| Jose Antonio Guerra, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Laredo City Council |
|
| In office District 4 1970 – 1982 |
|
| Preceded by | E.F. Pena |
| Succeeded by | David R. Cortez |
| In office District 6 1994 – 2002 |
|
| Preceded by | Eduardo Perales |
| Succeeded by | Gene Belmares |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 9, 1934 Laredo, Texas |
| Died | September 15, 2010 (aged 76) Laredo, Texas |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Josefina "Josie" Flores Guerra (married 1961-2010, his death) |
| Children | Joe Guerra, Jr. Rebecca G. Doyle |
| Alma mater | Martin High School |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Jose Antonio Guerra, Sr., known as Joe A. Guerra (July 9, 1934–September 15, 2010), was a businessman and a Republican political activist in the heavily Democratic city of Laredo, Texas. He served for twenty nonconsecutive years from two districts on the Laredo City Council,[1] during which time he worked for the extension of Del Mar Boulevard to the interstate Loop 20, named for fomer Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock.
Contents |
Guerra's forebears came to the New World in 1602 from Montana de Castillo, Spain. He was descended from the Jose Maria Guerra and Canamars family, the founders of three communities in Texas, including the ghost town of Los Ojuelos near Mirando City[2] and San Jose de Palafox, an unsuccessful Spanish colony planted in Webb County prior to 1804. Guerra was born in Laredo to Jose Margarito Guerra (1904–2001) and the former Josefina Valls (1913–1998).[3] Guerra attended Roman Catholic elementary schools and graduated in 1953 from Martin High School. In 1957, he graduated from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and a minor in business.[4] He then joined the family enterprises, Laredo Motor Mart and Laredo Auto Parts. In 1972, Guerra opened a longstanding Exxon station (replaced by a convenience store in 2001) at the busy intersection of San Dario, the Interstate 35 service road, and Del Mar Boulevard. Thereafter, he began a second self-service station at the intersection of Guadalupe and Meadow in The Heights section of Laredo which he still managed at the time of his death.[5]
In 1964, Guerra joined the Republican Party. In 1978, he was the Webb County chairman of the Bill Clements gubernatorial campaign, when the Republican nominee, the first of his party to be elected governor since 1869, defeated the Democrat John Luke Hill, the former Texas Attorney General, for the state's top constitutional office. He supported George Herbert Walker Bush for U.S. President in 1988 and 1992. Guerra later worked to elect George W. Bush as governor of Texas and U.S. President. He also campaigned for the former Republican U.S. representative from U.S. House District 23, Henry Bonilla of San Antonio,[4] who served as the Laredo-area representative from 1993–2007, having never carried Webb County a single time in seven elections.[6]
Guerra's city council service spanned two types of municipal government in Laredo. Effective with the 1982 elections, when Guerra did not seek reelection, the city changed from mayor-council government to the city manager format. He joined the council in 1970 from the downtown District 4 and served twelve consecutive years. His last two terms were in the Del Mar District 6 from 1994-2002.[7] In his last term he was the dean of the council and the mayor pro tempore. He served on a city/county government consolidation plan, but the two entities have remained separate and not been merged.[4]
Despite his visibility as a Laredo Republican, Guerra was never elected to the city council as a Republican because under Texas law all municipal offices are nonpartisan. However, in 2002, several months after he had left the council, he ran as a Republican for the partisan office of county treasurer to succeed the late Billy Hall, a former state representative, but he was handily defeated in the general election by the Democratic nominee, Delia Perales,[8] who still holds the position. In 2000, Guerra led the Pledge of Allegiance at a session of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which nominated the Bush-Cheney ticket. On October 5, 2000, Guerra was honored for his dedication to public service on the floor of the United States House of Representatives by then Representative Henry Bonilla.[5] Guerra's convention role was highlighted the next day in a front-page photograph in the Laredo Morning Times.[9]
His city council service corresponded with the tenure of each of four consecutive Laredo mayors, J.C. "Pepe" Martin, Jr., Aldo Tatangelo, Saul N. Ramirez, Jr., and Betty Flores. The interstate loop, on which Flores and Guerra worked together, was finished while Guerra was still a council member. Flores told the Laredo Morning Times that citizens forget all of the administrative details involved in obtaining the loop: "He is going to be truly missed. I missed him when he left the council because we needed his experience. He had a way of looking at things from different sides."[10] Guerra was also a key supporter of Mayor Tatangelo's massive street-paving project, which began on an experimental basis in the San Ignacio neighborhood at Tatangelo's personal expense during the last Martin administration. Prior to the Tatangelo program, most of Laredo's streets were unpaved.[4][11]
