Francisco Zayas Seijo
Encyclopedia
Dr. Francisco R. Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico (born October 4, 1951), is a former member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives
and mayor
of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico
. During his 4-year mayoral term, Zayas Seijo established the Mariana Suárez de Longo Library and Historical Archive of Ponce
, the Museum of Puerto Rican Autonomism
, the Centro Ponceño de Autismo
(English: Ponce Center for Autism), the Agüeybaná II "El Bravo" Plaza, and also expanded the Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park
. He gave birth to the concept of the Ponce Convention Center and the Ponce Aquarium. However, neither one saw fruiction before he completed his term in January 2009. He was, however, instrumental in the development of the Parque Lineal Veredas del Labrador
.
Luis Muñoz Marín
. He is a first cousin to journalist Jorge Seijo
.
When he was 16 years old, Zayas Seijo enrolled at the College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts
of Mayagüez
where he obtained a bachelor's degree in agronomy
. Afterwards, he was accepted at the Veterinary School of the University of Pennsylvania
in 1975 where he completed his doctoral degree in veterinary medicine
at age 23.
Upon marrying Nancy Colón in 1973, they moved to Ponce, Puerto Rico
.
. He remained in that position until 1991.
That year, his uncle, Humberto Zayas Chardón, retired from politics and vacated the seat he occupied in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. Zayas ran for the post and was elected by the party. He represented the 25th Representative District (Ponce
and Jayuya) for 13 years. He presided the House's Comisión de Hacienda (English: Treasury Commission) during the administration of governor Sila Calderón.
In 2000 he presided over an important commission that investigated government financial procedures a few months before the general election. The work he did garnered him all sort of criticism from his political opposition.
In 2004, Zayas Seijo was elected unanimously as the official candidate for the mayoral seat in Ponce, after the death of long-time mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago
. On November 2, 2004, he was elected mayor of Ponce by an ample margin. He was sworn into office on January 9, 2005.
On November 4, 2008, Zayas Seijo lost the election to the candidate of the New Progressive Party
, Dr. María "Mayita" Meléndez Altieri
and was succeeded on January 12, 2009.
in 2006. He started construction of the Ponce Convention Center and gave birth to the concept of the Ponce Aquarium. However, neither one was completed by the time Zayas' administration came to an end in January 2009. In October 2008, Zayas Seijo inaugurated Plaza Agüeybaná II "El Bravo" at the intersection of PR-123 and PR-2
in the Caracoles sector of barrio Playa
, Ponce. A plaque at the site marks the inauguration of the park dedicated to the memory of the leader of the last Taino
battle against the Spanish invaders in 1511. Zayas Seijo is also credited with expanding the Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park
in October, 2008, and with the establishment of the Ponce Center for Autism during his tenure.
House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico...
and mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
. During his 4-year mayoral term, Zayas Seijo established the Mariana Suárez de Longo Library and Historical Archive of Ponce
Ponce Municipal Library
The Ponce Municipal Library, formally, Biblioteca Municipal e Infantil Mariana Suárez de Longo y Archivo Histórico de Ponce , and also known as Bibliteca Publica de Ponce , is the library system of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
, the Museum of Puerto Rican Autonomism
Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro
The Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro is a tract of land in Barrio Segundo of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, originally designed as the city's cemetery, but later converted into what has come to be a famous burial place. Established in 1842, it is Puerto Rico's first national pantheon...
, the Centro Ponceño de Autismo
Centro Ponceño de Autismo
The Centro Ponceño de Autismo , or CEPA, is the only center specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of autism in Puerto Rico. It is a non-profit organization...
(English: Ponce Center for Autism), the Agüeybaná II "El Bravo" Plaza, and also expanded the Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park
Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park
The Parque Familiar Julio Enrique Monagas is Puerto Rico's largest passive park. It is located in barrio Bucaná, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on the banks of rivers Bucaná and Portugués...
. He gave birth to the concept of the Ponce Convention Center and the Ponce Aquarium. However, neither one saw fruiction before he completed his term in January 2009. He was, however, instrumental in the development of the Parque Lineal Veredas del Labrador
Parque Lineal Veredas del Labrador
The Parque Lineal Veredas del Labrador, also known as just the Parque Lineal and as Veredas del Labrador is a passive park currently under construction in Ponce, Puerto Rico.The park will link to, but it is different from, a neighboring park also currently under construction called Parque Lineal...
