Newly election Rio Hondo commissioner can't take office; he's a convicted felon

RIO HONDO - City Commissioner-elect Richard Gonzales has a felony conviction that will disqualify him from taking the oath of office today, City Attorney Jan Cassidy said Monday.

Gonzales, a one-time police officer who ran unopposed for the commission's Place 2 seat in the May 9 election, was convicted of theft in 1990, when he was sentenced to 10 years' probation, Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos said in a written statement.

Cassidy said state law disqualifies convicted felons from serving on the City Commission.

Gonzales refused to comment on his conviction, which stemmed from possession of a stolen 1986 Nissan Maxima.

"This happened 18 years ago," Gonzales said. "Everything is a public record."

Judith McCarthy, chairman of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, raised the issue that Gonzales could not run for office because he failed to state his status as a convicted felon on his application for candidacy.

"If I didn't put ‘yes' or ‘no' (on the application), it's human error," Gonzales said Monday.

Cassidy said city commissioners could appoint a replacement for Gonzales, who ran unopposed for the position vacated by Celeste Tello.
She said she chose not to seek re-election so she could devote her time to work on a master's degree.

Mayor Santiago Saldaña said Cassidy was trying to determine whether Gonzales violated terms of his probation.

Gonzalez was convicted of driving while intoxicated in 1996 and again in 1997, when he was sentenced to 10 days in jail, Villalobos said.