Maria Antonieta Reyes

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Maria Antonieta Reyes

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Ph.D

Auburn University, 2012

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1993 - 1997

Personal

Religion

Roman Catholic

Profession

Professor

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Maria Antonieta Reyes ran for election to the Laredo City Council to represent District 7 in Texas. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Reyes completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Maria Antonieta Reyes was born in Mexico City, Mexico. She served in the U.S. Army from 1993 to 1997. Reyes earned a Ph.D. from Auburn University in 2012. Her professional experience includes working as a professor.

Elections

2020

See also: City elections in Laredo, Texas (2020)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Laredo City Council District 7

Vanessa Perez defeated Betty Flores in the general runoff election for Laredo City Council District 7 on December 12, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Vanessa Perez (Nonpartisan)	70.0	1,349
	Submit photo	Betty Flores (Nonpartisan)	30.0	578

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,927
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Laredo City Council District 7

The following candidates ran in the general election for Laredo City Council District 7 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Betty Flores (Nonpartisan)	25.8	2,111
✔	Submit photo	Vanessa Perez (Nonpartisan)	18.9	1,544
	Submit photo	Hector Lee Patino (Nonpartisan)	11.7	959
	Submit photo	Priscilla Pantoja (Nonpartisan)	10.7	875
	Submit photo	Robert Ortiz (Nonpartisan)	7.0	575
	Submit photo	Jose Renteria (Nonpartisan)	6.2	510
	Submit photo	David Montes (Nonpartisan)	5.2	425
		Maria Antonieta Reyes (Nonpartisan)	4.9	402
	Submit photo	Benigno Cepeda (Nonpartisan)	4.7	385
	Submit photo	J. Carlos Flores (Nonpartisan)	1.9	153
	Submit photo	David Vazquez (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	1.4	116
		Other/Write-in votes	1.4	116

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,171
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Maria Antonieta Reyes completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Reyes' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Maria Antonieta Reyes and like many of you, I am an immigrant. I have had to work twice as hard for the sole purpose of "betterment" and along the way met suppressive systems that do not allow equal opportunity. Teaching government at the university level for the last eight years has helped me understand that government needs to be made responsive to the people, and only we the people can make this happened. After all, the privilege and burden of liberation belong to the oppressed. However, being part of a family business and teaching about transformative politics, has continued to highlight that only through community efforts can we pursuit these changes. I am a veteran of the U.S. ARMY and my civic duty is calling me to serve once more by attempting to heal the relationship between government and the citizen by combating corruption and setting an example of what representation should be, an agency of the people.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Combating corruption through transparency that opens the system for citizen's participation in the decision making process.
• Making basic government services, like lighting, speed bumps, clean water, trash pick up, an automatic action and responsibility of government and not a time consuming citizen effort.
• Economic opportunity diversification in employment and markets in our local economy because technological driven changes that will affect import and export are already taking place.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

- Labor

- Health
- Equal opportunity (economically and socially)
- Local Traditions

- Restructuring of government and social action

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The city council is the legislative body of the City of Laredo. I believe that it is one of the most important and direct links to social transformation. The state of Texas sees municipalities as children of the state and limits the types of policy they can create to address municipal needs. Recently, we were directly reminded of this, with a plastic bag ban that was overturned, and our impossibility in prohibiting fracking. Our city council continues to be suppressed on addressing our community needs, we need representatives that understand the systems and see the possible channels for action to be able to concentrate efforts on the right battles.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to those that survive. I learn through intimate conversations with different peoples about life experiences and overcoming those experiences. Real-life experiences from members of my community motive me and inspire me. They become the tangible possibility of hope and reminder that overcoming while feels like a lonely journey is always amongst others and with support.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Recently, the movie, El Hoyo "The Platform" and the book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe that two of the most important characteristics and principles of an elected official are integrity and genuineness.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I understand governmental processes, the need for its transformation, and the need for the inclusion of the pubic's voice. I understand the policy and can breakdown processes in chewable parts for public consumption and analysis to invite public engagement.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility for anyone elected into office should be upholding and defending the united states constitution. The constitution allows for the representation of diverse beliefs, ideas, or priorities while upholding the public good.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like my legacy to be one of fighting for justice and bridge-building.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event I remember is the San Juanico Explosion in Mexico in 1984. I was nine years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job in my life was selling bread after school on the streets of my neighborhood. I was 10 years old. My siblings and I did this for about 4 years. My first paying job in the United States was taking care of an old lady with Alzheimer's. I was 16 and I did this job for about 6 months.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I don't have a favorite book. Books speak to me at different times in my life. Right now, it is Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Pauo Freire

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel (Disturbed Version)

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Equal opportunity

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Yes, the power of the position lies in equal weight on the council for the passing of laws. The city council is made up of 9 members, and 8 of them are representatives of districts. Each one holds a vote, equal power, to pass a law. The city only holds one member of the council as at-large or city-wide representation, the mayor, and this person can only vote in case of a tie. The battle to change this has not ended and changes to the city council may be pushed when new redistricting takes place in 2020.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that it could be beneficial to have prior experience in any job one may hold, and this may include representation. However, I do believe it is more important to leave the government open to all for the possibility of representing different interests, believes, and ideas. In addition, hostage-taking of the processes established has led to experience just becoming a strategy of control of power and no longer the conduit f wisdom that experience could provide in decision-making.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Taking into account the needs of our community, state, and nation, the most helpful skill could be openness. Only through openness can one be an active listener that through empathy can build upon one's agency to be able to form a consensus outside a trade-off expectation, and with the possibility of synergy.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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