Carlos Méndez Martínez

Carlos Méndez Martínez
Mayor of Aguadilla
Assumed office
January 2, 1997
Preceded by Agnes Bermúdez Acevedo
Chair of the Republican Party of Puerto Rico
In office
2007 – November 1, 2015
Deputy Jenniffer González
Preceded by Tiody de Jesús Vda. Ferré
Succeeded by Jenniffer González
Personal details
Born (1943-06-30) June 30, 1943
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, U.S.
Political party New Progressive Party (PNP)
Spouse(s)

Mildred Cortes Ramos

Heidi G. Mayer (m. 1977; div. 1998)
Children Mark A. Méndez
Residence Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Education University of Washington
Occupation Politician
Net worth US$1,503,880 (2012)[1]
Military service
Allegiance United States United States of America
Service/branch United States Army

Carlos Méndez Martínez (born June 30, 1943) is an American politician and current mayor of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Early life and education

Carlos Méndez-Martínez was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to Pablo Méndez-Ellinger, a tobacconist from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico and Rosa Martínez-Rosa, a housewife from Rincón, Puerto Rico. His dad died when Méndez was one year old and his mother died when he was 9 years old.[2] Without having graduated from high school, at age 17, he joined the United States Army, becoming a veteran at the age of 19. He studied silversmithing and gemology and worked in both. He also worked in the real estate business.[3] At the age of 45, Méndez took the GED and studied an Associate of Arts in Political Science at a community college and continued to study a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of Washington, graduating in 1992.[4] Méndez, wrote a book titled Tuve que contar mi historia,[5] it was published in 2009 by Editorial Tiempo Nuevo.[6]

Political career

In 1995, he returned to Puerto Rico, and ran for mayor of Aguadilla at the 1996 general elections. He has been reelected in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. In the 2008 elections, he received almost 70% of the votes. His margin of victory was one of the largest among elected mayors in that election.[7] He was the president of the Republican Party of Puerto Rico from 2007 to 2015 and president of the Puerto Rico Mayors Federation.[8] In 2012, Méndez endorsed the nomination of Mitt Romney for president of the United States in the 2012 Republican National Convention.[9] After 24 years as mayor, Méndez announced he would not seek re-election in 2020.[10]

Among his notable works as mayor is the Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena,[11] Ramey Base Bowling Alley, Aguadilla Electronic Library, Atlantic Garden Veterans Cemetery,[12] Paseo Real Marina,[13] Las Cascadas Hotel,[14] Aguadilla City Center,[15] Skate and Splash Park,[16] and Tres Palmas Park.[17]

Personal life

He married on January 1, 1977 with Heidi G. Méndez (née Mayer) in King County, Seattle, Washington. They had a son, Mark A. Méndez. Méndez divorced in 1998, after 21 years of marriage. In 1999, he met his current wife Mildred Cortes-Ramos.[18]

References

  1. ↑ http://endata.prdecide.elnuevodia.com/alcaldes/5
  2. ↑ http://www.primerahora.com/noticias/policia-tribunales/nota/alcaldedeaguadillaestimalasperdidasdelfuegodesuresidenciaen150mil-340510/
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jedJmYRZtqI
  4. ↑ http://www.wipr.pr/video-reconocen-exito-de-programa-contra-desercion-escolar-uno-a-uno/
  5. ↑ https://www.libreriaisla.com/collections/catalogo-general-de-libros/carlos-mendez-martinez
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jedJmYRZtqI
  7. ↑ Carmen Milagros Díaz (January 15, 2012). "Hablan los alcaldes invencibles". El Vocero. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01.
  8. ↑ https://laislaoeste.com/2018/06/05/aguadilla-y-moca-favorecen-el-cobro-por-recogido-de-basura/
  9. ↑ http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=100229
  10. ↑ https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/politica/nota/elalcaldedeaguadillaanunciaqueseretiraenel2020-2382560/
  11. ↑ http://endata.prdecide.elnuevodia.com/alcaldes/5
  12. ↑ https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/nota/cementerioparaveteranos-1103306/
  13. ↑ http://www.primerahora.com/elnorte/noticias/puerto-rico/nota/mejorasenaguadillaprometenatraeramuchosmasturistas-1205171/
  14. ↑ https://www.elnuevodia.com/negocios/finanzas/nota/lascascadasdeaguadillatendrahotel-1002524/
  15. ↑ https://www.elnuevodia.com/negocios/finanzas/nota/encuentraaguadillasumotoraldesarrollo-979607/
  16. ↑ https://www.elnuevodia.com/negocios/empresas/nota/proliferanlasempresasmunicipales-2296472/
  17. ↑ https://www.elnuevodia.com/negocios/finanzas/nota/encuentraaguadillasumotoraldesarrollo-979607/
  18. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI4nJaLvJP0
Political offices
Preceded by
Agnes Bermúdez Acevedo		 Mayor of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
1997 - Present		 Succeeded by
Present
Party political offices
Preceded by
Tiody de Jesús Vda. Ferré		 Chairman of the Puerto Rico Republican Party
2007–2015		 Succeeded by
Jenniffer González


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.