Francisco R. Zayas Seijo, also known as Ico (born 4 October 1951), is a former member of the
Puerto Rico House of Representatives
The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico ( es, Cámara de Representantes de Puerto Rico) is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the bicameral territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The House, together with the Sen ...
and
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of the city of
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...
Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño
The Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño (English: Museum of Puerto Rican Autonomism) is a small museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that showcases the political history of Puerto Rico with an emphasis on the contributions made by the municipality of ...
, the Centro Ponceño de Autismo (English: Ponce Center for Autism), the ''Agüeybaná II "El Bravo"'' Plaza, and also expanded the
Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park
Parque Familiar Julio Enrique Monagas (English: ''Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park'') is Puerto Rico's largest passive park.Centro de Convenciones de Ponce and the Ponce Aquarium; however, neither one of these two saw fruition before he completed his term in January 2009. He was, however, instrumental in the development of the Parque Lineal Veredas del Labrador, as well as the Río Portugués Dam and the expansion of the Ponce Municipal Police. During his administration, the Municipal Police acquired, installed, and put into operation 106 street cameras and a video command center. These were complemented by 130 additional cameras installed by the
Puerto Rico Police
The Puerto Rico Police Department ( es, Policía de Puerto Rico), officially the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, is a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the entire Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a division of the Puerto Rico Department ...
.
Early life
Zayas Seijo was born on 4 October 1951, in
Santurce, Puerto Rico
Santurce (, from the Basque ''Santurtzi'' which means Saint George) is a barrio or district in the municipality of San Juan. Its population in 2020 was 69,469. It is also the biggest and most populated of all the barrios in the capital city wit ...
to Héctor Zayas Chardón and Dr. Esther Seijo Tizol. Both his parents were actively involved with former
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Luis Muñoz Marín
José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín (February 18, 1898April 30, 1980) was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician, statesman and was the first elected governor of Puerto Rico, regarded as the "Architect of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth."
In 1948 he ...
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
in 1975 where he completed his doctoral degree in
veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
.
Upon marrying Nancy Colón in 1973, they moved to Ponce.
Career and work
In 1975 he established a successful veterinary clinic in Ponce. He also worked at several universities and gathered much recognition for his work. In 1980, he was selected as ''Distinguished Youth'' by the ''Who's Who in Young American People''.
Political career
Zayas Seijo got involved in politics in 1984 when Raúl Ramírez, mayoral candidate, recruited him to be part of his team. Even though they were defeated, Zayas established himself as the minority
spokesman
A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.
Duties and function
In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
. He remained in that position until 1991.
That year, his uncle, Humberto Zayas Chardón, retired from politics and vacated the seat he occupied in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. Zayas ran for the post and was elected. He represented the 25th Representative District ( Ponce and
Jayuya
Jayuya (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 10 barrios and Jayuya Pueblo (the downtown and administra ...
) for 13 years. He presided the House's ''Comisión de Hacienda'' (English: Treasury Commission) during the administration of governor
Sila Calderón
Sila may refer to :
Places and jurisdictions
; Asia
* Silla, one of the three kingdoms of ancient Korea
* Sila, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
; Europe
* La Sila, a mountainous area of Calabria, Italy
** Sila National Park
* Siła, Warmian-Mas ...
.
In 2000 he presided over an important commission that investigated government financial procedures a few months before the general election. The work he did garnered him all sort of criticism from his political opposition.
In 2004, Zayas Seijo was elected unanimously as the official candidate for the mayoral seat in Ponce, after the death of long-time mayor
Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago (24 October 1942 – 17 January 2004), better known as "Churumba", was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as "El León Mayor ...
. On 2 November 2004, he was elected mayor of Ponce by an ample margin. He was sworn into office on 9 January 2005.
On 4 November 2008, Zayas Seijo lost the election to the candidate of the New Progressive Party, María "Mayita" Meléndez Altieri and was succeeded on 2 January 2009.
Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro
The Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro (English: Román Baldorioty de Castro National Pantheon) is a tract of land in Barrio Segundo of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, originally designed as the city's cemetery, but later converted ...
in 2006. He started construction of the Centro de Convenciones de Ponce and gave birth to the concept of the Ponce Aquarium. However, neither one was completed by the time Zayas' administration came to an end in January 2009. In October 2008, Zayas Seijo inaugurated '' Plaza Agüeybaná II "El Bravo"'' at the intersection of
PR-123
Puerto Rico Highway 123 (PR-123) is a secondary highway that connects the city Arecibo to the city of Ponce. It runs through the towns of Utuado and Adjuntas, before reaching Ponce. A parallel road is being built, PR-10, that is expected to tak ...
and
PR-2
Puerto Rico Highway 2 (PR-2) is a road in Puerto Rico that connects the cities of San Juan and Ponce. At 156 miles (230 km) long, it is Puerto Rico's longest singled-signed highway.
The road runs counter-clockwise from San Juan to Ponce. ...
in the Caracoles sector of barrio Playa, Ponce. A plaque at the site marks the inauguration of the park dedicated to the memory of the leader of the last
Taíno
The Taíno were a historic indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the pri ...
battle against the Spanish invaders in 1511. Zayas Seijo is also credited with expanding the
Zayas has been married to Nancy Colón since 1973. They have four children together.
See also
*
Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago (24 October 1942 – 17 January 2004), better known as "Churumba", was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as "El León Mayor ...