Meet the 2015 LFCISD School Board Candidates

Places 5, 6 and 7 to be filled on November 3rd

Three seats on the Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees are up for general election on November 3, 2015.
The seats of Place 5 incumbent Leonel Garza, Place 6 incumbent Sandra Garcia and Place 7 incumbent Darlene Pederson are up for election. All three incumbents filed for re-election. Garza will face challenger Juan Sierra, and Pederson will face challenger Miguel Mendoza. Garcia is unopposed in Place 6.

Place 5 Candidates

Leonel G. Garza
Incumbent

Family: Wife: Wanda (Livingston Univ.); Son: Carlos (Los Fresnos High School, Texas A&M Univ.); Daughter: Irma (Los Fresnos High School, Texas A&M Univ.); Parents: Carlos & Beatrice Garza; Grand Parents: Ramon & Estela Gonzales.
Education: Los Fresnos High School ’68 & Livingston University – Alabama ‘72
Work Experience: Mission High School (Teacher / Varsity Coach); James Pace High School (Athletic Coordinator; Brownsville I.S.D. (Athletic Director); Los Fresnos C.I.S.D. (Athletic Director & Head Football Coach)
– Member of St. Cecilia Catholic Church.
– Member of Rio Grande Hall of Fame.
– Los Fresnos C.I.S.D. Trustee: ’08 President, ’07 President, ’06 Asst. Secretary, ’05 Asst. Secretary.
– Member of Rio Grande Valley – City of Palms Hall of Honor.
– Retired – 31 years of Secondary Education & Administration.
– Ranching in Los Fresnos.
Your vote and support is greatly appreciated!

Juan Carlos Sierra, Sr.
Opponent

I am 46 years of age, dual licensed Mortician, married to Margie Trejo Sierra, proud father of 4 they are Juan Carlos (Gaby) Sierra, George A. (Katherine ) Sanchez, Venessa (Cesar ) Sanchez, and Mandy Sanchez.

My parents are Siria Garcia Sierra & my dad recently passed away in April, his name was Juan Sierra. I’m honored to be given the opportunity of running for place 5 in an attempt of obtaining a seat with the Los Fresnos C.I.S.D. School Board of Trustees.

I have served as a Trustee once before thanks to all of you that previously elected me to serve as a School Board Member & as your voice within our district. Unfortunately the corporation that I previously worked for didn’t share the same value of serving that I did. Now I am free to serve my community to the fullest extent. I will never make a promise that I can’t keep, because not every board member will share the same view that you & I will be trying to convey. A “Winning Team” will first analyze the important issues at hand that will benefit EVERYONE within our district. I have one policy, that is an “open door policy “.

Keep this in mind when you come out to vote, Juan Sierra will always be available to hear from you day or night. Note that my cellphone number is on my pushcard, vote for me & I will be there for you & EVERYONE ELSE within our exemplary district.

Place 6 Incumbent

Sandra Lee Garcia
Incumbent

My name is Sandra Lee Garcia and I humbly ask for your vote for the Los Fresnos CISD School Board, Place 6. I am a licensed Certified Public Accountant with 25 years of tax and business consulting experience. After graduating from Los Fresnos High School in 1985, I attended the University of Texas at Austin where I earned my Bachelor of Business Administration(BBA) and my Master in Professional Accounting(MPA), with a specialization in taxation. I practiced as a CPA in San Antonio for 10 years before returning to Los Fresnos in 1999.

I am currently with the CPA firm of Hales Bradford LLP in Brownsville. I am also a business owner, a member of North Brownsville Rotary, and a Los Fresnos Chamber Member. My extracurricular activities allow me to give back to my community as well as work on projects that reach beyond our local community. Volunteerism is not just a principal I believe it, it is something I truly enjoy doing.

I have had the honor of serving on the LFCISD Board and working hard for our district since 2009. I was a member of the board when we received the 2010 Honor Board of the Year for the State of Texas. The board continues to work diligently to deserve that title and to honor our community with service. I currently chair of the Budget Committee, and I have previously served as Asst. Secretary, Secretary, Vice-Pres. and 2 years as Board President.

I believe that my strengths as a business owner and a CPA are valuable to the district. My desire to advocate for the children of our community keeps me motivated to work hard on the board. I will continue to make decisions that ensure every child receives an education that will help them be successful – an education that will enable them to compete and excel in the real world.

I take my position on the board very seriously and would be honored to continue serving as your school board trustee.

Place 7 Candidates

Darlene Pederson
Incumbent

Dear citizens of our community and Los Fresnos School District, I humbly come to you to ask for your vote to re-elect me, Darlene Pederson, for LFCISD Board of Trustees Place 7. Early voting begins Monday, October 19-30, 2015 at the Los Fresnos Community Center located at 200 North Brazil Street and other designated polling centers determined by precinct followed by Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, 2015. I am blessed to have served on the board for the past 6 1/2 years and would like very much to continue to serve you and our entire community and district.

Currently, I am the Board President and so proud and honored to serve with such a fine group of individuals. The present board is comprised of a wonderfully diverse group made up of educators and professional business people whose combined experience, knowledge, and expertise in the fields of, both, business and education are the key to our integrity and success. It is your “Team of 8” that has managed to ascertain and accomplish some fantastic things over the past few years tremendously benefitting our children and our district overall.

The importance of serving on the Los Fresnos CISD School Board is as much a pleasure as it is a privilege. First and foremost, I am a parent and as a parent I want the absolute best for our children. Second, I am a voice of the community as well as an advocate for all faculty, staff, and employees. From the method to the means of the education process our kids deserve to be subjected and challenged at the highest level possible. As I have mentioned in the past, it takes a village to raise a child and I am glad to live in this wonderful “village” we so humbly call Los Fresnos.

I would sincerely appreciate your vote and let’s keep this winning team together.

Miguel Mendoza
Opponent

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and offer my reasons for choosing to run for the LFCISD School Board. Los Fresnos is my hometown, where I attended the school system and graduated in 1986. As a former LF school board member and city councilman I have always dedicated myself to the great community I grew up in. I have proven my commitment by serving honorably and never losing focus of why I was there. In addition, I always kept the best interest of the entire school community in mind. After taking some time off to focus on family and furthering my education I’m ready to continue serving our great school district. I want to share my time and experiences to benefit the school district. I will work towards creating stronger ties between the school board and other stakeholders. I will always strive to preserve and improve the quality of our school system. I care deeply for the safety of our children and school staff and will work towards enhancing our school safety programs.

Although running for any office can be a challenging and exciting experience, it presents many opportunities to contribute and improve your community. I want to share my experiences and contribute my unique talents while collaborating as a team with other board members. With children as the ultimate focus, I pledge to work together to accomplish the board’s goal. I have listened to my community, and come to understand its values and concerns so I plan to bring sharp questions, innovative ideas, and fresh energy to the Board to help continue the great success that LFCISD has shown for years. I will look at established policies with new eyes and share my perspective with my fellow board members. At the same time, I’ll strive to make a positive difference in the work of the board, and how to contribute most effectively to lasting change. I plan to be the most effective possible advocate for my community’s educational vision and values. Therefore, I humbly ask for your support.

The Los Fresnos Board of Trustees consists of seven members who are elected at-large to three-year terms. There is no primary election, and the general election for three seats is scheduled for November 3, 2015.

A member of the board must be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a resident of the district. An individual seeking office must be a resident of the state for 12 months and a resident of the district for six months, prior to the last date on which the candidate could file to be listed on the ballot. The deadline to file for a place on the general election ballot was August 24, 2015. Voters had to register to vote by October 5, 2015, to cast ballots in this election.