Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
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2008-07-05T18:02:10Z
Queerbubbles
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[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 223737607 by [[Special:Contributions/63.135.248.198|63.135.248.198]] ([[User talk:63.135.248.198|talk]])rv
{{Infobox_Governor
|name= Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá
|image=PRGovernor.jpg
|caption= Acevedo Vila in a military ceremony
|order= 8<sup>th</sup>
|office= Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
|term_start= [[January 2]], [[2005]]
|term_end=
|lieutenant=
|predecessor= [[Sila María Calderón]]
|successor= Incumbent
|order= 8<sup>th</sup>
|office= Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
|term_start= [[January 2]], [[2005]]
|term_end=
|lieutenant=
|predecessor= [[Sila María Calderón]]
|successor= Incumbent
|state2 = [[Puerto Rico]]
|district2 = [[Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico]]
|term2 = [[2001]]–[[2004]]
|preceded2 = [[Carlos Romero Barceló]]
|succeeded2 = [[Luis Fortuño]]
|party2 = [[Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico|Popular Democratic Party]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|1962|02|13}}
|birth_place= [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], [[Puerto Rico]]
|death_date=
|death_place=
|spouse= [[Luisa Gándara|Luisa "Piti" Gándara]]
|profession= [[Attorney at Law]] / [[Juris Doctor]] & [[Harvard Law School]] [[LL.M.]]
|party= [[Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico|Popular Democratic Party]]
|religion= [[Roman Catholic]]
|footnotes=
}}
'''Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá''' (born [[February 13]], [[1962]]) is the eighth and current [[Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico]], a semi-autonomous unincorporated territory of the [[United States]]. He is a [[Harvard University]] alumnus ([[LL.M.]] '87) and a graduate of the [[University of Puerto Rico]] School of Law, where he obtained his [[Juris Doctor]] Degree. Acevedo Vilá has held various [[public service]] positions in the [[Puerto Rico]] territorial government under the [[Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico|Popular Democratic Party]], serving as a member of the [[House of Representatives of Puerto Rico]] (1993–2001) and [[Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico|Resident Commissioner]] (2001–2005), before he was sworn in as Governor on January 2, 2005. Acevedo Vilá is also a member of the [[National Governors Association]], the [[Southern Governors' Association]] and the [[Democratic Governors Association]], a collaborateur of U.S. Senator [[Barack Obama]]'s presidential campaign as well as the president of the [[Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico|Popular Democratic Party]], one of the three historic parties in Puerto Rico, alongside the [[New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico|New Progressive Party]] and [[Puerto Rican Independence Party]].
On [[March 27]] [[2008]] Acevedo was charged by the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] with 19 counts of campaign finance [[political corruption|corruption]] and conspiracy to violate [[United States]] federal election laws.<ref>http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/03/27/puerto.rico.ap/index.html</ref> It is unknown whether Acevedo will resign his position. He subsequently organized a press conference, where he claimed that he is innocent of all charges presented against him.
== Early life and education ==
Acevedo Vilá was born in [[Hato Rey, Puerto Rico]], a borough of the [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] municipal government. Acevedo Vilá attended [[Colegio San José]] High School in the same municipality. In 1982, he obtained a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in [[Political Science]] at the [[University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras|University of Puerto Rico's Main Campus at Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico (San Juan)]]. He continued his studies in [[Law]] at the same campus' [[University of Puerto Rico School of Law]], the preeminent law school of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. He obtained his ''[[Juris Doctor]]'' in 1985, graduating ''[[magna cum laude]]'' from the [[University of Puerto Rico's Law School]]. After passing the Puerto Rico bar exam, Acevedo Vilá completed a year-long clerkship at the [[Supreme Court of Puerto Rico]], where he worked under associate Justice [[Federico Hernández Denton]]. In 1987, he obtained a [[Master of Laws|LL.M. degree]] from [[Harvard University]]. From 1987 to 1988, he served as law clerk for the Hon. [[Levin Hicks Campbell]], Chief Judge of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Massachusetts]].
