Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
MISSION, Texas — All six candidates seeking to become Mission’s next mayor have confirmed their participation in a community candidate forum scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 14, according to Village in the Valley.
The Mission Mayoral Candidates Forum will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Freedom Life Church, 2214 W. Griffin Parkway in Mission. The event is being hosted by Village in the Valley, known as ViVa, in partnership with Leadership Mission and The John Lewis Voters Coalition of Hidalgo County.
The six candidates scheduled to participate are Armando “Doc” Ocaña Sr., Juan Gines, Natalie “Nati” Garza, Norie Gonzalez Garza, Rick Salinas and Ruben Plata. City of Mission election records confirm that six candidates filed applications for a place on the Nov. 3 mayoral ballot.
“We are grateful that every mayoral candidate has agreed to participate,” said Marsha Terry, co-founder and co-president of Village in the Valley and a Mission resident.
“This is about creating a respectful space where residents can hear directly from each person asking to lead our city, understand their priorities, and make their own informed decisions at the ballot box,” Terry said.
Organizers said the event will be conducted as a nonpartisan candidate forum rather than a debate. Each candidate will receive equal time to introduce themselves, discuss priorities and present their vision for Mission in a structured setting.
Candidates will receive the forum questions in advance, organizers said. Questions submitted by event attendees may also be included if time permits.
Village in the Valley said it does not endorse any candidate and intends to provide an equitable platform for each participant.
The forum comes ahead of Mission’s Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The City of Mission’s official election page lists Ocaña, Salinas, Plata, Gonzalez Garza, Garza and Gines as the six people who filed applications for the mayoral position.
The city’s election records identify some candidates by their formal names, including Ricardo Lee Salinas, Noralinda Gonzalez Garza and Juan Jesus Gines Crispin.
Organizers said the Oct. 14 forum is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.
The two-hour event is intended to provide Mission residents with direct access to all six mayoral candidates in the same setting before voters cast ballots in the November municipal election.
Additional information about Mission’s general election, including official candidate filings and election documents, is available through the City of Mission’s elections office.
Register: bit.ly/vivamissionforum
