Laredo firefighter Ricardo (Ricky) Jaime is on the March 1 Primary ballot for Webb County Commissioner Pct. 4, facing incumbent Cindy Liendo and bail bondsman Mike Castañeda.
Jaime, the son of Sandra García Figueroa and the late Guadalupe Jaime, was raised in Las Canta Ranas neighborhood and continues to reside there with his wife Cynthia Emma and children Andrea, Guadalupe Arturo II, and Valeria.
As the Commissioner for Pct. 4, Jaime wants to lower the tax rate to reflect an increase in appraisal values; provide better employee wages and benefits; create health benefits for Webb County retirees; implement an aggressive approach to traffic congestion in the Mines Rd. area; create better policies to address court delays; fund County Court at Law III; build a new centralized tax office; and create economic development opportunities by inviting good companies to see what Laredo has to offer.
“I’m bringing a new perspective to deal with Pct. 4’s under-representation on the Commissioner’s Court. There is currently not a sense of moving forward or being proactive about health care issues and traffic congestion. I’ll change that. I want the county’s Odyssey system to work at its full potential. The system can be implemented to notify defendants of their court dates. The entries that initiate at the Sheriff’s Department could include more complete contact information for the defendants, such as addresses and telephone numbers. That could lighten the 40% ‘failure to appear’ cases that have burdened the judicial system.” Jaime said.
Jaime, 41, is in his 20th year of service as a firefighter, a career that he says has been both challenging and rewarding. “Every call is a call for help. You do all possible to change the tragedy that is in front of you. I have fought many fires, revived a newborn, and tried to offer comfort for huge losses in people’s lives. We are proud of our work as firefighters,” he said
He said the sudden death of his father, which left Jaime the man of the house at 13, forever instilled in him the virtue of respect, the value of financial preparedness, and the knowledge that time is precious.
“Losing him changed my perceptions. He was a large figure in my life. I missed him on many occasions. We were fortunate to have a beautiful, loving mother who has been a supportive role model to me and my sisters,” Jaime said.
“A neighbor who was a carpenter taught me how to build, and I worked with him until I was 18. Mr. Noyola of the Boys Club, where my father and my uncles had been boxers, hired me to help with sporting events,” he continued.
After graduation from Martin High School in 1998, Jaime worked as a runner for the Kazen Meurer Perez law firm where he became licensed to serve citations.
In 2003, he established J & J Bail Bonds, the name of the company a nod to his late father who had a business of the same name.
If elected, Jaime plans to retire his bail bond license to avoid the spectre of conflict of interest, because, should he win the race for Pct. 4, the position has oversight of bail bond operators and other matters related to court proceedings and personnel.
In 2008 Jaime and two close friends established Angel Care, a licensed ambulance service. “We have between 22 and 35 paramedics on staff. The partners are on fulltime, and I ride at night,” he said.
In 2011 Jaime was promoted to manage 9-1-1 calls in the unincorporated communities of Webb County.
He recently added home construction to his business portfolio.
He is president of the Laredo Fire Dept. Federal Credit Union, the executive director of the Seven Flags Regional Advisory Committee for Trauma, and a board member of Giving Tree of South Texas,
“If I have been successful at my job and in the private sector, it is because I work for my children to have the educational opportunities they will need to have good lives,” he said, adding, “When we travel on our annual family vacation, we visit cities that have universities and museums. I’m an optimist. My daily goal in my family is to make good memories for my kids and to guide them.”
He considers himself “frugal and responsible, a simple person who doesn’t seek attention.”
He said running for commissioner is not a career move. “I want to bring my life’s experiences to the job — those of a public servant and those of the fiscal responsibilities that have made my businesses successful.”
“I know my neighbors. I really grew up here, and I really do live here. Our home is two blocks away from my mother’s house. This is my story so far,” he said.