== Political career ==
=== House of Representatives ===
Acevedo began his political career in 1989 as Legislative Affairs Advisor to Governor [[Rafael Hernández Colón]]. In 1992 he was elected Representative At-Large to the [[House of Representatives of Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico's House of Representatives]]. He developed his leadership skills during this period and was reelected in 1996. The following year, his party elected him Minority Leader of the House. In February 1997, Acevedo Vilá was elected President of the Popular Democratic Party.
In 1998, Acevedo Vilá participated in a campaign against the [[Young Bill]], a proposed legislative project in the [[U.S. Congress]] that sought to resolve the [[Politics of Puerto Rico|political status of Puerto Rico]] by defining each proposed status option and calling for a series of referendums. Although the referendum called for in the project would have included the option for Puerto Rico to remain a [[Commonwealth (United States insular area)|Commonwealth]], the option would have to be renewed by island voters every ten years, until they opted for independence or statehood.
Although the project was not approved, Puerto Rico's elected officials under Governor [[Pedro Rosselló]] organized a non-binding [[plebiscite]] to define Puerto Rico's political status, in which Puerto Ricans were given five options: Commonwealth, associated republic, [[U.S. state|Statehood]], [[Puerto Rican independence movement|Independence from the United States]], or "none of the above".
Acevedo and his party believed the definition of the commonwealth option incorrect because it defined the current political status as territorial. His party campaigned for the "none of the above" option, which ultimately garnered the majority of the votes. (See [[Puerto Rican status referendums]] for more information.)
=== Resident Commissioner ===
In 1999, Acevedo Vilá ran for the post of Resident Commissioner for the Commonwealth after defeating [[José Hernández Mayoral]] in their party's primary election. One year after, in the year 2000, Acevedo Vilá defeated [[Carlos Romero Barceló]], the incumbent Resident Commissioner.
In mid-2003, Governor [[Sila M. Calderón]] announced she would not seek a second term on the following year's elections. José Hernández Mayoral surfaced as the likely party's candidate for Governor for the 2004 elections. Months following the announcement, Hernández Mayoral widthdrew from the race, citing personal matters, Acevedo Vilá announced he would run for the Governor's seat.
Acevedo won the [[Puerto Rico General Elections of 2004]] by approximately 3,880 votes (0.2 percent of the vote) over former-governor Pedro Rosselló. However, since the margin of victory was so small, a full recount of the elections took place. During the period, Rosselló filed a civil law suit against Acevedo Vilá himself over a dispute of certain ballots that were cast during the elections.
=== Mixed votes controversy===
[[Image:votomixto.jpg|thumb|Sample ballot for 2004 Gubernatorial Election, illustrates the Mixed Vote permissible under CEE Rule 50]]
Acevedo won the office of Governor on [[Puerto Rico General Elections of 2004|the elections of November 2004]], defeating former Governor [[Pedro Rosselló]]. However, Acevedo's margin of victory was just 3,880 votes (less than one vote per electoral polling room), a result that led to a protracted controversy involving appeals to the [[United States federal courts]] and the [[Supreme Court of Puerto Rico]]. Acevedo is the first elected governor born after the adoption of the 1952 [[Constitution of Puerto Rico]]. The ballots in question were cast by marking the [[Puerto Rican Independence Party]] or [[New Progressive Party]] (i.e. marking a cross under the emblem of one of these Parties), in addition to placing individual candidate marks (crosses) in favor of Acevedo Vilá as the candidate for governor of the Popular Democratic Party and [[Roberto Prats]], the Popular Democratic Party's candidate for [[Resident Commissioner]]. The mark indicating the selection of a political party selects that party's slate of candidates by default, but the voter can also select individual candidates from other parties to replace candidates from the default slate.
