Friday, January 29, 2010
Mission Mayor Salinas and City Council endorse Sergio Muñoz, Jr. for state representative
(MISSION) - Sergio Muñoz, Jr., who has made job creation, more health care, better access to education, and improved public safety – including cracking down of sexual predators – the foundation of his campaign, on Thursday, January 28, was endorsed for State Representative, House District 36, by the mayor and city council of his hometown of Mission.
House District 36 includes Granjeno, Hidalgo, southern McAllen, most of Mission, Palmview, Peñitas, and Pharr.
Muñoz, who currently serves as Palmview Municipal Court Judge, is a successful attorney who earned his law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston and his business degree the University of Texas at Austin.
Muñoz has the skills, ideas and energy needed to succeed in the high-stakes world of the Texas Legislature, said Mission Mayor Norberto Salinas.
"Mission and House District 36 have been leaders in economic development, international trade, and business growth for many years, not only in South Texas, but in the entire state," said Salinas. "Sergio Muñoz, Jr. will deliver on his vision, which will result in the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs for our entire region."
Among Muñoz legislative proposals are:
• Securing state funding for the planned University of Texas Health Science Center - South Texas, which will include a medical school for the region;
• Working with the governor on a plan that would tap into two existing state programs – the Texas Enterprise Fund and the Texas Emerging Technology Fund - to help pay for the construction of a Veterans Affairs Hospital in the Valley; and,
• Seeking major state pay raises for educators in order to keep and attract the best teachers in the Valley and state's public schools.
Summarizing his legislative goals, Muñoz proclaimed, "It's time for everyone to have the education they want, the health care they need, and the jobs they deserve."
Councilmember Norie González Garza said Muñoz has the proven abilities to work with people from all walks of life.
"Sergio Muñoz, Jr. knows that any leader, like a great society, is ultimately judged by how we treat the weakest, the neediest, the most vulnerable among us," she said. "His main priority will be to help those in the greatest need. That's one of the main reasons he returned home to the Valley because he has never forgotten his roots."
Defender of the People
During his campaign kick-off last fall, Muñoz offered his reasons for seeking public office.
"I am running because I believe that my years in professional and community services, and my experience as a defender of the people, combined with my vision and commitment for all of us to have a better life, are positive qualifications to serve the good people of District 36," he said.
"We all want what's best for our families," Muñoz added. "Working as an attorney in this region, I know what it takes to fight for people every day."
Equally important, in presenting his candidacy to voters, Muñoz is holding himself up to the highest standards of professional and personal conduct.
"It's about having strong core values that matter: leadership, integrity, compassion, hard work and faith," he told voters. "I won't forget where I came from and who I serve."
He said his decision to run "is not one that I take lightly. I don't want anything just given to me. I would rather have life provide me with an opportunity and then earn it."
New Generation of Leadership
Muñoz said he would continue the Valley legislative delegation's strategies of always rallying behind the major issues of the day.
"If we want more jobs, more resources, and more funding for our community, we all need to work together, cooperatively, both here locally, and in Austin," said Muñoz. "As long as we can work together, plan together and agree on the right projects that help our community, we can attract the right funding and resources we need to have a better education system, a healthier and safer community, and to have the jobs of which we can be proud."
He said he would be accessible to all constituents, both during the campaign and as an elected official. "Over the next several months, I intend to walk our neighborhoods, knock on doors, and visit as many people as possible. You deserve this," Muñoz said.
"Call me and let's visit. I hope that you and your family will vote for me on March 2," Muñoz concluded his campaign speech. "Thank you for being here. May God bless our families, our troops, and our great community!"
Other legislative goals
Muñoz' legislative plans also include the following measures:
• Spark economic development and jobs creation through legislative and state agency policies that result in the recruitment of new, and expansion of existing, large and small businesses in deep South Texas through state tax incentives, with improvements of the state highway and roadway systems;
• Pass legislation that promotes the development of small businesses in the Valley – "the backbone of our local economy," as he characterized them – while opposing a state personal income tax, which he said would hurt both employers and employees;
• Promote reforms in the state's legal and tax systems that will help homeowners better protect their most valuable investment, while making it more affordable for Texans to buy and hold on to their homes;
• Expand the academic programs at The University of Texas-Pan American and South Texas College;
• Boost public safety with a strong border security system in partnership with local, state and federal agencies, and pass laws that protect crime victims while cracking down on violent criminals and sex offenders;
• Protecting the pensions and health insurance coverage for retired educators and state professionals; and,
• Expand health care coverage for South Texans by making it easier for thousands of Valley families and individuals to protect their families by expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and improving access to Medicaid – advances that would result in millions of additional federal matching dollars coming into the South Texas economies.
According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission:
Texas families with uninsured children may be able to get health insurance through Children's Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Both programs offer health care benefits, including regular checkups and dental care; and,
Medicaid in Texas is a program to provide health insurance coverage to low income families, disabled persons, and poverty level seniors. It is a joint program of the federal government and the state (Texas), where the federal government provides most of funding and sets the eligibility standards, and the Texas government provides the specific care to all eligible persons and families. Medicaid covers hospital stays, doctor visits, emergency room visits, prenatal care, prescription drugs, and other treatments.
By DAVID A. DÍAZ
Political announcement paid for by Sergio Muñoz, Jr., – Oscar Elizondo, Jr., Treasurer – 1110 South Closner Boulevard, Edinburg, Texas 78539.
NOTE: RGV Life does not receive compensation from the campaign.