Joe Wardy
Encyclopedia
Joseph D. Wardy is the former mayor of El Paso, Texas
. He was elected mayor in 2003, when he defeated the previous incumbent Raymond Caballero
. Wardy was defeated by John Cook
in the 2005 municipal election.
Wardy, a businessman in the trucking industry, was generally regarded as favorable to business interests, in contrast to his predecessor's more confrontational stand against "big developers" and industries. During his term, El Paso transitioned from a mayor-council form of government to one with a "weak mayor" and appointed city manager
.
Wardy is of Lebanese
and Mexican
descent.
On Tuesday, May 9, 2006, The National Center for the Employment of the Disabled (NCED) (renamed Ready One Industries, in March 2006), of which Wardy was President and CEO, was raided by over 65 agents with FBI, General Services Administration
, US Army and IRS
. The raid which began at 8:00am, and lasted well into the evening, was part of an ongoing probe into contracts awarded. The company won contracts based on a promise that at least 75 percent of workers filling government orders would be severely disabled. Officers took over two truck loads of documents and several copied hard drives from office computers to aid in the investigation. It was soon thereafter concluded that Wardy was responsible for no wrongdoing.
Wardy was detained and questioned by police and the FBI after a screener at the El Paso International Airport
detected a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage on Wednesday, March 7, 2007. Wardy was the fifth individual attempting to carry a weapon aboard an aircraft since 2005 According to FBI spokeswoman Andrea Simmons. Simmons described the gun, which was confiscated by the FBI, as a .22-caliber Beretta. Wardy was released after being questioned. He was not arrested or charged, however, the U.S. Attorney's Office has requested that the investigation continue.
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. He was elected mayor in 2003, when he defeated the previous incumbent Raymond Caballero
Raymond Caballero
Raymond Caballero is an American attorney and politician. He was the mayor of El Paso, Texas from 2001 until 2003. He was elected in May 2001, defeating former mayor Larry Francis in a runoff election with 62.5% of the vote...
. Wardy was defeated by John Cook
John Cook (El Paso)
John Cook is an American teacher, businessman, veteran, civic leader, and member of the Paso Del Norte Group. Cook has been Mayor of El Paso, Texas since defeating incumbent Joe Wardy in June 2005, and was reelected in 2009 to a second four-year term...
in the 2005 municipal election.
Wardy, a businessman in the trucking industry, was generally regarded as favorable to business interests, in contrast to his predecessor's more confrontational stand against "big developers" and industries. During his term, El Paso transitioned from a mayor-council form of government to one with a "weak mayor" and appointed city manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
.
Wardy is of Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
descent.
On Tuesday, May 9, 2006, The National Center for the Employment of the Disabled (NCED) (renamed Ready One Industries, in March 2006), of which Wardy was President and CEO, was raided by over 65 agents with FBI, General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
, US Army and IRS
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
. The raid which began at 8:00am, and lasted well into the evening, was part of an ongoing probe into contracts awarded. The company won contracts based on a promise that at least 75 percent of workers filling government orders would be severely disabled. Officers took over two truck loads of documents and several copied hard drives from office computers to aid in the investigation. It was soon thereafter concluded that Wardy was responsible for no wrongdoing.
Wardy was detained and questioned by police and the FBI after a screener at the El Paso International Airport
El Paso International Airport
El Paso International Airport is a public airport located four miles northeast of the central business district of the City of El Paso, in El Paso County, Texas, USA....
detected a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage on Wednesday, March 7, 2007. Wardy was the fifth individual attempting to carry a weapon aboard an aircraft since 2005 According to FBI spokeswoman Andrea Simmons. Simmons described the gun, which was confiscated by the FBI, as a .22-caliber Beretta. Wardy was released after being questioned. He was not arrested or charged, however, the U.S. Attorney's Office has requested that the investigation continue.