LF Chamber Holds Candidate Forum

Updated: November 2, 2023

Emilio Flores
LFN

On Tuesday, October 17, the Los Fresnos Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum for the upcoming election. This year there are two candidates running for the Mayoral position and two candidates running for council member place one.
The event was opened by Chamber Director Val Champion, briefed by Chamber member, David Armendariz, and moderated by Cynthia Benavides. The candidates running for the Mayoral position are the current Mayor, Alejandro Flores for reelection, and Rosa Munoz Vallejo a lifelong Los Fresnos native.

David Armendariz explains, “The Chamber of Commerce is an Apolitical Entity,” meaning they neither “support nor oppose any entity.” He continues by briefing the audience that the goal of this forum is to get to know the candidates. Throughout the night it was reiterated to the audience that this was not a debate but a Q&A.
The first and foremost question Cynthia Benavides, forum moderator asked was “What motivated you to run for office?”
Rosa V. shared that she is a Falcon herself, saying, “I love helping people and getting involved in community events.”

“Just Serve” is a non-profit organization that Rosa Vallejo is a part of and has only motivated her to be more involved. “I am here because I feel that it is time for a change in perspective and to give the community a choice.” “Los Fresnos has a lot of potential for growth,” Vallejo adds, “and I am confident that I can [bring] a few ideas that would benefit our community.”
Alejandro F. shares that he grew up in Brownsville, but had cousins that he would visit in Los Fresnos. “Growing up in this community I always felt like [it] was a special place when I would come on the weekends” “I knew in my heart as I got old, that Los Fresnos would be the place that I would raise my family,” Flores says that is exactly what he’s done.

In regards to what motivates Flores, he says, “I want us to be a city where we can do everything and have a great quality of life here in Los Fresnos.” Flores finishes by saying he’s “very motivated for a second term.”
Question #2, The City of Los Fresnos provides many services to its citizens, what are the top three services that need improvement?
Flores shares his being in “Water, Sewage, and the Los Fresnos Police Department.” He also mentioned sidewalks being something underway and something they plan to continue to work on. Flores says he wants to improve the pay for Los Fresnos Officers. He ends his remarks by saying, “I’m here to bring a positive change and a positive impact as we continue to grow.”

Vallejo states, “As a member of the community outreach program, I strongly believe that the City should provide them with a center for classes to be held in.” “Classes are constantly getting canceled due to severe weather, extreme heat, or various events getting scheduled at the same time.”
Vallejo’s second improvement she sees as important is more Lighting at Los Fresnos Parks for the safety of the community and children, saying, “It speaks for itself.”
Last but not least, Vallejo expresses her desire to have Los Fresnos Firemen paid.

Council Members running for place 1
Running for place 1 are Alberto Escobedo and Jose Macias. Both individuals had a chance to speak having an opening statement as well as Q&A’s by Cynthia Benavides.
Here were some of the things mentioned during there opening statements.
Alberto Escobedo — Escobedo starts off by introducing himself and sharing his experience of 28 years as a business owner and lifetime resident of Los Fresnos. He shares his experience in marketing and mentions that he currently serves on the Los Fresnos CDC board. In that same remark, he shares that they have created many grants for businesses in Los Fresnos.
Jose Macias — Macias shares that he grew up right here in town, has a military background and joined the police force in ‘86, he shares that he has over 37 years in public service. Macias closes his opening statement by sharing, “[my family] are all in public service.” having one son a detective and the other a highway patrol agent Macias adds, “I’m able to retire at the age of 59— I still volunteer [as] a deputy constable”
Many more questions were discussed and talked about, to hear the full forum check out the LFChamber YouTube channel they have posted both forums on there.