Roque Vela Jr.
Roque Vela was a member of the Laredo City Council in Texas, representing District 5. Vela assumed office in 2012. Vela left office in 2016.
Vela ran for election for Mayor of Laredo in Texas. Vela lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Although city council elections in Laredo are officially nonpartisan, Vela is known to be affiliated with the Democratic Party.[1]
Biography
Vela received an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Hardin-Simmons University.[1]
As of his run for re-election in 2016, Vela was the general manager of the Laredo family entertainment business, Jett Bowl, and the owner and president of the Jett Bowl location in Del Rio.
Vela was a member of the Laredo City Council's City-County Government Issues, Finance, and Veterans Affairs Committees at the time of his 2016 campaign. He was also a member of the Laredo Municipal Housing Corporation and the Metropolitan Planning Organization.[1][2]
Elections
2022
See also: Mayoral election in Laredo, Texas (2022)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Mayor of Laredo
Victor Treviño defeated Mercurio Martinez III in the general runoff election for Mayor of Laredo on December 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Victor Treviño (Nonpartisan) | 54.1 | 8,419 |
 | Mercurio Martinez III (Nonpartisan) | 45.9 | 7,154 | |
| Total votes: 15,573 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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General election
General election for Mayor of Laredo
The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Laredo on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mercurio Martinez III (Nonpartisan) | 21.8 | 9,097 |
| ✔ | | Victor Treviño (Nonpartisan) | 21.0 | 8,765 |
| Cynthia Mares (Nonpartisan) | 18.8 | 7,859 | ||
 | Roque Vela (Nonpartisan) | 17.5 | 7,323 | |
| Poncho Casso (Nonpartisan) | 12.0 | 5,027 | ||
| Gus Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) | 2.4 | 987 | ||
| Juan Garza (Nonpartisan) | 2.3 | 965 | ||
| Felipe Ramirez (Nonpartisan) | 1.6 | 655 | ||
| Louis Bruni (Nonpartisan) | 1.4 | 592 | ||
| Kobby Bryand (Nonpartisan) | 1.1 | 468 | ||
| Total votes: 41,738 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2018
- See also: Mayoral election in Laredo, Texas (2018)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Mayor of Laredo
Incumbent Pete Saenz defeated Roque Vela in the general runoff election for Mayor of Laredo on December 13, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Pete Saenz (Nonpartisan) | 64.5 | 13,978 |
| Roque Vela (Nonpartisan) | 35.5 | 7,698 | |
| Total votes: 21,676 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Mayor of Laredo
Incumbent Pete Saenz and Roque Vela advanced to a runoff. They defeated Charlie San Miguel, Avelino Juarez, and Randall Walden in the general election for Mayor of Laredo on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Pete Saenz (Nonpartisan) | 47.7 | 21,864 |
| ✔ | | Roque Vela (Nonpartisan) | 27.9 | 12,814 |
 | Charlie San Miguel (Nonpartisan) | 20.4 | 9,358 | |
| Avelino Juarez (Nonpartisan) | 2.2 | 988 | ||
| Randall Walden (Nonpartisan) | 1.8 | 827 | ||
| Total votes: 45,851 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
The city of Laredo, Texas, held elections for city council on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was August 22, 2016. Four of the seven city council seats were up for election. The District 4 race advanced to a runoff election on December 17, 2016. Norma Vielma defeated incumbent Roque Vela Jr. in the Laredo City Council District 5 general election.[3]
| Laredo City Council District 5, General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Norma Vielma |
56.00% | 4,841 |
| Roque Vela Jr. Incumbent | 44.00% | 3,804 |
| Total Votes | 8,645 | |
| Source: City of Laredo, "Final 2016 General Election results," accessed November 29, 2016 | ||
Endorsements
Vela received endorsements from the following in 2016:
- Fraternal Order of Police[4]
- Laredo Firefighters[4]
- Laredo Police Officers Association[4]
- Laredo City Councilman Juan Narvaez[5]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Roque Vela did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Vela's official website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
[Vela's] business experience has led to Council Member Vela to be 'pro-business' and believes in investing in infrastructure and human capital to secure a better future for District 5. Vela works to foster economic growth in all aspects of the City and investment in public safety departments like Fire and Police. His strategy while serving on the City Council has been to pursue investments in the proper infrastructure in order to make Laredo a more attractive location for businesses and help create job opportunities for the people of District 5. This also translates to incentive packages which have recently netted major business openings that also provide a new source for entertainment and economic development, not only for District 5 but the City of Laredo as a whole. Vela works closely with his fellow Council Members towards achieving this purpose and ensuring the prosperity of the city of Laredo as a whole.[6][7] |
” |
While announcing his run for re-election, Vela said, "The first five propositions on our ballot this year — the quote and quote 'moving Laredo forward' propositions — would do the exact opposite. Voting for those propositions would rip city government right from the hands of the people and put it in the hands of the wealthy."[5]
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Facebook, "Roque Vela Jr.," accessed October 2, 2016
- ↑ Roque Vela, Jr. - Council Member - District V, "Committees," accessed October 2, 2016
- ↑ City of Laredo, "2016 General Elections: District 5 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Facebook, "Council Member Roque Vela Jr. on September 11, 2016," accessed October 2, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Laredo Morning Times, "District V Councilman Roque Vela Officially Announces Re-Election Bid," September 12, 2016
- ↑ Roque Vela, Jr. - Council Member - District V, "Biography," accessed October 2, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Johnny Rendon Sr. |
Laredo City Council, District 5 2012 - 2016 |
Succeeded by Nelly Vielma |
| |||||||||
