Waco City Council District 2 member defeats challenger for a second time

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Alice Rodriguez defeated challenger Tiffany Vidana for a second time Saturday as District 2 voters returned her to office by nine votes.

Rodriguez, 79, defeated Vidana by 19 votes last year in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Hector Sabido. Rodriguez received 122 votes for almost 52 percent of the vote, while Vidana, the 25-year-old daughter of Waco school board member Jose Vidana, garnered 113 votes.

Rodriguez did not return phone messages after the election Saturday night. She served on the city council from 1991 to 2001, took four years off and then served another 10 years.

She said before the election that experience counts, especially in times of such growth and development in Waco.

Rodriguez works part-time for the League of United Latin American Citizens and also is a lifelong resident of South Waco. She said she has a vested interest in extending her time on the council.

Vidana, a Baylor University student working on a master’s degree in social work and a part-time substitute teacher, said her narrow defeat will give her more time to finish her degree and prepare for another run in 2025.

“I will never give up on my community and doing community work,” she said. “I wish Alice best wishes and I hope she shows up for the community.”