José Guillermo Tormos Vega (born 23 February 1925), known as Joselín, was a Puerto Rican

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

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 a ...

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 ...

from 2 January 1977 to 22 February 1984. Tormos Vega is credited with establishing, during his term as mayor,

Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes Centro may refer to: Places Brazil *Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Du ...

as a museum.

Elections

In the November 1976 elections, Tormos Vega defeated the incumbent mayor, Luis A. Morales, by more than 3,000 votes. He was re-elected in 1980.

Mayoral term

Among the public works projects that took place in the city during his tenure are the construction of the

Cruceta El Vigía ''Acanthocereus tetragonus'', is a species of cactus that is native to Florida and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. The species is invasive in New Cal ...

, the renovation of

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

, and the

Coto Laurel Coto Laurel (''Barrio Coto Laurel'') is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Lau ...

village square. He is also credited with establishing, during his term as mayor,

as a museum. In 1983, Tormos Vega honored long-time local legend Carlos Garay Villamil for his contributions to the traditions of the city of Ponce in his capacity as a horse-drawn carriage

coachman A coachman is an employee who drives a coach or carriage, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of passengers. A coachman has also been called a coachee, coachy, whip, or hackman. The coachman's first concern is to remain in full c ...

. A

plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I * Pla ...

has since been added to the front facade of the

Ponce City Hall The Ponce City Hall ( es, Casa Alcaldía de Ponce) is a historic city hall in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is located it the center of the city, on Calle Degetau, across from Plaza Degetau in the Ponce Historic Zone. The building serves as the seat ...

to commemorate the event.

Charged with extortion

Tormos Vega quit his position in 1984 upon being charged with

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

. He was replaced by

José Dapena Thompson José Joaquin Dapena Thompson (born c. 1938), known as Josito, was a Puerto Rican politician and Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 22 February 1984 to 1988. Schooling Dapena graduated from the University of Salamanca, Spain, in 1965. He practi ...

who, two and a half years later and in the midst of a hotly debated electoral campaign was forced to resign allegedly to dodge potential criminal prosecution for corruption.''United States v. Jose Tormos-Vega, United States of America v. Juan Luis Boscio, 959 F.2d 1103 (1st Cir. 1992).''
Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. (Filed: 18 March 1992) itations: 959 F.2d 1103; Docket Number: 89-1253 United States of America, Appellee, v. Jose TORMOS-VEGA, Defendant, Appellant. et. al. (Nos. 88-2235, 89-1253 and 89-2022.) 21 January 1992; Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc; ppealDenied 18 March 1992. Accessed 28 March 2017. Tormos Vega died in jail a few years later.''Informacion sobre Puerto Rico.''
Puerto Rico: Pueblo a Pueblo. Retrieved 27 November 2011.

Elections

Mayoral term

Charged with extortion

See also

References

Further reading