New Progreso mayor flexes veto power at first meeting

PROGRESO, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — Progreso welcomed a new mayor to City Hall on Monday.

Hugo Gamboa, a sergeant in the Texas Army National Guard, took the oath of office during a City Council meeting on Monday afternoon.

“I’m very excited,” said Gamboa, 37, of Progreso. “It’s an honor to be here and represent the community. I look forward to working with everybody.”

More than 50 people showed up for the swearing-in ceremony, including Elsa Municipal Judge Eli Rodriguez, who served with Gamboa in Iraq.

“He’s very humble. Very dedicated,” Rodriguez said. “And he is a true public servant.”

The standing-room-only crowd packed the City Council chambers, which had just 11 chairs set aside for the public, and spilled into the lobby.

Along with Gamboa, the crowd arrived to support City Councilwoman Sandra V. Estrada, an accounts payable clerk at IDEA Public Schools.

Gamboa and Estrada campaigned together during a special election Progreso held on June 15. They promised to change the culture at City Hall, which suffered through a series of scandals during the past two decades.

“The people spoke,” said Estrada, 57, of Progreso. “And here we are.”

They didn’t waste any time.

Moments after the swearing-in ceremony ended, City Manager Alfredo Espinosa asked the City Council to update Progreso’s bank signature cards.

The update would allow Gamboa and Estrada to access city accounts — and sign checks.

Many small towns, including Progreso, allow the mayor and members of the City Council to sign checks. After elections, they update the signature cards.

Estrada, though, voted against the motion. It passed anyway.

“At this time, I’m going to go ahead and veto this,” Gamboa said.

The veto appeared to catch Espinosa and members of the City Council by surprise. Gamboa had just limited his own authority over city bank accounts.

City Councilman Javier Morales, who made the motion to update the signature cards, said Gamboa’s veto didn’t make sense.

Gamboa campaigned on bringing people together, Morales said, and using his veto to block regular city business simply created more division.

“I think he completely contradicted himself,” Morales said, adding that Gamboa apparently wanted to flex his veto power. “But I don’t think he really understood how to do so.”

Gamboa, meanwhile, said he wanted more information before making a decision. Estrada agreed.

The city didn’t provide them with any information about the bank signature cards, Estrada said, or explain why all members of the City Council should be allowed to sign checks.

“The mayor, for sure, and somebody else,” Estrada said. “Not all five of us.”

The veto, however, did send a clear message about Gamboa: He’d read the city charter.

Progreso is governed by a six-member City Council that consists of a mayor and five councilmen.

Many towns with an even number of elected officials don’t allow the mayor to vote unless he needs to break a tie. Progreso, by contrast, allows the mayor to vote whenever he wants.

The mayor also holds the power to veto any decision made by the City Council.

While some towns allow the mayor to veto decisions made by the City Council, they usually allow a supermajority to override the veto. In Progreso, a unanimous vote is required.

That allows the mayor and one member of the City Council to block any motions they don’t support.

On Monday, when the City Council attempted to override Gamboa’s veto, Gamboa and Estrada did just that.

After they receive more information, Estrada said they may discuss the matter again.

Gamboa, Estrada and City Councilman Raul Flores also voted against a motion to significantly increase pay for police officers.

In interviews, Gamboa and Estrada said they didn’t want to make a decision without reviewing the city budget.

Administrators provided the City Council with a report that compared the Progreso Police Department to other departments but didn’t include any information about the budget.

“We’re going to do the right thing. We’re going to make the right decisions,” Gamboa said. “And the decisions are going to be based on what’s best for the people and the community of Progreso.”

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