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Who’s in and who’s out?


Romero wins clerk’s race in Democratic Party primary

Meghann Garcia

Managing editor

Candidate fields are set locally and statewide for the November general election. Uvalde County clerk Donna M. Williams and Commissioner Raul T. Flores did not receive the Democratic Party’s nomination for a re-election bid in November, but fellow incumbents Commissioner Mariano Pargas Jr. and Neto Luna retained firm support of the electorate.

The only other contested race on the county level was on the Republican Party ticket, where Utopia/Concan area voters chose Ernie Moore over James O’Bryant to represent the party in November against incumbent Pct. 3 justice of the peace Bill Schaefer.

Moore received 193 votes to O’Bryant’s 112.

Schaefer did not have an opponent for the Democratic Party’s nomination.

Uvalde County’s voter turnout was 22.88 percent, with 3,844 (out of 16,798) registered voters participating in either the Republican or Democratic party primary. In 2016, a presidential election year, primary voter turnout was 33 .41 percent. In 2014, another non-presidential primary election year like this one, the turnout was 22.10 percent.

Valerie Del Toro Romero clinched the Democratic Party’s nomination for Uvalde County clerk with 1,354 votes, which is 186 more than incumbent Williams’ 1,168 votes. Romero, with 53.69 percent of the vote, carried seven of the county’s 14 polling precincts, and the candidates received the same number of votes in one precinct.

“I would like to thank Uvalde County for the opportunity to serve as county clerk,” Williams said. “The county clerk’s office is truly the heartbeat of any county, and it has been such an honor to be a part of it. The future is bright, and my staff and I look forward to continuing to provide the same excellent service that you are accustomed to receiving, for the remainder of our term.”

The Republican Party did not field a candidate, so Romero will not have an opponent in the Nov. 6 general election.

Commissioner

Pct. 2 Commissioner Mariano Pargas Jr. retained 70.39 percent of the vote, receiving 473 votes compared to challenger Alberto Mireles’ 199 votes. Voters in polling precincts 10 and 13 are represented by the Pct. 2 commissioner.

The Republican Party did not field a candidate, so Pargas does not have opposition for November.

Challenger Ronald “Ronnie” Garza garnered 62.92 percent of the balloting, with 521 votes, to best incumbent Pct. 4 Commissioner Raul T. Flores. Flores had 235 votes, representing 28.38 percent of voters, and Lena “Marina” Garcia received 72 votes for 8.70 percent.

Garza will face Republican Party candidate Pete Conrad in November. Conrad did not have an opponent in the party primary.

Justices of the Peace

In addition to the Republican Party’s contested race for Pct. 3 justice of the peace candidacy, the Democratic Party had three people vying to be the party’s candidate for Pct. 6.

Incumbent Neto Luna won 58.98 percent of the vote with 417 to best challengers Roland Sanchez, 176 votes for 24.89 percent, and Mario A. Valdez, 114 votes for 16.12 percent.

The Republican Party did not field a candidate.

Coming in November

While several posts were uncontested on the party level, candidates will face opposition from the other party come November.

Uvalde County Judge Bill Mitchell, on the Democrat Party’s ticket, will face challenger Don Laffere on the Republican side. Mitchell and Laffere were unopposed in the primary.

Democratic Party candidate Mona Esquivel Southward will challenge Republican Party incumbent Pct. 1 JP Steve Kennedy in November. Southward and Kennedy were unopposed in the March primary.

Uncontested races

Candidates not contested in the primary and also unopposed in the coming November general election include incumbent 38th Judicial District Clerk Christina Juarez Ovalle, incumbent Uvalde County treasurer Joni Deorsam incumbent Pct. 2 JP Bobby G. McIntosh, and incumbent Pct. 4 JP Lalo Diaz.

Uvalde County Democratic Party chairman Rogelio Muñoz and Uvalde County Republican Party chairman Jeff Santleben were unopposed to continue in their respective positions.

Early voting

During early voting by personal appearance, which was conducted Feb. 20 through March 2 at the Willie De Leon Civic Center, 1,734 county residents voted. Of those, 1,294 voted in the Democratic Party primary and 440 voted in the Republican Party primary.

Additionally, 542 people completed and returned ballots by mail.

On Feb. 20, 158 people voted in the Democratic Party primary and 35 voted in the Republican Party primary; Feb. 21, 103 and 31; Feb. 22, 125 and 34; Feb. 23, 122 and and 52; Feb. 24, 124 and 20; Feb. 26, 94 and 40; Feb. 27, 93 and 57; Feb. 28, 103 and 31; March 1, 131 and 56; and March 2, 241 and 84.

Pete Luna|Leader-NewsValerie Del Toro Romero (left) shakes hands with current Uvalde County clerk Donna M. Williams after winning the Democratic Party primary for the county clerk post. The candidates were both on hand Tuesday evening outside the Uvalde Leader-News office to await election results.

Pete Luna|Leader-NewsValerie Del Toro Romero (left) shakes hands with current Uvalde County clerk Donna M. Williams after winning the Democratic Party primary for the county clerk post. The candidates were both on hand Tuesday evening outside the Uvalde Leader-News office to await election results.

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