The controversy reached the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, which ruled 4-3 that the ballots in question were valid. In its initial opinion, the Supreme Court 4-justice majority used the following interpretation: In the challenged ballots, the voter was voting for the PIP as a party for the purposes of stating party affiliation, and for the PIP's default slate, but had decided to move his vote to individual candidates from other party's slates. This type of voting is permitted in Rule 50 of the State Election Commission's rules, based on the Commonwealth's Electoral Law as amended in 2004, Title 2, Section 2.001, Subsection 3,<ref name="Electoral Law">{{cite web|url=http://www.ceepur.org/sobreCee/leyElectoral/edicion2004/pdf/LEY2004.pdf| title=Ley Electoral de Puerto Rico|author= | publisher=Comisión Estatal de Elecciones| language=Spanish}}</ref> as a "mixed vote." The practice is therefore considered legal and has been published in the official voter's instructions by the State Election Commission for quite some time. This voting option was also allowed and seen in the 1996 and 2000 elections, and had never been contested before, either at the Legislature or by the NPP's Electoral Commissioner. The individual votes for candidates not from the voter's selected party are then deducted from the votes given to the default candidates of the voter's party. The end result is a single vote per candidate.
At the same time, Rosselló challenged the ballots on the [[United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico]] where District Judge Daniel Domínguez ordered the Puerto Rico Election Commission to count the disputed votes but to not adjudicate them to any candidate until he reached a decision on the merits of the case. Acevedo and his team challenged this ruling and the case moved up to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit]], where three judges ruled the question of whether or not the ballots were properly cast was not a federal constitutional issue and therefore should be decided by the [[Supreme Court of Puerto Rico]] at the Commonwealth level. The Supreme Court affirmed its prior 4-3 decision. On [[December 28]] [[2004]] the recount ended and Acevedo was certified as the winner of the elections.
=== Governor ===
Acevedo assumed the post of Governor on [[January 2]], [[2005]] and has faced many political challenges during his term. This is primarily due to the fact that the [[Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico]] is controlled by the opposition [[New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico|New Progressive Party]] (PNP by its acronym in Spanish). In addition, the new Resident Commissioner in Congress is also a member of the PNP, and Acevedo's main political rival, Pedro Rosselló (former Governor or Puerto Rico), managed to gain a seat in the [[Senate of Puerto Rico]] after a young first-term Senator from Arecibo unexpectedly resigned shortly after taking the oath of office.
==== "Shared Government"====
Because the executive and the legislative branches of the government are controlled by different political parties, Governor Acevedo Vilá has called his government a "shared government". During the first months of his term, Acevedo concentrated his efforts on trying to reach bipartisan support for his bills and for the nominees of his Cabinet. However, when Acevedo vetoed a legislative bill proposed by the PNP the ideal of a peaceful "shared government" collapsed.
During the month of May 2005, confrontations between the executive and the legislative branches reached a new climax when the Puerto Rico legislature voted to override a veto by Acevedo Vilá, thus becoming the first democratically-elected governor to have a veto overridden by the legislature. Later in June, Acevedo and the legislature were frequently at odds about the budget proposal. The budget proposed by the Governor was not accepted by the leaders of the PNP in the legislature and they proposed a different budget, which Acevedo vetoed in August 2005.
Acevedo has stated his government inherited a difficult financial situation from the previous administration. He announced his administration was working with a deficit of over $400 million. Because of this, Governor Acevedo proposed several measures to control the deficit. Among these were salary reductions for certain government employees, accelerated retirement plans, decrease in cellphone usage, retirement or transfer of excess vehicles from pools, across-the-board cuts of 10% to all agency budgets, a government hiring freeze with strict waiver requirements, and an increase in the prices of [[water]] and [[electricity]] services in order to bring the rates in line with nationwide rates and reduce the need to subsidize these quasi-public utility companies. He also fiercely lobbied for the approval of a 7% sales tax, going back on his 2004 campaign promise that he would not support a sales tax. In spite of all these measures, he has so far been unable to finish with a balanced budget.
==== Partial government shut-down ====
{{main|2006 Puerto Rico budget crisis}}
However, new tensions surfaced during April 2006, when Acevedo announced the central government of Puerto Rico did not have enough funds to pay the salary of public employees for the months of May and June. The Governor asked the Legislature to approve a loan of over $500 million dollars so that the government could keep the agencies running. The Senate approved the loan, but the House of Representatives refused to do so. Acevedo then announced that most of the government agencies would shut down beginning [[May 1]], and would remain closed unless the House approved the new loan.
