Speaker of Villalba Municipal Assembly replaces resigning Rep. Aponte Rosario
By The Star Staff
Popular Democratic Party President Jesús Manuel Ortiz González announced Sunday that Jesús “Chui” Hernández was elected as representative for the 26th House District (Villalba, Barranquitas, Coamo and Orocovis) following the resignation of Orlando Aponte Rosario.
“We are extremely satisfied with the participation of the delegates for this election,” Ortiz González said in a written statement. “This is an unequivocal sign that our popular base is activating, resuming their roles and ready to work for the PDP.”
With the participation of 90 of the 119 delegates with the right to vote, Hernández, who until Sunday had presided over the Villalba Municipal Assembly, was selected with 49 votes and will be sworn in as district representative as soon as the election is certified and he completes the obligatory training with the Office of the Comptroller and the Office of Government Ethics.
“My first reaction is to thank all the delegates who participated in the process, honoring Puerto Rican democracy,” Hernández said when the results became known. “Also, I want to express my respect for compañero John Avilés for this short campaign that lived up to what our District 26 deserves.”
With the electoral redistricting that takes place every 10 years, the district will also include two Corozal units in the 2024 elections.
Hernández pointed out that he aspired to the position because “for me public service is a natural vocation, and given the current circumstances, I made myself available to the delegates.”
“For the past seven years I have served in the Villalba Municipal Legislature, where I have had the opportunity to preside over the Public Works Committee, as well as the Recreation and Sports Committee.”
In the past three years, Hernández has served as leader of the municipal assembly in Villalba.
“My experience in the private sector as an engineer for the past 10 years gives me a broad vision of the challenges we face as a society and government,” he said.
Speaking to the media in Barranquitas, Hernández emphasized that his priorities are improvements to roads (paving), support for sports (particularly community entities) and maximizing legislative allocations to improve the state of the district’s schools.
In general terms, he said, he will join in the allocation work for the continued reconstruction of the municipalities that he will represent in the lower chamber.