| Former Austin City Councilman and current ACC Trustee Raul Alvarez has filed papers to run against Democratic incumbent Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gomez in next year's primary. Gomez has represented Precinct 4 on the Commissioners' Court, which includes southeast Austin, Del Valle and Mustang Ridge, since 1995. Prior to that she was the precinct's constable. Although he has not lived in the district long, Alvarez represents what could be the strongest challenge to Gomez since she was elected. In 2006, she defeated Yolanda Montemayor by 505 votes with 57.33 percent of the total vote. When Eugene Sepulveda reported on Alvarez's entry into the race, he wrote that there was "no word yet" whether Gomez would run for reelection. While there has been no formal announcement, people close to Gomez says she plans to run for reelection and has been lining up support. This race could turn out to be Travis County's only competitive non-judicial primary next year. With an incumbent who has a long history and relationship with her constituents facing off against a popular former City Council member, this one promises to be a race to watch. |
