Voters in the runoff election for Place 6 on the Texas Southmost College board of trustees told incumbent trustee Dr. Rey Garcia the six years of his services was enough.
They overwhelmingly voted him out of office by casting 1,385 votes for his opponent newcomer J.J. De Leon to Garcia's 846.
The race had gone to a runoff when neither candidate garnered the 50 percent plus 1 vote required for an outright win. De Leon was feted at Mi Pueblito Restaurant on Pablo Kisel Blvd. and welcomed to his place on the board by his colleagues TSC trustees Adela Garza and Ruben Herrera.
De Leon thanked his supporters and campaign volunteers.
“My contribution is to bring more opportunities to students here in the Valley,” he told the local daily. “I think it’s important we make TSC a great college again.”
De Leon overwhelmed Garcia in the early vote, beating the incumbent by 448 votes 844 to 396. The mail-in vote was closer with Garcia garnering 297 to 263, a difference of 34 votes.
He sealed the victory on election day winning 278 to 163, a difference of 115 votes.
De Leon is a Brownsville Independent School District coordinator for state compensatory education.
He joins them and trustees Trey Mendez, Dr. Tony Zavaleta, Art Rendon and Eva Alejandro.