Jaime C. Barrera and Tom Gonzalez Upset Eagle Pass Independent School District Board of Trustee Incumbents While Jorge Barrera and Christopher Hiller Survive Re-Election
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2024
A record setting 16,127 Mavericks County registered voters cast their ballots in the November 5, 2024 General Election, including the four contested Eagle Pass Independent School District Board of Trustee Positions.
Political neophytes Jaime C. Barrera and Tom Gonzalez upset incumbent Eagle Pass Independent School District Board members, Dr. Hector Alvarez, Jr. and Glenna Purcell, respectively, to win a seat on the local school board.\
Jaime C. Barrera bested incumbent Dr. Hector Alvarez, Jr. to capture the Position No. 6 of the Eagle Pass Independent School District Board of Trustees, garnering 6,933 votes compared to Dr. Alvarez’s 6,541 votes—a margin of only 392 votes to victory.
Retired educator and football head coach Tom Gonzalez handily defeated incumbent Glenna Purcell and challenger Albert Daniel to snatch the Position No. 7 of the local school board. Gonzalez received a total of 6,714 votes compared to Purcell’s 5,013 votes and Daniel’s 1,470 votes, winning by 392 votes over Purcell, respectively.
Surviving challenges for their Eagle Pass Independent School District Board positions were incumbent Board President Jorge Barrera and Board member Christopher Hiller. Barrera outlasted challenger and local attorney Edgar H. Juarez to retain his Board Position No. 1, receiving 7,345 votes compared to Juarez’s 6,080—a margin of victory of 1,265 votes. Hiller edged two newcomers, Sandy Botello Sassano and Manuel D. Hernandez, in a tight three way race to become re-elected to another four year term on the local school board Position No. 2, garnering 5,482 votes compared to Botello Sassano’s 3,218 votes and Hernandez’s 4,404 votes.
The four elected and re-elected school board members will take their oaths of office and be sworn-in at the next meeting after the November 5, 2024 Election results are canvassed and approved by a majority of the board.
Outgoing school board members Dr. Hector Alvarez, Jr. and Glenna Purcell will be recognized for their dedicated public service to the Eagle Pass Independent School District during their years of service.
