Commissioner’s Seat Left By Gandara Heads To Runoff

Though most of Tuesday?s primary races resulted with a clear winner and loser, there were other elections across the Borderland where the outcome was not as cut-and-dry.

The race for Precinct 3 County Commissioner is one of a handful of Democratic primary races advancing to a runoff scheduled for July 31.

The two men emerging from Tuesday?s election: Inocente ?Chente? Quintanilla and Vince Perez.

Quintanilla walked away with 36-percent of the vote and Perez took 27-percent.

Quintanilla, 68, is currently the state representative for District 75, and has held a number of public offices in the past.

Perez, 30, is the former communications director for newly defeated El Paso Congressman Silvestre Reyes.

Perez is running along the same rhetorical lines as Reyes? victor, Beto O?Rourke, did, touting that voters are more interested in a fresher face without a long history of political experience.

?We?ve had the same cycle of leaders who disappoint us,? Perez said. ?I think people are fed up and ready for change.?

Quintanilla is taking a tip from the 16th Congressional District outcome. He says Congressman Reyes ran a campaign that included personal attacks on opponent O?Rourke. Quintanilla says he believes the negative campaigning is part of the reason why Reyes lost.

?He should be above, because he?s a congressman,? Quintanilla said. ?That?s the way I feel about it, stay above, take the high road, do what?s right and tell people about the issues.?

The Precinct 3 Commissioner?s seat was left vacant in February after commissioner Willie Gandara Jr. was indicted on drug-trafficking charges. The seat is temporarily occupied by Tania Chozet, until a winner takes office in January 2013.

This runoff race is one-to-watch. Less than 10-percent of the vote separated Perez and Quintanilla in the primary.

Candidate Rudy Loya garnered 13-percent of the vote in the race. Loya has vowed to endorse and work for Perez in the months leading up to July?s election.

The winner of the runoff will face Republican challenger Fred Chavez in November.