.
Early life
Zayas Seijo was born on October 4, 1951, in Santurce, Puerto Rico to Héctor Zayas Chardón and Dr. Esther Seijo Tizol. Both his parents were actively involved with former GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
. He is a first cousin to journalist Jorge Seijo
Jorge Seijo
-Early years:At the age of 16, Seijo, who was born in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, started his radio career in nearby Manatí, Puerto Rico at a local station, WMNT-AM . He received a degree in Economics at the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras and post grad. studies at George Washington...
.
When he was 16 years old, Zayas Seijo enrolled at the College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez in Spanish , is a land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant state university located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
of Mayagüez
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
where he obtained a bachelor's degree in agronomy
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
. Afterwards, he was accepted at the Veterinary School of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1975 where he completed his doctoral degree in veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
at age 23.
Upon marrying Nancy Colón in 1973, they moved to Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
.
Career and Work
In 1975 he established a successful veterinary clinic in Ponce. He also worked at several universities and gathered much recognition for his work. In 1980, he was selected as Distinguished Youth by the Who's Who in Young American People.Political career
Zayas Seijo got involved in politics in 1984 when Raúl Ramírez, mayoral candidate, recruited him to be part of his team. Even though they were defeated, Zayas established himself as the minority spokesmanSpokesman
A spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
. He remained in that position until 1991.
That year, his uncle, Humberto Zayas Chardón, retired from politics and vacated the seat he occupied in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. Zayas ran for the post and was elected by the party. He represented the 25th Representative District (Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
and Jayuya) for 13 years. He presided the House's Comisión de Hacienda (English: Treasury Commission) during the administration of governor Sila Calderón.
In 2000 he presided over an important commission that investigated government financial procedures a few months before the general election. The work he did garnered him all sort of criticism from his political opposition.
In 2004, Zayas Seijo was elected unanimously as the official candidate for the mayoral seat in Ponce, after the death of long-time mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago – better known as Churumba – was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as the Greatest Lion in reference to the city's nickname of The Lion City of Ponce...
. On November 2, 2004, he was elected mayor of Ponce by an ample margin. He was sworn into office on January 9, 2005.
On November 4, 2008, Zayas Seijo lost the election to the candidate of the New Progressive Party
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
, Dr. María "Mayita" Meléndez Altieri
María Meléndez
Dr. María Eloisa Meléndez Altieri, also known as Mayita, is the current mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was elected during the Puerto Rican general elections of 2008, becoming the first woman elected to the office in Ponce's political history...
and was succeeded on January 12, 2009.
Legacy
Zayas Seijo is best remembered for the establishment of the Biblioteca y Archivo Histórico de Ponce Mariana Suárez de Longo (Mariana Suárez de Longo Library and Historical Archive of Ponce) at a cost of $10.5 million USD. He also established the Museum of Puerto Rican Autonomism at Panteon Nacional Roman Baldorioty de CastroPanteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro
The Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro is a tract of land in Barrio Segundo of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, originally designed as the city's cemetery, but later converted into what has come to be a famous burial place. Established in 1842, it is Puerto Rico's first national pantheon...
in 2006. He started construction of the Ponce Convention Center and gave birth to the concept of the Ponce Aquarium. However, neither one was completed by the time Zayas' administration came to an end in January 2009. In October 2008, Zayas Seijo inaugurated Plaza Agüeybaná II "El Bravo" at the intersection of PR-123 and PR-2
Puerto Rico Highway 2
Puerto Rico Highway 2, the longest highway in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico at about 156 miles long, connects San Juan to Ponce....
in the Caracoles sector of barrio Playa
Playa (Ponce)
La Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
, Ponce. A plaque at the site marks the inauguration of the park dedicated to the memory of the leader of the last Taino
Taíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
battle against the Spanish invaders in 1511. Zayas Seijo is also credited with expanding the Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park
Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park
The Parque Familiar Julio Enrique Monagas is Puerto Rico's largest passive park. It is located in barrio Bucaná, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on the banks of rivers Bucaná and Portugués...
in October, 2008, and with the establishment of the Ponce Center for Autism during his tenure.
Personal life
Zayas has been married to Nancy Colón since 1973. They have four children together.See also
- Rafael Cordero SantiagoRafael Cordero SantiagoRafael Cordero Santiago – better known as Churumba – was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as the Greatest Lion in reference to the city's nickname of The Lion City of Ponce...