Sepulveda takes oath as Harlingen's first female mayor

May 18—Only have a minute? Listen instead

HARLINGEN — Vowing to serve as mayor for "all of Harlingen," Mayor Norma Sepulveda took the oath of office Wednesday, becoming the first woman to win the city's highest elected position in a historic election in which she pulled 60 percent of the vote amid one of the biggest turnouts here.

Meanwhile, outgoing Mayor Chris Boswell walked away from office as the city's longest-serving mayor.

Before a packed crowd at City Hall, Judge David Gonzales, who presides over Cameron County Court-At-Law No. 3, gave Sepulveda the oath of office amid thundering rounds of applause.

"I'm truly humbled. This is a historic moment," Sepulveda, an attorney, said as she stood with her two sons, her husband and her father.

"This has been a long journey," she said. "I just want to thank everyone that helped get me where I am — all of Harlingen who voted for change. I'm humbled to be that person to bring it to the city of Harlingen. I pledge to be mayor for all of Harlingen. I hope we work together to move Harlingen forward. I'm excited to work with the commission. And lastly, I'd like to thank Mayor Boswell for his many, many years of service — all he's done for Harlingen — and his family as well."

Sepulveda honors Boswell for service

With Commissioner Rene Perez, Sepuleveda presented Boswell with a plaque commemorating his 15 years as mayor.

"I want to express my best wishes for you," Boswell told Sepulveda.

For 24 years, Boswell helped drive the city's government.

An attorney, he first won election to the city commission in 1998, serving until 2007, when he won the city's highest elected office before going on to become Harlingen's longest-serving mayor.

"It's been a real privilege and an honor to serve as your mayor for 15 years and before as city commissioner, but it's also been a big responsibility," Boswell told the crowd. "I'm immensely proud of the progress that has been made in the last 15 years."

Perez appointed mayor pro tem

During a meeting, commissioners voted 4-1 to appoint Perez mayor pro tem, taking the title from Commissioner Richard Uribe, while Commissioner Michael Mezmar cast the dissenting vote.

Heavy voter turnout

The election drew one of the city's highest voter turnouts.

While most elections here draw 3 to 6 percent of the city's 37,507 registered voters, the May 7 election drew 16 percent, Remi Garza, Cameron County's elections administrator, told commissioners after canvassing the vote.

Meanwhile, about 345 new voters cast ballots in the election, he said before the meeting.

It was unclear whether the election drew a record city turnout.

District 1

During the meeting, commissioners called a June 14 runoff election to decide the commission's District 1 and 2 races, with early voting running from May 31 to June 10.

The May 7 election marked the first contest under the city commission's new single-member district boundaries, redrawn based on demographics such as income level.

In the race for the commission's District 1 seat, Ford Kinsley, a retired Marine Corps sergeant major serving as the Marine Military Academy's alumni relations director, the top vote-getter with 451 votes, faces Uribe, a restaurant owner running for a third term, who drew 432 votes.

Meanwhile, J.J. Gonzalez, a real estate broker who served on the commission from 2000 to 2006, fell short of the runoff with 374 votes.

Before the meeting, Gonzalez said the two runoff candidates have called to ask for his support.

"I haven't made a decision whether I will or I won't," Gonzalez said, referring to his support.

District 2

After a heated four-man scramble for the District 2 seat, Daniel Lopez, an attorney who serves as the Cameron County Commissioners Court's litigation counsel, pulled far ahead of the pack with 345 votes to face Ernesto Cisneros, a retired U.S. Border Patrol agent, who drew 225 votes.

Meanwhile, Nick Consiglio, a bank marketing director who serves as chairman of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, fell short of the runoff with 218 votes, while Commissioner Frank Puente, a roofing contractor, lost his bid for a second term, picking up 101 votes.

Propositions

In a special election, voters overwhelmingly passed three amendments to the City Charter.

While 3,723 votes cast ballots in favor of Proposition A, 2,098 voted against the measure changing the way the charter appoints members to the board overseeing Valley International Airport.

In 2006, the charter gave the mayor sole power to appoint members to the prominent nine-member board.

Now, the amendment creates a seven-member airport board, allowing each commissioner to make an appointment to the board while the mayor appoints two members.

Proposition B, calling for limits on the mayor's and commissioners' terms in office, drew the heaviest support among the three propositions, with 4,434 residents casting votes in favor of the amendment while 1,430 voted against the measure limiting tenures to four, three-year terms.

The term limits, which become effective in 2024, will not count incumbents' current terms against them if they choose to run for re-election.

While 4,366 voters cast ballots in favor of Proposition C, 1,482 voted against the measure pushing the city's elections from May to November.

Last year, commissioners called for the amendment as part of a move to help boost voter turnout, arguing November elections would draw more residents to the polls when local contests run alongside national and state elections.

The charter's amendment moves the city's elections to the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November beginning in 2024.