Judge: Crystal City City Council must order recall election

CRYSTAL CITY, TX – A district judge said Thursday the Crystal City City Council must order a recall election for three of its indicted members.

Voters successfully petitioned to recall Mayor Ricardo Lopez, Mayor Pro-Tem Rogelio Mata and Councilman Marco Rodriguez, but the council has not yet ordered the necessary recall election.

On Thursday afternoon, a district judge told  the city clerk to set the agenda for a council meeting on Tuesday, March 8. During the meeting the council needs to order the recall election for May 7, the same day as the mayoral election.

Mata and the now-resigned Lopez were some of the city officials arrested in the FBI's corruption case in February. Rodriguez faces unrelated charges for smuggling undocumented immigrants.

The recall petition predates their arrests.