Laredo Mayoral Field Divides on Water and Youth Health as 14,000 Ballots Cast

Five candidates are competing to lead Laredo, and they disagree on what deserves attention first. Nearly 14,000 voters had cast ballots in Webb County as of Oct. 22, with the incumbent, a sitting council member, a former council member, a businessman and a newcomer on the ballot.

Incumbent Mayor Dr. Victor Trevino put youth health at the center of his opening agenda. "We need to ensure that our youth are taken care of. Have the ability to have medical services," he said, adding that pediatric and adolescent care would shape the city's future residents. District 8 Councilwoman Alyssa Cigarroa said she would start by meeting with every council district to learn its needs and goals before setting a shared vision, saying, "So that way we, work backwards from there."

Customs broker J.D. Gonzalez named business growth, the city's water system master plan and permitting speed as his early focus, saying he would address water pressure and flow problems the city has been experiencing. Former Council Member Alfonso "Poncho" Casso put water first, proposing to drill on public-school land in the short term so revenue returns to students, and describing a longer-term "Gulf water triangle." Jorge Garza, the fifth candidate, did not reply to a request for comment.

Laredo's population sits along the Rio Grande across from Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The city's mayoral term runs four years. The candidates are on the Nov. 3 ballot.