Governor says she won’t withdraw nomination of advocate for people with disabilities

By THE STAR STAFF

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón said Thursday that she will not withdraw the nomination of David Figueroa as advocate for people with disabilities, despite objections raised by some senators.

“I saw a letter [sent by] the United Retailers Center, opposing the nomination of Dr. David Figueroa as advocate for people with disabilities. The letter doesn’t mention the advocate; it talks about lawyers and other people and other things that have nothing to do with him,” the governor said at a press conference. “The person I am nominating is the advocate, not the group of people mentioned there. And second, we spoke with the advocate; he denies any kind of accusation and says that he has always been defending the interests of people with disabilities, which is why many of these organizations supported his nomination, and he will continue to do so.”

“And I will not withdraw that nomination,” González Colón said. “The Senate will review it. I believe that the best process is the public hearing process, and in this case, the advocate, who comes from humble beginnings and whose entire career has been dedicated to defending people with disabilities, can defend himself against any accusation. In fact, he has never been charged with anything, so when I read the letter, I thought, well, one thing is that there are people who make accusations, but this person has no charges against him, no pending cases.”

So far, Senate Alternate Majority Leader Juan Oscar Morales Rodríguez, has stated that he will not vote for Figueroa.

Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, who chairs the Appointments Committee, was in Washington on Thursday and had not yet commented on the nominee.