08/29/2026
🔥 LET’S TALK ABOUT THE TRUTH…
TAXES, ECONOMIC GROWTH AND TRANSPARENCY.
There’s a lot being said about Mission’s past, its economy and who should be held responsible.
Rick Salinas is setting the record straight.
No political spin. No passing the blame. Let’s talk about what happened, what worked, what changed and what Mission needs moving forward.
▶️ Watch. Listen.
Because if you want to lead a city, you better understand how that city works. 🇺🇸
Rick Salinas for City of Mission Mayor 2026
FACTS!
📌 MAYOR BETO SALINAS
A LIFE OF SERVICE.
A LEGACY OF PROGRESS. A COMMITMENT TO MISSION AND HIDALGO COUNTY. 🕊️
There are political promises and then there is a PROVEN RECORD.
For 20 years, Mayor Beto Salinas helped lead Mission through a period of extraordinary growth and transformation.
He was known as a hardworking, honest, accountable and fiscally responsible leader who believed that growth didn’t have to come at the expense of taxpayers.
During his tenure, Mission’s property tax rate was lowered by 21% from 63 cents to 48 cents while the city’s total property value grew from approximately $750 million in 1998 to $4.9 BILLION in 2018.
But those numbers tell only part of the story.
Look around Mission today and you can still see the work.
🚧 1998–2018: A RECORD OF RESULTS
• A new Mission City Hall
• The Mission Event Center
• A new Chamber of Commerce building
• A new Police Station and Municipal Court
• A new South Mission Police Substation
• Mission’s police force grew from 80 officers to 158, while its fleet grew from 48 to 115 units
• More than $9 million in state and federal grants secured for the Police Department in his final years
• A new Central Fire Station and three new substations
• The Fire Department grew from 22 firefighters to 67, while its fleet tripled from 20 units to 60
• Major expansion of Speer Memorial Library
• Renovation of the Mission Historical Museum
• Nearly $500 million in major street and transportation improvements
• Construction of the Anzalduas International Bridge
• More than $7.5 million invested in Mission’s parks through the Mission Better Parks Improvement Plan
• Development of the Mission Hike & Bike Trails
• New city gyms and swimming pools
• Construction of the CEED Building
• Creation of the annual $100,000 Ruby Red Ventures fund to encourage entrepreneurship and small-business development
• Mission ranked among the nation’s 20 fastest-growing cities by WalletHub from 2010–2016
• Employment in Mission grew 27% between 2008 and 2017
• Mission EDC’s STEAM initiatives received White House recognition in 2015
• Development of the Mission Tennis Center at Birdwell Park
• A $2.6 million Downtown Streetscape renovation
• More than $100 million in private expansion investments from Royal Technologies, Stanley Black & Decker and Southwest Steel, with approximately 1,000 new jobs
• Expansion of Mission’s water and wastewater treatment plants and construction of four new water towers
• New drainage and sewer infrastructure throughout Mission
• 352 new homes constructed and another 115 renovated through the CDBG program
Those aren’t simply numbers on an old report.
They represent police officers protecting families. Firefighters answering calls. Roads carrying generations of residents. Businesses creating jobs. Parks filled with children. Homes where families built their lives. Infrastructure that helped a growing city move forward.
That’s why a true legacy isn’t measured by how long someone occupied an office.
It’s measured by what was left behind when they walked out of it.
Mayor Beto Salinas left behind a Mission that had grown, expanded and changed dramatically during his 20 years of leadership.
And there is something else his legacy left behind:
A son who watched it all.
A son who learned firsthand that leadership requires more than words. It requires knowledge, courage, accountability, vision and most importantly, a heart for the people you serve and the same understanding of who City Hall ultimately belongs to:
THE PEOPLE. ❤️🇺🇸
A LEGACY OF SERVICE. A RECORD OF RESULTS. AND A NEW CHAPTER WAITING TO BE WRITTEN.
🙏🏼 NBS — December 28, 1946
🕊️ Mayor Beto Salinas (1946–2023)
HOPE IS HERE. CHANGE IS NEAR.
Hope Is Here.
Change Is Near.
🇺🇸
