Luis Alberto Villarreal - Political Career

Political Career

Villarreal began his professional career as an assistant to a notary public (1994 to 1995). In 1996 he joined the PAN and in 2000 he won a seat in the Chamber of Deputies hence he served during the LVIII Legislature of the Mexican Congress (2000–2003). In 2003 he was elected municipal president (mayor) of San Miguel de Allende but left that position to run for Senator in the 2006 congressional elections; he won the election and began serving as senator in September 2006 when the LX Legislature was installed.

On October 10, 2003, Villarreal was sworn in as Mayor of San Miguel de Allende forming a professional, committed and plural staff completely devoted to improve the quality of life for the people of San Miguel. During his tenure as a Mayor, Villarreal was able to get more than 90% of his initiatives approved unanimously by a plural City Council.

The motto of his government, "Juntos Somos Más" (Together We Are More) became not just a simple promotional statement, but it identified the close relationship held during his administration between the society of San Miguel and his government.

During his years as a mayor were reported positive advances on the economic, social and material indicators of the Municipality regarding health, education, environment, infrastructure, water and employment. Among them the more important are: The construction of the General Hospital of San Miguel de Allende, the operation of the wastewater treatment plant, the renovation of the historic center of San Miguel, and the preparation of the dossier which has as result UNESCO declared the city of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Atotonilco as a World Cultural Heritage Site, the issuance of new regulations most notably those relating to transparency and access to public information, the creation of the Municipal Institute of Women, the construction of new access to communicate the city and increasing scholarships for young students and single mothers, the declaration of the first zone of ecological protection of San Miguel de Allende, the implementation of a Program of low cost medicine for the population, among others.

The approval rate for his government was such high that in the next municipal elections his party won with an overwhelming majority. Villarreal was elected Federal Senator in 2006, and become one of the youngest senators in the LX Mexican federal legislature.

As a federal senator for the State of Guanajuato, Luis Alberto Villarreal has chaired the Committee on Border Affairs from 2006 to 2008, while from 2008 to 2011 was Chairman of the important Committee of Foreign Affairs of North America. He currently serves as the Deputy Leader of the majority fraction in the Mexican Senate; he is also member of the National Executive Committee of his political party (PAN).