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Incumbent STC board members challenged by Sandoval; Martinez; and Hernandez

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010


Photos property of TBB except Hernandez'

The election is set for Saturday, May 8

By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez--------

Click on photo to enlarge.

Just a few days ago, this region experienced several exciting political races; now it appears that excitement starts all over again in a different segment, however still in politics.

Mike Allen, former priest and successful industry promoter for the region has been challenged by Fred Sandoval, the current Pharr city manager. Gary Gurwitz attorney of the Atlas Hall law firm has been challenged by Roy Martinez an independent businessman and former Hidalgo County Republican party treasurer and Dr. Rosalinda Hernandez, a tenured professor at the University of Texas Pan American in the College of Education.

On February 5, 2010 Texas Border Business spoke to Mike Allen and Gary Gurwitz during their announcement for reelection. That was the first day to file as candidates for South Texas College District 3 and District 4 board positions.Mike Allen, the incumbent in District 3, and Gary Gurwitz, the incumbent in District 4, answered questions at a news conference after they filed the paperwork for their respective bids for re-election in the offices of Atlas & Hall, L.L.P. in McAllen.

The importance of this event was highlighted by the support of five mayors, four of them present. At that time both candidates were not aware of any opposition to their filings. Present during the press conference were Mayor Richard Cortez of McAllen; Mayor Norberto ‘Beto’ Salinas of Mission; Mayor Richard Garcia of Edinburg; Mayor Leopoldo ‘Polo’ Palacios of Pharr. Mayor John David Franz of Hidalgo was not present but sent a message of support for the two candidates.

According to the office of Gary Gurwitz, the mayors were present as an indication of the importance of this election and their desire to continue keeping the two positions filled by competent, honest and dedicated citizens.

Today March 7 at 5 pm was the deadline to file for any of the two South Texas College board positions. Texas Border Business learned of the two filings proceeded to interview both candidates to verify the filing and to learn more about their position.

Fred Sandoval who is challenging Mike Allen has almost 20 years of experience in public service and economic development. “I believe that serving as a board trustee for STC is a natural extension of my career in public service,” he told Texas Border Business.

In addition he said, “I intend to help build an even stronger higher education system in STC, specifically formulating public policy on what is best for our district. I know that STC needs more facilities and intends to broaden its curriculum offerings based on the growing demand of our students in the area. These next six years are a critical time for STC and will require sound fiscal and management decisions. My background and commitment to fiscal responsibility will resonate with the voters of my district.”

Sandoval pointed out that he firmly believes that South Texas College is one of the key economic engines for the local area workforce. Their commitment to the development of the workforce and its role in the education community is extraordinary. “The results that STC has achieved are commendable and have played an extremely important role to the growth of our area, especially in Pharr and the south area of Hidalgo County,” he stated.

“I am committed to improving the quality of jobs in our area. I will work hard to have a stronger STC presence in our area and see that we keep our local area workforce educated and employed.”

District 4 covers southwest Pharr, Hidalgo, southern McAllen and Mission. Sandoval has a BS Degree in Biology from the University of Texas - Pan American. He is a graduate of the Utility Management Institute at Incarnate Word and has a license issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

He is married to Mytla Sandoval and they have two boys, Freddy and Nicolas. He is the current City Manager in Pharr and has been for the last six years, before that he served as assistant City Manager of Pharr since 2000.

Fred confirmed that Mayor Leopoldo “Polo” Palacios has offered his full support. During press time, it was too late to confirm from Polo Palacios if he was issuing a statement retracting his support for Allen and Gurwitz.

Roy Martinez who has filed to challenge Gary Gurwitz for District 4 which covers North McAllen, Palmhurst, portions of North Central and North Eastern Mission and Portions of Western Edinburg is a self employed owner of Roy Martinez & Associates, a business broker, Realtor at RE/MAX Hacienda.

“I have always been very interested in higher education,” he Told Texas Border Business. He pointed out that he has two children attending STC. “I learned about the void the college fills in the area and also the needs of the students and the college,” he stated.

Roy said that it is important for all to contribute in some form or fashion to the future of this area. “Our area will not grow and prosper unless we have well educated citizens to fill the growing needs of current and future employers of South Texas. I want to be a part of the board to take South Texas College to the next level in education,” he said.

Roy has lived in McAllen most of his life. He is married to Norma Jean formerly Cantu of Pharr. “We are the proud parents of three children, Christian Jacob, Roberta Ashley and Rogelio (Trey) Martinez III. CJ and Ashley are currently enrolled at STC and Trey is a sophomore at McAllen High School,” he stated.

Martinez told Texas Border Business that he has been very actively involved in school activities having served as PTA President at Rayburn elementary, and Co president of the McAllenHigh School Band Booster organization. He has also served on various boards in the McAllen Independent School District.

Roy is a graduate of McAllen High School class of 1971 and has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Pan American University with a major in biology and minors in chemistry and mass communications.

The third candidate isDr. Rosalinda Hernandez who is also running for District 4 the seat held by attorney Gary Gurwitz. Rosalinda Hernandez, Ph.D., is a tenured professor at the University of Texas Pan American in the College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership. She has two sons and a daughter who are graduates of the Edinburg and McAllen schools.

She has chosen to run for the STC Board to give back to the community and advocate for the youth of the Rio Grande Valley. “It is essential that our youth realize the importance of an education and that STC can be a stepping stone for their dreams for the future,” she told Texas Border Business.

According to her media director, Dr. Hernandez is an honest, competent, dedicated individual who has given to the youth of the Valley as a classroom teacher, principal, and deputy superintendent. She earned her doctorate degree from The University of Texas at Austin in Educational Administration. She has extensive school district expertise and specialized knowledge of curriculum and instructional programs, budgets and finance.

She hopes to help STC identify and maximize the needed financial resources in order to provide the highest quality STC education for its youth. She has lived in the McAllen-Edinburg area for many years and has held numerous administrative positions in public education in Texas.Formerly she was the Associate Superintendent for High Schools for the Austin Independent School District. The election is set for Saturday, May 8. Texas Border Business Exclusive

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