Joe Guerra, Jr., of Laredo describes his father as a man who always had time for his constituents: "He was a servant to his constituents and had no problem with people calling him up any hour of the day."[10] Guerra, Jr., recalled his father once being asked by a constituent what could be done about a dead animal in front of a residence. Councilman Guerra responded by grabbing a shovel and heading to the location to take care of the problem himself.[12]
As Laredo has probably a dozen men named "Joe Guerra," people often referred to Guerra as the "Exxon Joe Guerra." Odie Arambula, long-time columnist and editor for the Laredo Morning Times," explains:
"There were too many Joe Guerras in town . . . But there was only one Joe Guerra at the Exxon gas station on Del Mar and San Dario. . . . That Joe Guerra became a community fixture and a good neighbor. He became one of the town's finest goodwill ambassadors to the thousands and thousands of Laredo and area motorists who came to his Exxon station for services. . . . Many have told of their experiences with this gentle, gracious, and kind man. We grew up and got old with Joe. . . . We had occasion to meet people away from Laredo who would ask, 'You know the man that runs the Exxon station in north Laredo? He's a good man. Say hello to him next time you see him.'"[9]
Despite his long work hours and community involvement, Guerra found time to read books and articles in particular about politics, the American Civil War, and World War II.[10]
In December 1961, Guerra married the former Josefina "Josie" Flores (born ca. 1938). Their eight children are Joe Guerra, Jr., Rebecca G. Doyle, Dr. Maya Z. Zuniga, Alfonso Gerardo Guerra, Alfredo Guerra, Carlos Luis Guerra, and Maria Eugenia Guerra, all of Laredo, and Monica G. Jones of San Antonio. The oldest of nine children, Guerra had eight surviving siblings: Richard Guerra of Houston, Luis Guerra of Victoria, Josie G. Levander of Palm Springs, California, Angela G. Cuellar of Laredo, and Laura G. Adler, Rosario Lapin, Anna G. Nudelman, and Gabriela Kirchner, all of Los Angeles. His brother-in-law, Carlos Cuellar, is a retired professor of history at Texas A&M International University in Laredo. Guerra had eleven grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.[5] Anna Nudelman described Guerra as a family man who drove his younger siblings to school, gave them their first bicycles, and "always looked after us. He never ceased to be our big brother."[12]
Guerra died suddenly in Laredo of a heart attack[1] at the age of seventy-six. Services were held on September 18 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church on Del Mar Boulevard. Guerra was an eucharistic minister and lector at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church and his mother church, St. Peter the Apostle. He educated all of his children in Catholic schools and stressed self-reliance, self-control, and a strong work ethic. His obituary describes Guerra as "intensely private, hard-working, and unpretentious . . . The hallmark of his life was kindness, integrity, dignity, and purpose. He leaves an exemplary legacy of all the good things men can be. . . . He was a charitable man and an honest public servant who loved his community and spoke up for those who had no voice."[5]
A strong supporter of the elderly and disabled,[4] Guerra was so regarded in the community that KGNS-TV and the Laredo Morning Times covered his funeral, which was attended by a large crowd of former constituents, customers, friends, family, and numerous city dignitaries, including former Mayor Flores, current Mayor Raul G. Salinas, and Gene Belmares, a mayoral candidate and Guerra's District 6 successor on the city council.[13] Mayor Salinas said that Laredo "mourns the loss of a great leader. He spoke up for those who had no voice. When he represented his district, he was always very thoughtful of the needs of the people. I would have loved to have the opportunity to serve with him because of the kind of person he was."[12] Guerra left the city council four years before Salinas was elected mayor in 2006. In 1998, Guerra had submitted Belmares' name for appointment to the Airport Advisory Committee.[14]
Municipal leaders said that they intend to erect a memorial in Guerra's honor, but no details have been forthcoming.[1]
| Preceded by E. F. Pena |
Member of the Laredo City Council (District 4)
Jose Antonio "Joe" Guerra, Sr. |
Succeeded by David R. Cortez |
| Preceded by Eduardo Perales |
Member of the Laredo City Council (District 6)
Jose Antonio "Joe" Guerra, Sr. |
Succeeded by Gene Belmares |