Texas town in post-election chaos amid claims of documents being destroyed – and no one in charge

A Texas city is reportedly facing chaos following a mayoral election, with the outgoing mayor now rejecting claims that no one is currently in charge.

Residents of Galena Park, a city of about 10,000 people located outside of Houston, elected Oscar Mireles as their new mayor on May 2. He beat the incumbent mayor, Esmeralda Moya, by about 132 votes in a low-turnout election that saw 1,500 residents casting ballots, according to FOX 26.

Since then, there have been claims that no one is in charge, and residents are calling on state officials to weigh in amid the controversy, the local outlet reports.

The outgoing mayor issued a statement Wednesday addressing what she called a “great deal of false and misleading information” surrounding the election aftermath.

“Following the May 2 election in Galena Park, the Mayor-Elect has made numerous statements on social media accusing me, the City Secretary, and city staff of wrongdoing,” Moya told FOX 26.

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“These accusations include claims that city documents are being destroyed, city property is being taken, information is being hidden, and that officials are involved in corruption or embezzlement,” she added.

The mayor clarified that she’ll remain in power until Mireles is sworn in next week.

“There have also been false statements claiming that no one is currently in charge of the City. This is also untrue, as I remain in office and continue serving as Mayor until the Mayor-Elect is officially sworn in next Wednesday. These statements are completely false,” she said.

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Moya also told FOX 26 that the city secretary has resigned, and will leave her role 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. Other city employees have also chosen to leave for similar reasons,” she continued.

Mireles claims there’s been a lack of communication about the transition of power, and has noted he’s not making any accusations of wrongdoing, according to Click2Houston. The mayor-elect also said he witnessed Moya and another individual removing items from City Hall and putting them into a pickup truck this week.

“I saw them take out one computer tower. My wife saw that they had a bag with documents in it,” he told the outlet.

When reached for comment, Mireles said Moya's statement to FOX 26 "contains far more information than I have received since May 2nd."

"It has never been my intention to directly accuse any one person of wrongdoing. I have simply raised questions regarding the behavior of the current Mayor and those close to her in an attempt to provide the clarity that the people of Galena Park deserve during this transitional period," he told The Independent

"As evidenced in a video released by various media outlets, Mayor Moya and her husband have been seen removing truckloads of material from City Hall. I make no direct allegations regarding said material and am confident that the competent authorities will investigate if they deem it appropriate," he added.

The Independent has contacted Moya’s office for comment.

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