Carlos Méndez Martínez

Carlos Méndez Martínez (born June 26, 1943) is a Puerto Rican politician and former mayor of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico for 24 years.[1]

Carlos Méndez Martínez
Mayor of Aguadilla
In office
January 2, 1997 – January 27, 2020
Preceded byAgnes Bermúdez Acevedo
Succeeded byYanitsia Irizarry Méndez
Chair of the Republican Party of Puerto Rico
In office
2007 – November 1, 2015
DeputyJenniffer González
Preceded byTiody de Jesús Vda. Ferré
Succeeded byJenniffer González
Personal details
Born (1943-06-26) June 26, 1943
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Political partyNew Progressive Party (PNP, Locally), Republican (Nationally)
Spouse(s)Mildred Cortes Ramos Heidi G. Mayer (m. 1977; div. 1998)
ChildrenMark A. Méndez
ResidenceAguadilla, Puerto Rico
EducationUniversity of Washington
OccupationPolitician
Net worthUS$1,503,880 (2012)[1]
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Branch/service United States Army

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] which was published in 2009 by Editorial Tiempo Nuevo.[3]

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.[6] He was the president of the Republican Party of Puerto Rico from 2007 to 2015 and president of the Puerto Rico Mayors Federation.[7] In 2012, Méndez endorsed the nomination of Mitt Romney for president of the United States in the 2012 Republican National Convention.[8] After 24 years as mayor, Méndez announced he would not seek re-election in 2020.[9]

Among his notable works as mayor is the Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena,[1] Ramey Base Bowling Alley, Aguadilla Electronic Library, Atlantic Garden Veterans Cemetery,[10] Paseo Real Marina,[11] Las Cascadas Hotel,[12] Aguadilla City Center,[13] Skate and Splash Park,[14] and Tres Palmas Park.[13]

In 2019, Aguadilla received the City Livability Award from the United States Conference of Mayors and honored the efforts spearheaded by Carlos Méndez Martínez.[15]

Personal life

He married on January 1, 1977 with Heidi G. Méndez (née Mayer) at Seattle in King County, 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.[16]

References
  1. "Perfil de alcalde Carlos Méndez Martínez". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish).
  2. "Alcalde de Aguadilla estima las pérdidas del fuego de su residencia en $150 mil". Primera Hora (in Spanish). October 27, 2009.
  3. "EN RECORD con el Honorable Carlos Mendez" – via www.youtube.com.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-07-18. Retrieved 2018-07-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Catálogo General de Libros". Libreria Isla: Tu Isla en el mundo.
  6. Carmen Milagros Díaz (January 15, 2012). "Hablan los alcaldes invencibles". El Vocero. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-07-21. Retrieved 2018-07-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Press Release - Mitt Romney Announces Support of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico Mayor Carlos Mendez; Gains One More Delegate | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu.
  9. "El alcalde de Aguadilla anuncia que se retira en el 2020". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). December 15, 2017.
  10. "Cementerio para veteranos". El Nuevo Dia (in Spanish). October 26, 2011.
  11. "Mejoras en Aguadilla prometen atraer a muchos más turistas". Primera Hora (in Spanish). February 9, 2017.
  12. "Las Cascadas de Aguadilla tendrá hotel". El Nuevo Dia (in Spanish). June 28, 2011.
  13. "Encuentra Aguadilla su motor al desarrollo". El Nuevo Dia (in Spanish). May 31, 2011.
  14. "Proliferan las empresas municipales". El Nuevo Dia (in Spanish). March 1, 2017.
  15. GmbH, finanzen.net (June 29, 2019). "Plano & Aguadilla Deemed". markets.businessinsider.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  16. "Acusan a Alcalde de Aguadilla de Supuestamente Agredir a su Esposa" – via www.youtube.com.
Political offices
Preceded by
Agnes Bermúdez Acevedo		 Mayor of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
1997–2020		 Succeeded by
Yanitsia Irizarry
Party political offices
Preceded by
Tiody de Jesús Vda. Ferré		 Chairman of the Puerto Rico Republican Party
2007–2015		 Succeeded by
Jenniffer González


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