ROBSTOWN, Tx — The race to fill the seats for Nueces County Commissioner for Drainage District #2 is finally over.
Robert Gonzalez and Willie Garcia Jr., who are Robstown natives, were elected as Commissioners for Drainage District #2. The final seat was filled by Balde Torres III, who was re-elected.
'Bluebonnet' is a subdivision area near Robstown Early College High School and has faced flooding issues for years. In 2020, citizens voted on a bond to fix drainage issues in the area, but the money has been sitting in an escrow account leaving the project at a standstill.
Proposition A
The latest update was back in October when a $48 million bond was proposed on the November ballot to address the drainage issues, but voters later rejected the proposal. KRIS 6 NEWS asked Willie Garcia about the rejection of the bond.
“Where’s all the money we had? As far as the grants, the 5.5 million that passed four years ago, lets go in there and dig and investigate, and lets get the ball rolling," Garcia said.
Garcia said it was important for him to run because he is a Bluebonnet resident, and has personally been affected by the flooding issues.
“I get flooded in, my whole neighborhood of Bluebonnet, and thats only with five to seven inches of rain," Garcia said. "Imagine if we get a CAT 1 or a Tropical storm, we can end up literally deeper trouble.”
This will be the first time in almost a year that three seats will be filled for Drainage District #2. In December 2023, then-commissioner David 'Petey' Martinez resigned to become the mayor of Robstown. His seat was never filled.
Robert Gonzalez said he's glad the commission is back to a three-member board.
“I want to be able to work with the other two commissioners in office and have an understanding that what we’re doing is going to be for the people, for the public,” Gonzalez said.
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