Early voting continues through Oct. 30 in Laredo, where District 6 voters are deciding between incumbent council member Dr. Tyler King and challenger Ubaldo "Baldo" Granados Jr. Aging water lines and the push for a community center are among the issues shaping the race.
King, a family physician, has served on the council since January 2023. A Memphis, Tennessee, native and captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, he is married and has two daughters. He arrived in South Texas in 2012 through the Teach for America program and taught eighth-grade science in McAllen. "There's nothing that prepares you more for politics than teaching middle schoolers," he said.
While living in McAllen, King met his wife, Alejandra, who is from Monterrey, Mexico. He said he took a bus to see her every two weekends for two years. After they married, he attended medical school in Arkansas, and the couple later matched into the Laredo Medical Center Family Medicine Program and moved to Laredo in April 2020. He said he decided to run after two years in the city, encouraged by his maternal grandmother, who taught him that "it matters who governs." He said many of his patients are also constituents, and that being a physician gives him patience and the habit of listening.
Granados grew up in Laredo and graduated from J.W. Nixon High School. He holds an accounting degree with a minor in management from the University of Texas at Austin and is a certified project management professional. He lives in District 6. His 30 years of corporate experience in accounting and project management include 18 years at Dell Technologies, where he said employees were encouraged to volunteer. "It was always instilled in us to always give back to our communities," he said.
After returning to Laredo, Granados started a business advising people on insurance. He also serves as an adjunct instructor at Laredo College, teaching project management and leadership, and teaches courses for the Small Business Development Center at Texas A&M International University, where he has mentored students. He is a Rotarian. He said he is running to "leverage my skill set that I learned for 30 years to give back to our community."
On water, King said 65,000 linear feet of water line have been replaced since he took office, and he aims to reach 85,000 linear feet by April 2027. "Now, as proud as we are about that momentum, it's still not enough, and there's still a long way to go," he said. Granados also called water his top priority.
Granados additionally wants measurable targets for city departments, beginning with building permits. He said builders and developers tell him permits take too long, which he believes even deters some companies from coming to Laredo.
Both candidates support an indoor community space and estimate that building one from scratch could cost $15 million to $20 million. Granados proposed a "multipurpose hub" that could include a library, classrooms and possibly a police substation. He criticized the lack of progress on a recreation center: "That was promised by Dr. King, and it still hasn't come to fruition."
King acknowledged the project and said the search for a location is under way, naming the closed Matias De Llano Elementary as a possible site. He said town halls on the topic are set to begin later this year. "In the meantime, though, we're not just sitting around waiting. We're actually getting an appraisal," he said.
In closing remarks, King said he hopes voters have seen his work ethic and will give him "four more years." Granados questioned the record of current officeholders, asking, "What have they done? What are their accomplishments?"
