The city of Galena Park, Texas, is currently embroiled in confusion following a fiercely contested mayoral election. The uncertainty has left residents unsure about who is leading their city.
In a tight race, Oscar Mireles edged out incumbent Esmeralda Moya by a slim margin of 132 votes on Saturday, positioning himself to become the next mayor of the town with approximately 10,000 residents.
However, complications arose when Mireles visited city hall on Monday to discuss the transition. He was met with unexpected news: the city secretary, who had dedicated more than 20 years to her role, had suddenly resigned. This development was reported by Click 2 Houston.
Prior to her resignation, the city secretary had informed Mireles via email that, under Texas law, the election results could not be officially validated until all provisional and outstanding ballots were accounted for.
The abrupt departure of the city secretary has now left Mireles in a state of limbo, unsure of how to proceed with his mayoral duties. “We’re just stuck,” Mireles expressed, highlighting the standstill. “We’re waiting on the state to tell us what we need to do next.”
‘We’re just stuck,’ he said. ‘We’re waiting on the state to tell us what we need to do next.’
Tensions then escalated even further when Mireles posted a live video to Facebook showing the mayor and her ex-husband taking bags of items from city hall and loading them into a black pickup truck.
‘I saw them take out one computer tower,’ Mireles claimed. ‘My wife saw that they had a bag with documents in it.’
Oscar Mireles (pictured) narrowly beat incumbent Esmeralda Moya to serve as the next mayor of Galena Park, Texas by just 132 votes on Saturday
He has accused Moya (pictured) of taking documents and supplies from City Hall
Galena Park police officers responded to the scene on Tuesday, the video shows, but one officer could be heard telling Mireles he could not intervene because they could be just taking personal items from City Hall.
Mireles now says he is not accusing anyone of any wrongdoing, but said the lack of communication surrounding the city’s transition has raised concerns among residents.
‘I understand you have personal belongings, I don’t have a problem with that,’ Mireles said. ‘But it’s just a lack of communication.’
Some residents have even asked state officials to intervene, Fox 26 reports.
But Moya, who has served as the city’s mayor since 2014, has denied that her administration has engaged in any wrongdoing.
‘There has been a great deal of false and misleading information circulating about me and others connected to the City of Galena Park,’ she said in a statement to Fox 26.
‘Over the past several days, certain media outlets and individuals on social media have continued to spread one-sided stories, rumors and accusations without presenting the full truth,’ the outgoing mayor continued. ‘Hearing only one side of a story does not make it factual.’
Moya then went on to hit out at Mireles for making what she described as fake accusations, including that documents are being destroyed, city property is being seized and that ‘no one is currently in charge of the city.’
Moya has denied the accusations and hit out at Mireles for spreading them
‘This is also untrue, as I remain in office and continue serving as Mayor until the Mayor-Elect is officially sworn in next Wednesday,’ Moya said.
She further said that the city secretary is still employed with the city, but her final day of employment will be Friday.
‘Her decision to leave was personal and based on the ongoing treatment, bullying and disrespect she has experienced over the past three years from the Mayor-Elect,’ Moya said, adding that ‘other city employees have also chosen to leave for similar reasons.
‘Despite the public accusations being made against her, there have also been communications asking her to remain and continue working for the incoming administration,’ the outgoing mayor claimed. ‘This directly contradicts many of the public claims and rumors currently being spread online.’
She also argued that ‘allegations that the Mayor has abandoned the city or engaged in illegal activity are false and irresponsible.
‘Public officials and media outlets have a responsibility to report accurate information, not rumors designed to create division and confusion within the community,’ Moya concluded.
‘We encourage the public to seek facts directly from the individuals being unfairly accused, rather than relying solely on social media speculation.
‘At this time, we ask for fairness, honesty and respect for all individuals involved,’ she said, noting: ‘False accusations can seriously damage reputations, families and the trust within our community.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Mireles and Moya for comment.
