New Rancho Viejo aldermen to take office

In Rancho Viejo, the campaigning is over and the winners have been declared. The town's three new aldermen, Roberto Medrano, John Dunkel and William Dorsett will soon begin their two-year stints in office.

Each candidate will enter his term with different objectives for the small town.

Dunkel hopes to continue the momentum of the current administration and the application of "well-accepted business principles."

Dorsett, who is the only incumbent of the three, hopes to make the town and its residents more environmentally conscious.

"We're trying at least to get our community in the mindset of preserving what we have," he said. "We want to encourage people building new homes to consider green standards."

Medrano wants to follow through on the points that bolstered his platform.

"The number of votes I received is a reflection on my platform," he said.

He mentioned the need for increased street maintenance, a beautification project and a re-opening of the town's Stripes convenience store.

"Residents want to see these things followed through on and not just talked about," he said.

The town's three newest aldermen acknowledged that the town might not have big city problems, but it is growing at a rapid rate.

"We're really fortunate we don't have major problems," Dorsett said. "We're a small town, but we're preparing for the changes to come."

Rancho Viejo's changes will most likely come in the form of the development boom north of Brownsville.

"We don't have many issues compared to bigger cities," Medrano said. "But the issues we have are of high concern."

All three aldermen expressed their satisfaction with the other winners, predicting a united front for the next two years. Their celebrations, however, were quiet.

"I asked a few friends over after the results were announced," Dunkel said. "But they were all getting ready for bed."