Webb County Precinct 2 Commissioner Judith Gutierrez has announced her bid for a fourth term as commissioner. She will face challenger Saturnino Ramos, Jr., in the March 12 elections.
"Change for change's sake is not really always a good thing," Gutierrez said, adding, "Besides, there's a learning curve to someone new taking office."
Gutierrez said that along with the other commissioners and the Webb County Judge, she has done her part to build up the county's fund balance from $58,000 in 1999 to several million dollars today. "We improved Webb County's bond rating from a B to an A. That is a huge positive for the projects we want to fund," she said, adding, "I have also worked hard to secure grants, not only for projects in my district, but for projects throughout the county. The work of this court is highly visible," said Gutierrez, "not only in fiscal matters, but also in the effort that has gone into improving quality of life issues for all the residents of Webb County."
Gutierrez said, "We have taken care of business in the Quad Cities area with plans for street paving in Aguilares and all the other area towns. We have plans underway for improved water pressure and storage capacity in Oilton, and in Mirando City we have an expansion of the Mirando Community Center that includes library improvements, an elderly nutrition center, and a technology center and computer lab for which we partnered with Texas A&M. Thanks to an interlocal agreement with Webb Consolidated School District, we also have a new Community Center in Bruni.
"This court has been very responsive to the concerns of the residents of the Quad Cities. We have a new fire truck at the Quad Cities substation and an ambulance, too. We have three part-time EMTs who are cross-trained and we have a full-time firefighter who trains the volunteer fire department in that area.
Gutierrez continued, "It is the City of Laredo that will bring water to the colonias. The contracting is being done with the engineering firms, but the slow down has been the landowners who want to participate along the line. In order for this to happen, lines have to be oversized from 12 inches to 16 inches. We could catch up quickly. We are 85% done on right-of-way acquisitions. There are thousands of conveyance documents which have to be signed, approved by the court, and recorded by the county. It's a lengthy process, but it is moving along. Construction could begin in March or April, but it is another 18 to 24 months beyond that before water flows into houses."
Gutierrez also said that the county was securing right of way for colonia sewer and water extension on Hwy. 59 as well as applying for funds that just became available for colonia paving.
The commissioner said that the County's Tool Library in the Self Help Center in Los Altos has been a success story and a model for the state. "It allows the residents of the area to check out tools for home improvements, for winterizing, for plumbing. We do the training. There is also a $2,000 program available for building supplies," she said.
"Our work also includes working with the Texas A&M promotora program on health and nutrition issues," she said. "Webb County supports the community centers across the county and we help with the food distribution program, elderly nutrition program, clinics, eye screenings, and diabetes screenings."
Gutierrez said she would like to serve an additional term to continue to completion some of the important quality of life projects in the works, such as the reclamation and restoration of Lake Casa Blanca, which falls in her district. "Now that we have our fiscal issues in check, we can look at water and environmental issues," she said. She said that with the help of Senator Judith Zaffirini, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has made a federal application for an $800,000 grant with a match of $300,000 from the county to undertake a feasibility study for the environmental restoration of Lake Casa Blanca. "It would be wonderful to restore this beautiful old lake to its state of 50 years ago. The lake has been a victim of siltation, evaporation, erosion, and development. Its water level has dropped from 54 feet to 17 feet," Gutierrez said, adding, "Lake Casa Blanca is a treasure we need to restore. It can't be replaced. I'm not going to allow it to continue in its state of degradation." According to Gutierrez, it will be possible in the future to channel treated wastewater effluent into the lake.
Gutierrez continued, "Something very significant has transpired in the way we do business, in our prioritizing of projects and the way we look at them to generate revenues," she said. Such a project is the proposed joint construction and operation of the fifth international bridge with the City of Laredo. "We would share in the cost and in the revenues it generates," she said, adding that another such revenue-generating project is the economic development plan for the Villa Antigua preservation project downtown. The project encompasses historical tourism and the economic revitalization of one of the most beloved parts of the city. Gutierrez said the county will own the Zaragoza Street properties in the Villa Antigua and the Webb County Heritage Foundation will manage them through a management agreement. According to Gutierrez, the Villa Antigua will be a draw for the establishment of artisan shops, restaurants, vendors, and a museum. "We have $1.5 million earmarked for acquisitions and some development. Those funds were generated through certificates of obligation. Half of that $1.5 will be retired by hotel-motel tax revenues," said Gutierrez.
"I want another term to work on projects of this magnitude. These have been four of the most productive years in the county's history.
In addition to my work as a team member, my term has been highlighted by reconciliation and mediation with any elected official who doesn't see things from my point of view," she said.
Gutierrez chairs the county committee that is planning the construction of a county morgue. She said she hopes to help the county fully implement the wage and classification study it undertook so that longstanding employees are paid accordingly.
Gutierrez, a lifetime Laredoan, is the mother of Vanessa Gutierrez García, and Javier, Carlos, and Fernando Gutierrez. She is the grandmother of Eduardo Segundo and Isabela Nicolette García. For more information on the Gutierrez campaign, call her campaign headquarters at 717-5096.