The partial government shutdown lasted two weeks, until Governor Acevedo, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House reached an agreement to end the shutdown. The details of the agreement included the approval of a new loan as well as new fiscal reforms that would impose a sales tax and require the reduction of operational costs of the central government of the island.
However, the process for the approval of the proposed fiscal reforms also involved confrontation between Acevedo and the Legislature. The Speaker of the House originally wanted a sales tax of 5.5% (4% commonwealth sales tax and 1.5% municipal sales tax) and the Governor preferred one of 7% (5.5% commonwealth sales tax and 1.5% municipal sales tax). Amazingly, the House sent an incorrectly drafted bill to the Senate for approval that would give the governor what he wanted. Influential members of the Speaker's own political party noticed the mistake, but chose to do nothing. The Senate immediately approved the bill, and the result was a total sales tax of 7%.
When the Speaker of the House realized the mistake he made, he desperately sought to recall the bill and make corrections. However, the Governor argued the legislative process was over when both houses had approved the bill. After the Speaker refused to send the bill to Acevedo for his signature, the Governor sought a ''mandamus'' from the Supreme Court to order the Speaker to send the bill for his signature. The Speaker at one point openly stated he would not obey a decision of the [[Supreme Court of Puerto Rico]] ordering him to turn over the bill, but later recanted under intense public and party pressure. On July 2006 the high court, by a 5-1 majority, ordered the Speaker to send the bill to the governor. The original bill was finally signed by Acevedo the next day. The municipal sales tax went into effect immediately, and the state sales tax began on [[November 15]].
=== Controversies since assuming office ===
During the 2004 political campaign for the governorship, Acevedo Vilá purchased $40,000 in business suits for his use in television appearances, among other activities. The purchases were paid for in cash provided by PDP supporters, a legitimate "representation expense" according to the PDP leadership. To further complicate the matter, the governor failed to report the gift on his tax returns. The opposition contends that since the suits were purchased using PDP funds, it constitutes an illegal campaign expenditure and possibly an act of [[bribery]], [[money laundering]] and [[tax evasion]]. The local Justice Department declined to file any charges regarding the matter.
A [[Philadelphia]] healthcare contractor is claimed to have used a number of names to make illegal campaign contributions to the campaigns of several politicians, including Acevedo Vilá's, during the 2000 political campaign, allegedly to ensure the granting of government contracts.<ref name="carrie">{{cite news
| first=Carrie
| last=Budoff
| title=Phila. ties in probe of Puerto Rico race
| work=
| publisher=[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]
| page=
| date=[[June 22]], [[2006]]
| accessdate=2006-06-22
}}</ref> This has been the subject of several [[subpoenas]] from federal investigators. Governor Acevedo has denied any wrongdoing related to this issue.
