Editor's Note: The Van Horn Advocate continues to profile candidates for the next election. All candidates running for mayor, city council and school board trustee are given the opportunity to participate.
CANDIDATE FOR CITY COUNCIL: ISAAC BADILLO
Isaac Badillo may only be 21 years old, but besides running for an at-large seat on the city council, one thing is certain – he loves his hometown.
Mr. Badillo graduated from VHHS in 2011, and he enrolled at Universal Technical Institute (UTI) in Phoenix. He graduated in February 2013 with a degree at the top of his class in Automotive, Diesel, Industrial and HVAC.
He quickly points out that although he received various offers to work in the big cities after graduation, he instead decided to come back to Van Horn to work in his father’s business, Badillo Construction.
“I really wasn’t for the city life as I thought I would be,†said Mr. Badillo. “I really love Van Horn and I wanted to come back here.â€
Mr. Badillo does electrical work, maintenance on vehicles, blueprints, and labor at his father’s business.
Why is he running for city council?
“I felt this was the best opportunity for me to try and change things in Van Horn,†said Mr. Badillo. “As I was growing up, I heard the stories about how vibrant this town was with many different types of businesses. My stepdad is from Balmorhea, and he always talked highly about Van Horn compared to his own town, and even when I was going to school, there wasn’t very much, but I always enjoyed living here.â€
Mr. Badillo explained that he wants to bring in small businesses and events into town. In addition to working full-time, he volunteers some of his time to the Van Horn Community Church. “I’m just trying to make things better for Van Horn. I want this to be a place where people want to come and not just say, ‘Let’s leave Van Horn as soon as we get through with high school or college.’â€
Although Mr. Badillo is excited about running for office for the first time, he says that even if he doesn’t win, he’ll be satisfied with a loss as long as change for the better occurs. “We have to progress,†he said.
Specifically, Mr. Badillo believes that all taxing entities should offer tax abatements for any business that wants to relocate to Van Horn. As he sees it, a tax abatement [a deferred tax for a specified period] would eventually pay off in the long run when the business proves that it has been a good business citizen.
Mr. Badillo believes in old-fashioned capitalism, otherwise known as market-driven competition. In his way of thinking, competition is healthy, and it helps create more jobs for the locals as well as additional revenue.
One of the ideas Mr. Badillo has as a candidate is to get more citizens to attend council meetings. “I’d like to see more people be aware of the debates that are happening in the town.†He added that it’s always the responsibility of the individual to decide whether he or she wants to attend or participate in a meeting.
Mr. Badillo said that the primary reason he is running for office is because he wants to “better Van Horn in the way possible because we really need change. If elected, I will try and make every voice in Van Horn heard in an attempt to make this community the best it can be.â€
