Texas Border Business –
(MCALLEN, TX) This week, the City of McAllen City Manager’s Office announced the appointment of Elvira Alonzo as the new Director of Public Works, one of only 12 female public works directors in the State of Texas and the only one south of Corpus Christi. Alonzo had been serving as a deputy and interim director of the department for the past 10 years, overseeing an operation with 14 separate departments, including Solid Waste, Recycling, Composting, Streets & Drainage, Fleet Maintenance, Materials Management and Keep McAllen Beautiful; 271 employees and a $32 million-plus budget.
“Over the years, Elvira has taken McAllen’s Public Works Department, and its impact in our community and in our daily lives, to the next level, bringing an importance and professionalism to the various functions that help to keep our city streets clean, healthy and maintained,” City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez, P.E. said. “Her work over the years, as well as her vision and understanding of Public Works made her a great choice to continue to lead this department.”
Alonzo has 34 years of experience, all with the City of McAllen. She began her career in the Human Resources, then moving on the Finance and Community Development Block Grant Departments, before being selected to fill the newly created position of Recycling Coordinator for the Public Works Department. Thanks to her creativity, vision, passion and professionalism, she increased the recycling collected to over 5,000 tons, created a revenue increase from $40,000 to $500,000 a year and a cost-savings of over $300,000 annually in landfill disposal expenses. This led to constructing the state-of-the-art McAllen Recycling Center, the only one of its kind in the Rio Grande Valley, which today contributes $800,000 towards that department’s operating costs.
Additionally, Alonzo expanded the department’s outreach to include a Composting Department, which continues to generate revenue of over $250,000. As interim director of Public Works, she established Same Day Collection for both trash and recycling, resulting in an annual savings of over $200,000, as well as being recognized and awarded by the American Public Works Association as a good practice.
Though the field of Public Works is traditionally male-dominated, it is not only the City of McAllen who has recognized Alonzo’s talents and abilities in the field of Public Works. In 2015, she was named Professional Manager of the Year by the National American Public Works Association; the previous year, she had received the same award by the State of Texas Public Works Association. A leader in the industry, she developed and served as president of the Rio Grande Valley Recycling Council and is involved in different leadership roles with various state industry organizations.
“Elvira’s story is a lot of things for me,” added Rodriguez, “among them is the fact that she has risen through the ranks and is now the director of one of the largest and most visible departments in the City of McAllen. Once in a while, city managers make decisions, or, as in this case, appointments, that really make you feel good about local government.”
