Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González
Texas Border Business
Edinburg, Texas- September 30, 2025- “Good evening, everyone. I’m Mark Murray, president of Futuro RGV,” Murray began, noting the “somber” news that “Edinburg City Council member Jerry Lozano’s son passed this morning” and asking the audience to join him in a moment of silence. He then outlined the ground rules for the Futuro RGV 2025 Edinburg Mayoral Candidate Forum, a 90-minute debate.
The forum, moderated by KRGV reporter Sarah Cervera and Futuro RGV’s Laurel McLeaish, brought together candidates Johnny Garcia, Jonathan Salinas, and Omar Ochoa to address issues ranging from infrastructure and public safety to housing, jobs, and government transparency. It quickly revealed sharp differences in both the level of detail and the realism of the proposals offered.
Johnny Garcia, a former city council member, stressed fiscal caution and reliance on external funding. He argued that Edinburg should “continue to find an aggressive grant writing department that can help bring some federal funds and state funds so that we can continue to keep the taxes lower.” On traffic, Garcia proposed purchasing right-of-ways to widen major thoroughfares and adding more double turning lanes. On courthouse parking, he suggested reinstating meters with four-hour limits and repurposing county-owned property near the old jail site for additional spaces, supplemented by bus shuttles. While his transportation ideas were specific, his calls to “increase the grid” to attract industry and use more local contractors for housing development lacked detail on implementation or partnerships.
Jonathan Salinas positioned himself as the working-class candidate, repeatedly emphasizing his background in activism and journalism. “I wanted to provide an alternative for the working class and for the working class,” he said. Salinas proposed creating tenant assistance programs to prevent evictions, establishing community councils to review police complaints, and shifting the city’s tax burden away from property owners by taxing large corporate profits, such as those of hospitals. However, as Omar Ochoa pointed out, state law only allows Texas cities to raise revenue through property and sales taxes. Salinas later acknowledged this limitation, framing his plan as a call for broader structural change. His answers often leaned heavily on philosophy rather than specific municipal policy, such as asserting that growth “will… just come on its own,” without offering detailed strategies for job recruitment or infrastructure planning.
Omar Ochoa, who served nearly six years as Edinburg’s city attorney, offered the most detailed proposals throughout the evening. He proposed creating a comprehensive master growth plan supported by targeted plans for roads, drainage, and parks. He named specific corridors—Wisconsin Road and Schunior Street—that he argued must be expanded to ease east-west traffic congestion. Regarding courthouse parking, Ochoa cited a feasibility study indicating that the city needs approximately 750 new spaces, whereas the current garage project will provide only 250. He suggested shuttles from off-site lots and a new roundabout around the courthouse to reduce traffic delays.
Ochoa also emphasized transparency and technology, suggesting the city adopt a contract rubric so residents can see how bids are scored. He went further, proposing an AI-powered database where residents could ask questions such as “How much is being spent by the city on this contract?” or “What did the mayor say at a specific council meeting?” On housing, he pointed to partnerships with Affordable Homes of South Texas and the Edinburg Housing Authority, arguing that the city needs a master housing plan to ensure affordability across income levels.
On public safety, all three pledged support for police and fire services but took different approaches. Ochoa, drawing on his experience negotiating union contracts, suggested higher wages to remain competitive and proposed new substations to improve response times. Garcia emphasized the importance of working relationships and funding across police, fire, and public works, while Salinas focused on oversight, highlighting the need to investigate complaints of police misconduct.
The candidates also clashed over economic development. Ochoa promoted a new trade school on the city’s north side and fostered closer partnerships with UT-RGV to establish a healthcare jobs pipeline and a medical research hub. Garcia highlighted infrastructure as a prerequisite, arguing the city must expand its power grid before attracting new industries. Salinas suggested that global economic forces, rather than local policy, determine investment and hiring, leaving some of his proposals vague.
As the forum closed, Garcia reminded voters that “early voting starts October 20th… Election Day is November 4th,” urging residents to participate. Salinas framed his candidacy as handing over city hall to the working class: “It’s not me, but we.” Ochoa asked voters to choose “the future” over “the politics and drama of the past,” promising to move Edinburg forward “with intelligence, with competence, and with real plans.”
The debate highlighted differences in specificity and accuracy. Ochoa consistently provided the most concrete plans, Garcia offered practical but sometimes incomplete ideas, and Salinas presented general ideological goals that often lacked actionable detail under current law.
