Rio Grande Guardian
EDINBURG, Oct. 23 - Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas will be officially appointed to the Obama Administration later today, the Guardian can confirm.
Salinas is going to be named Administrator for Region 7 with the U.S. General Services Administration by the White House. Region 7 covers the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Its main office is in Fort Worth.
Confirmation came from two sources close to the Administration and one close to the Hidalgo County administration. All three wished to remain nameless.
Salinas refused to comment when contacted by the Guardian on Thursday. Speculation was mounting that an announcement about the appointment was imminent. The appointment means he will have to tender his resignation as county judge.
Salinas' chief of staff, Rigo Villarreal contacted the Guardian Friday to say Salinas has yet to hear anything from the White House.
Details about Salinas’ request to be considered for the GSA post were first revealed in the Guardian in May. U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, wrote a letter to the White House recommending Salinas for the GSA post. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, also pushed hard to get Salinas the job.
“The General Services Agency is one of the most important agencies in government, and I’m honored that they submitted my name to the White House,” Salinas told the Guardian at the time.
“Right now I sit as county judge and if the president does call on me to serve then I will answer the call. Otherwise I am the fulltime county judge and I look forward to doing that.”
Asked what he thought about Ortiz recommending him, Salinas said he was humbled.
“I’m honored for Congressman Ortiz to say that and I am honored that he submitted my name. But, right now, I am not putting as much thought into it because the White House has not called me, even though I expected that from them when my name was submitted,” Salinas said.
“If President Obama calls for me to serve my country I will, in whatever capacity, but for now I serve as judge of Hidalgo County.”
Salinas has said he is running for re-election but has yet to hold a campaign kickoff.
The General Services Administration is the federal agency that looks after federal property. According to the GSA’s Web site, the agency’s mission statement is to leverage the buying power of the federal government to acquire best value for taxpayers and its federal customers. “We exercise responsible asset management. We deliver superior workplaces, quality acquisition services, and expert business solutions. We develop innovative and effective management policies,” the statement says.
In the past, Hidalgo County Republican Party Chairman Hollis Rutledge has been a regional director of the GSA. Serving under the first President Bush, Rutledge looked after 11 states. He was senior executive services administrator and manager of GSA Region 7 for three and a half years.
Salinas is a graduate of La Joya High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Texas Pan American. Salinas was elected Hidalgo County Clerk in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. In 2004, he was Texas County Clerk of the Year by his peers. Before winning elected office, Salinas was chief South Texas liaison to former State Comptroller John Sharp.
Salinas' appointment to the GSA position puts to and end rumors that he might run for Congress against U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, in District 15 in 2010.
By taking the GSA position, Salinas will tender his resignation as county judge and an interim county judge would have to be appointed by Commissioners Court. The interim county judge would serve until the winner of the 2010 election takes office in January 2011.
Among those being mentioned as a potential interim county judge are attorney Ramon Garcia, whom Salinas defeated in 2006, attorney Bobby Guerra and Rene Ramirez, chief of staff to state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen.
Garcia has announced he is running for county judge and has issued a list of endorsements featuring the names of over 100 elected officials. Guerra has said he would be “honored” to serve as an interim county judge but will not run for the post.
Click here to read the official biography of Juan de Dios “J.D.” Salinas III.
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