Valdez leans on mayoral, county judge experience in Del Rio campaign

Del Rio voters weighing the mayor’s race are being asked to decide whether decades of public service can turn into cleaner city finances, steadier economic development and more outside money for local projects. Efrain V. Valdez is leaning hard on that argument, pointing to a record that includes two terms as Del Rio mayor, service on the Del Rio City Council and a stint as Val Verde County judge.

Valdez said in a candidate profile that he is qualified to lead because he has already held the city’s top elected office and the county’s top elected office. That combination is unusual in Val Verde County politics. A Texas County Progress profile said Valdez was the only person in the county to have served as both mayor and county judge, a distinction that gives his campaign a depth of institutional memory few rivals can match.

The former county judge was sworn in in January 2015 after serving four years on the Del Rio City Council from 1998 to 2002 and then serving as mayor from 2006 to 2010. Before entering city and county government, he spent many years as a coach and educator in the Del Rio public school district, a background that still shapes the way he talks about public service: as a matter of administration, finance and development rather than ideology.

That message is central to his 2026 mayoral bid. Valdez said his vision for the next four years is to improve the city’s financial status, bring economic development to Del Rio and lobby for grants to help fund city projects. In practical terms, that places pressure on him to connect past executive experience to results residents can actually feel, whether that means tighter budgeting, more business activity or more reliable funding for infrastructure and other municipal needs.

The race is crowded. Ballotpedia lists six candidates for mayor in the May 2, 2026 general election: incumbent Al Arreola, James “Jim” DeReus, Ryan Horning, Lazaro “Laz” Castro, Arturo Rodriguez and Valdez. In that field, Valdez enters as one of the most recognizable names, a factor that can matter in a municipal contest where turnout is often low and familiarity can be decisive.

His county government record also gives him a built-in argument about how local offices work beyond the campaign trail. The Val Verde County Judge’s Office handles purchase requisitions, probate and guardianship cases, the county welfare program and the monthly Commissioners Court agenda. For Valdez, that background is part of the case that he can manage city Hall with the same emphasis on waste reduction and practical decision-making that shaped his earlier county service.