===Federal investigations and indictment===
During the period of September–October 2006, several news sources have reported that a [[Grand jury|federal grand jury]] is investigating donations made to the Acevedo Vilá campaign fund during 2001 and 2002 by the aforementioned contractor and a Puerto Rico based associate. News sources indicate the donations made by the duo to the Acevedo Vilá campaign fund during that period could total $68,000. Since last summer, several key members of Acevedo Vilá's Cabinet have been either interviewed by the [[FBI]] or called to testify before the Grand Jury investigating the Governor, including [[La Fortaleza|Fortaleza]] [[Chief of staff (politics)|Chief of Staff]] and former Economic Development and Commerce Secretary, Jorge Silva Puras, Press Secretary Juanita Colombani, former Housing Secretary Ileana Echegoyen, former Health Services Administrator Nancy Vega, and former Fortaleza Chief of Staff Aníbal José Torres.<ref name="yanira">{{cite news
| first=Yanira
| last=Hernández
| title=Gobernador Listo ante pugna de los donativos
| work=
| publisher=[[El Nuevo Dia]]
| page=
| date=[[October 4]], [[2006]]
| accessdate=2006-10-04
}}</ref>
{{wikinews|Governor of Puerto Rico indicted in campaign finance probe}}
On [[March 27]] [[2008]] Vilá was formally charged in the long-running public corruption probe, along with 12 other people. The 13 are accused of running a conspiracy to illegally raise money to pay off Acevedo's campaign debts in 2000.<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23825737/ Puerto Rico gov charged in campaign probe</ref> He was not arrested. Acting U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez said, "The governor will be permitted to turn himself in deference to his position."<ref name="AP">{{cite news| first=Manuel| middle=Ernesto| last=Rivera| title=Puerto Rican Governor Faces 19 Counts| work=| publisher=[[Associated Press]]| page=| date=[[March 27]], [[2008]]| accessdate=2007-03-27}}</ref>
On [[March 28]] [[2008]] Acevedo was released without having to pay bail, nor give up his passport.<ref name="Primera Hora">{{cite web| url=http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/otras/noticias/libre_sin_fianza_anibal_acevedo_vila/173083| title=Libre sin fianza Aníbal Acevedo Vilá| author=Michelle Estrada Torres | publisher=Primera Hora| language=Spanish| date=[[2008-03-28]]| accessdate=2008-03-28}}</ref> Acevedo Vilá was allowed to travel out of the island if he informs the court prior to doing so.<ref name="Primera Hora"/>
==Involvement in US Presidential Race==
Acevedo Vilá endorsed Democratic Presidential Candidate senator [[Barack Obama]], after Obama wrote a letter saying that he would accept the [[Constitutional Assembly]] as one of the mechanisms to define Puerto Rico's political future.
==Personal life==
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá is the son of former [[judge]] and [[senator]] Salvador Acevedo and Mrs. Elba Vilá. He is married to Luisa Gándara, with whom he has two children: Gabriela and Juan Carlos.<ref name="Fortaleza Biography">{{cite web| url=http://www.fortaleza.gobierno.pr/anibal01.htm| title=Biografía Aníbal S. Acevedo Vilá | author=| publisher=Fortaleza Gobierno PR| language=Spanish| date=| accessdate=}}</ref>
==References ==
{{reflist}}
== See also ==
{{portalpar|Puerto Rico}}
* [[List of Puerto Ricans#Governors|List of famous Puerto Ricans - Governors]]
* [[Young Bill]]
* [[Governor of Puerto Rico]]
* [[Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico|Popular Democratic Party]]
* [[New Progressive Party]]
* [[Puerto Rican Independence Party]]
==External links==
{{wikinewshas|News related to this article|
* [[wikinews:Puerto Rico's election for governer contested|Puerto Rico's election for governer contested]]
* [[wikinews:Governor of Puerto Rico indicted in campaign finance probe|Governor of Puerto Rico indicted in campaign finance probe]]
}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{CongBio|A000359}}
* [http://www.fortaleza.gobierno.pr/ La Fortaleza — Official Governor's Website] — in Spanish.
* [http://www.ppdpr.net Popular Democratic Party] — in Spanish.
* [http://www.cidob.org/es/documentacion/biografias_lideres_politicos/america_central_y_caribe/puerto_rico/anibal_acevedo_vila Biography by CIDOB Foundation] - in Spanish
* [http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/11530066.html City probe could ensnare Puerto Rico's governor]
* [http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/March/crm-indictment-03272008.pdf PDF Copy of the Federal Indictment]
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{{USRSB|
state=Puerto Rico|
type=[[Resident Commissioner]]<br/>|
before=[[Carlos Romero Barceló]]|
years=2001–2005|
after=[[Luis Fortuño]]
}}
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title=[[Governor of Puerto Rico]]|
before=[[Sila María Calderón]]|
start=2005|
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[[Category:Puerto Rican Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Democratic Party (United States) politicians]]
[[Category:Governors of Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Resident Commissioners of Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Members of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:University of Puerto Rico alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard Law School alumni]]
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