and complained that a man at the meeting was wearing a shirt advertising Contreras' slate.

Later, the city secretary called police after the man loudly argued with and shouted at several others at the meeting over local politics.

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Dave Hendricks covers general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4454.