A few days out from the December 13 general election runoff, José R. Perez III is upbeat about his race for the District II City Council seat against incumbent Vidal Rodriguez.
Perez, a native son of the south side and the son of lifetime educator José Perez Jr., is principal of Santo Niño Elementary School, an LISD campus of 700+ students and 46 teachers. He has held that position since 2015.
He’s a 1995 graduate of Cigarroa High School and a 2001 graduate of TAMIU with a degree in psychology and a minor in sociology. He completed a master’s degree in education administration at TAMIU in 2006.
Perez was a classroom teacher for eight years before becoming the assistant principal of the Santo Niño campus in 2008. He was named principal of Dovalina Elementary in 2011 and served there until taking the leadership role at Santo Niño.
He characterizes his management style as collaborative. “I initiate an idea and its framework.Teachers provide feedback, and together we formulate what is best for our campus,” he said.
His educational philosophy rests on the belief that all students can learn if they have the right tools.Those tools, Perez said, include critical thinking skills, being able to rationalize, and being able to articulate concerns. “Technology is an important tool as well,” he added.
“The skills I use as an administrator will be put to good use as a member of the Laredo City Council. I understand budgets and financials, safety and security, good hiring practices,writing grants, working with committees, planning, making assessments,establishing priorities, and checks and balances,” he continued.
“In addition to those important fundamentals, I have the will to represent District II with transparency and integrity,” he said, adding that corruption at several levels needs to be addressed.
“I have learned as I have gone door to door that the people of District II want a change. Many have said they are fed up with the representation they have. Some are City employees who allege micromanagement and mistreatment,” Perez continued.
He recently appeared before the City Council to address the City’s decision to move the District II voting site from Santo Niño Elementary to Dryden Park. “The residents of the district have voted at the school for more 40 years. I made my point before Council. My opponent abstained from voting,and Council decided to change the site to San Vicente de Paolo Church across the street from the school,” Perez explained.
Perez said he sees the potential for the increased and sustainable economic viability of District II and the City of Laredo. “To that end, I will work for needed infrastructure improvements in this district and throughout the City.”
Two of his immediate goals are to stage community cleanups to beautify District II and to make more youth sport activities available in the district at no charge to the participants.
Perez, 41, said he stands “on the side of right” and has a proven record of leadership and honesty.
Perez and his wife Marisela Mata Perez have two sons, José IV and José Riley.
SIDEBAR
The dubious highlight of the public life of Perez’s opponent, Vidal Rodriguez, was Rodriguez’s indictment and arrest for accessing the protected juvenile records of his first District II opponent, Annette Bonugli, and proliferating those sealed documents via social media.
An investigation by the FBI and the Webb County District Attorney’s office determined that Rodriguez, a Webb County court coordinator at the time, used a County computer to access the information.
Among Rodriguez’s other suspect qualities as a City Council member are his penchant to treat District II — home to many hardworking Laredo families — as a fiefdom.
His long winded avowals of a personal commitment to right wrongs inflicted upon his people are archaic and patronizing.
Well he could begin with righting the wrong of District II’s Lazy River debacle, a cool water respite promised for completion summer after summer to the children of South Laredo.
District II is no fiefdom, and Rodriguez is no Robin Hood.
