A proposal to call a special recall election failed Monday night after a 3-2 vote by the Kingsville City Commission.
The three commissioners who voted against the measure — Norma Nelda Alvarez, Hector Hinojosa, and Leo Alarcon — are the same officials who were the targets of the recall effort.
The decision didn’t come as a surprise to some residents, including Selena Tijerina, who launched the petition that triggered the recall process.
“I did expect the vote to go this way,” said Tijerina. “I expected for the vote to go 3-2.”
Tijerina began the recall petition after growing concerned with how the city was being run.
“Watching what was going on in city council meetings, it was like, okay, these city commission meetings are not going as they should be going,” she said. “They started doing things that didn’t align with what they said they were going to do.”
According to Kingsville’s city charter, if the commission fails to call the election after all legal requirements are met, the responsibility falls to a district judge in Kleberg County.
That now appears to be the next step. KRIS 6 News reporter Tyrese Boone attempted to get comment from the commissioners following the vote. However, he was declined.
As for what comes next, it’s unclear who will formally present the petition to the judge. Tijerina says she’s prepared to take that on herself if necessary.
“I am getting all the information I need,” she said. “If that means getting an attorney to go ahead and move forward with the petition or take it to the district, we’re definitely going to be looking into that.”
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