Gallegos Senate District 6 seat. Candidate field expands to eight

NORTHEAST – The election of a new state senator for District 6 on January 26th got more complicated by the filing date, as new office seekers signed up to be on the ballot.

At first it seemed that the race would be between Gallegos’ choice, current state representative Carol Alvarado, and well known former county commissioner Sylvia Garcia. But now, with eight candidates having declared their interest, and paid the $1250 filing fee with the Texas Secretary of State, it seems anyone might win this race.

In fact, with that many candidates, it is doubtful that any will poll the required majority of 50% of the voters, meaning that there will have to be a run-off election between the top two. This raises the possibility that District 6 will not be represented in the current legislative session till much later in the year.

Here are the eight candidates who have filed, with some background on their qualifications:

CAROL ALVARADO, 45, currently a State Representative for District 145. She is serving her third term. Previously she served three terms as a Houston City Council person representing District I. She is a Democrat, as was Gallegos. She has resided in District 6 for 45 years.

R. W. BRAY, or Rasuali Wayne Bray, 37, is a Republican that was on the ticket in November, and won 29% of the vote at that time. His occupation is a paralegal, and previously he served as a Chief of Staff for Council woman Helena Brown for District A. He has resided in District 6 for almost 3 years.

SUSAN DELGADO, 48, now a Democrat but previously a Libertarian and a write-in candidate for this post in the election in 2004. She works as a real estate broker. After her personal relationship with Gallegos dissolved, she ran against him for this seat. She has resided in the district for 48 years.

SYLVIA GARCIA, 62, a Democrat and former County Commissioner for Pct. 2 for two terms, and the Houston City Controller for three terms. She now works as a lawyer and political consultant, and was president of the national NALEO, a Latino organization. She has resided in the district for 26 years.

JOAQUIN MARTINEZ, 32, a Democrat. He lists his occupation as a Program Coordinator. He once worked on the staff of former city councilman John Castillo. He says with pride that he is running his campaign with no outside financial help and very little expenditures. He has resided in the district for 32 years.

DOROTHY OLMOS, 54, a perrenial candidate for many offices. She is a Republican, and has lived in the district for 54 years. She is a semi-retired educator. She has run unsuccessful campaigns for state board of education, HISD board of trustees, and House District 143 in the past.

RODOLFO REYES, 59, no party affiliation. He has been a city councilman in League City for one term, and now works as a business consultant. He has lived in the district for over one year.

MARIA SELVA, 52, lists her party as the Green Party. She ran for congress in District 29 last year. She works as a community organizer, and has lived in the district for 6 years.

Early voting starts on January 9th and continues through January 22, with election day on Saturday, January 26th. Hours are irregular.

Voting locations near Northeast Houston are at Hardy Senior Center, 11901 W. Hardy Street, and the Harris County Administration Bldg., 1001 Preston Street, 1st Floor.