José Guillermo Tormos Vega (23 February 1925 – 17 August 1993), known as Joselín, was a Puerto Rican politician who served as Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 2 January 1977 to 22 February 1984.José G. Tormos Vega was mayor until 22 February 1984, when he resigned. See Alcaldia de Ponce Cuidad Señorial. Iris Antongiorgi and Gladys E. Tormes Gonzalez, supervisor, Ponce Historical Archive, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 21 October 2011. Archived at the WayBack Machine on 21 December 2013. Tormos Vega is credited with establishing, during his term as mayor, Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes as a museum.Mariano Vidal Armstrong. Ponce: Notas para su historia. Comité Historia de los Pueblos. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1986. p. 9.
Early life José Guillermo Tormos Vega was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on 23 February 1925."Puerto Rico, Registro Civil, 1805-2001," Ponce Nacimientos 1928-1929, t. 115-120 image 1066 of 2039
Elections In the November 1976 elections, Tormos Vega defeated the incumbent mayor, Luis A. Morales, by more than 3,000 votes.Comision Estatal de Elecciones He was re-elected in 1980.
Mayoral term Among the public works projects that took place in the city during his tenure are the construction of the Cruceta El Vigía,Cruzeta. the renovation of City Hall, and the Coto Laurel village square.Coto Laurel Village Square. He is also credited with establishing, during his term as mayor, Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes as a museum.
In 1983, Tormos Vega honored long-time local legend Carlos Garay Villamil for his contributions to the traditions of the city of Ponce in his capacity as a horse-drawn carriage coachman. A plaque has since been added to the front facade of the Ponce City Hall to commemorate the event.Los Coches de Ponce. Travel Ponce. Accessed 28 March 2017.
Charged with extortion Tormos Vega quit his position in 1984 upon being charged with extortion. He was replaced by José Dapena Thompson who, two and a half years later and in the midst of a hotly debated electoral campaign was forced to resign allegedly to dodge potential criminal prosecution for corruption.United States v. Jose Tormos-Vega, United States of America v. Juan Luis Boscio, 959 F.2d 1103 (1st Cir. 1992). Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. (Filed: 18 March 1992) [Citations: 959 F.2d 1103; Docket Number: 89-1253]. United States of America, Appellee, v. Jose TORMOS-VEGA, Defendant, Appellant. et al. (Nos. 88-2235, 89-1253 and 89-2022.) 21 January 1992; Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc; [Appeal] Denied 18 March 1992. Accessed 28 March 2017. Tormos Vega died in jail a few years later,Informacion sobre Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico: Pueblo a Pueblo. Retrieved 27 November 2011. on 17 August 1993, at the age of 68.
See also List of Puerto Ricans
References
Further reading Fay Fowlie de Flores. Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliografía Anotada. Segunda Edición. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 337. Item 1677. Ponce. Manual sobre el gobierno municipal. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta Municipal. 1982. (Archivo Histórico Municipal de Ponce, AHMP; Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Ponce) Fay Fowlie de Flores. Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliografía Anotada. Segunda Edición. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 337. Item 1679. Ponce. Revision del Plan comprensivo del Municipio de Ponce. Hon. Jose G. Tormos Vega, Alcalde. M. Sosa y Asoc., consultores. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1977. (Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Ponce)