Citizens rally to support Councilman Hernandez

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - It was a gorgeous spring day at Guadalupe Park Sunday afternoon. The warmth of the west Texas sun could be felt, festive music could be heard, and the aromas of picnic food filled in the air.

A large group gathered under the trees, but it wasn't for a celebration.

"Victor! Victor! Victor!" the crowd roared.

The gathering, which attracted around 200 people, was a rally for District 1 Councilman Victor Hernandez.

"I feel like I'm about to walk into the middle of either a boxing ring or a lucha libre ring," Hernandez said as he greeted the crowd.

The rally comes two days after former Lubbock County Commissioner Ysidro Gutierrez announced his plan to circulate a petition to remove Councilman Hernandez from his District 1 position.

"He has violated the City Charter. He has abused the power of his office and he has potentially exposed this community to liability through litigation," Gutierrez said on Friday.

Hernandez supporters say Gutierrez has gone too far in trying to push his own political agenda.

"To make allegations out of the blue is easy to do. To call someone 'not moral' or 'not ethical' is easy to do. Where are the facts?" Emilio Abeyta said.

Gutierrez says the facts behind his petition are clear.

"This is not about you, Mr. Hernandez. This is about the business of the city of Lubbock. This is about the business of the people of District 1," Gutierrez said.

The petition will begin circulating on Thursday. Gutierrez has 30 days to get 448 signatures from District 1 citizens who voted in the last general municipal election. Ten percent of those signatures must be from people who voted for Councilman Hernandez.

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