Jorge Santini Padilla | |
|---|---|
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| Mayor of San Juan | |
| In office January 2, 2001 – January 14, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Sila María Calderón |
| Succeeded by | Carmen Yulín Cruz |
| Member of thePuerto Rico Senate from theSan Juan district | |
| In office January 2, 1997 – January 2, 2001 | |
| Secretary General of theNew Progressive Party | |
| Assumed office March 27, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Hiram Torres Montalvo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1960-03-11)March 11, 1960 (age 65) |
| Spouse | Irma Garriga |
| Children |
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| Alma mater | University of Puerto Rico (BA) Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law (JD) |
| Profession |
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Jorge Santini Padilla (born March 11, 1960) is aPuerto Ricanpolitician who previously served as themayor of San Juan.
In 1975, Santini became a member of the United States Marines Air Cadets Corps. At present, he islieutenant colonel in thePuerto Rico State Guard, assigned to theJudge Advocate General's Corps. On September 18, 2002, PresidentGeorge W. Bush appointed Mayor Santini to serve on theNational Infrastructure Advisory Council.[1][2] As a member of the State Guard, Santini has never served in the military.
In 1982 he obtained his bachelor's degree with honors from theUniversity of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus. In 1988 he was accepted as a member of thePuerto Rico Bar Association,American Bar Association, andFederal Bar Association. He also presided the Attorney Association of the Faculty of Law at theInteramerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law. Santini became a partner at the law firm of Miranda Cárdenas & Córdova where he specialized in medical malpractice suits.
He began his public service in 1993, duringPedro Rossello's gubernatorial term, Santini was appointed as his aide in the areas of Health, Social Welfare, and Hiring, as well as serving as the Governor's Legal Aide.[3]
In 2007, he participated in the Summit of the Latin American Council in Honor of educational excellence. There the prize for educational excellence, a master's degree in educational management in Latin America and an honorary doctorate was awarded for commitment to education given by 16 universities, all in recognition of his work establishing the first municipal school system of Puerto Rico.[citation needed]
In 1996, Santini decided to start a political career under theNew Progressive Party (PNP). He was elected to theSenate of Puerto Rico at the1996 general elections representing theDistrict of San Juan. During that term, he served as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Santini entered the race forMayor ofSan Juan in 1999 and challenged Senate PresidentCharlie Rodriguez in a PNP primary. Rodríguez had been the choice of the party leadership, but Santini prevailed in the primary. He went on to defeatPopular Democratic Party candidateEduardo Bhatia in the2000 elections and sought reelection in 2004 defeating Bhatia for a second time.[4]In his 6th year as Mayor of San Juan, Santini began inaugurating major projects such as theSan Juan Natatorium in 2006,[5] the San Juan Golf Academy in 2007,[6] a sports-oriented magnet school and a bilingual municipal magnet school, and San Juan's Ronald Reagan Autism-Specialized Day Care Center.[7]
In 2007, Santini was elected for a third term as Mayor of San Juan but was defeated in the2012 San Juan mayoral election and left office on January 14, 2013. During his third term the municipality imposed a secret tax on properties in the city.[8] Investigations into the scheme revealed that $1.3 million in revenue went missing.[9] The municipal debt at the end of Santini's tenure had reached $18 million.[10]
In 2017 Santini created Soto and Santini LLC, an advisory group providing professional services for theSenate of Puerto Rico and various government agencies.[11] In 2020 the office of ethics sued Santini for income he earned working for the Senate and the National Guard simultaneously.[12]
Santini married Irma Garriga on August 23, 1986. They have three children together: Odette (b. 1987), Jorge Andrés (b. 1996), and Amanda (b. 2003).[13]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of San Juan 2001-2012 | Succeeded by |
