Indicted former councilman loses Elsa mayoral bid

ELSA - Elsa voters re-elected the city's mayor, while residents in Edcouch kicked out two of three incumbents.

And in La Villa, voters chose who would lead their city - with one race set to head for a runoff election.

Elsa

In Elsa, Mayor Senovio Castillo, 67, defeated challenger Javier Guerrero, a former mayor pro tem who was kicked off the City Council in December after months of failing to show up for meetings. Guerrero, 45, was indicted in March on charges he and former city secretary Hilda Ayala tampered with official city documents.

Meanwhile, incumbent Councilman Martin Venegas ran unopposed after a judge kicked challenger Blanca Estella Cruz off the ballot because she pleaded no contest to felony theft charges in 1998. Venegas, 44, was appointed to the council in February.

Edcouch

In Edcouch, incumbents lost two of three seats up for grabs on the Board of Aldermen.

For the Place 3 seat, Ruth Ruiz, a 52-year-old cafeteria worker defeated Roy Garcia, 58, a truck broker.

In the Place 5 race, incumbent Mayo Borrego, 54, a car salesman, lost to Eddy González, 57, who works for the Hidalgo County right-of-way department.

Place 4 incumbent Lupita García, 66, ran unopposed.

La Villa

In La Villa, the contest for the Place 5 seat on the Board of Aldermen will go to a runoff.

Juan Manuel Castro, 47, is set to face Rosalinda Cantu, 45, again for that seat. They bested Diana Diaz. Runoff elections must take place within 30 days of Saturday's election.

For La Villa mayor, Hector Elizondo, a 59-year-old claims investigator, defeated incumbent Rene Castillo, a 39-year-old accountant.

Place 4 Alderman Eduardo Garcia ran unopposed.
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Jared Taylor covers Edinburg, the Delta region and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.