My Platform
Moving Laredo Forward
A stronger city starts with practical solutions, experienced leadership, and a clear vision for the future.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure isn't a buzzword. It's the road you drive on, the bridge that gets trucks across, the water that comes out of your faucet, and the systems that keep your city moving. Laredo has grown fast — our planning has to catch up and stay ahead.
Key priorities
- Better roads and honest timelines for repairs
- Traffic mobility and smarter transportation planning
- Reliable water systems and utility capacity for growth
- Bridge and port-of-entry infrastructure that keeps trade flowing
- Long-term capital planning instead of year-to-year patching
- Maintaining the systems Laredo already depends on
What this means for Laredo
Shorter commutes, fewer detours, water you can count on, and trade infrastructure that keeps Laredo competitive for decades.
Economic Development
JD has spent more than 30 years in business in Laredo. He has sat on both sides of the table and knows exactly what companies weigh when they decide where to invest, expand, and hire.
Key priorities
- Attract employers who bring career-level wages, not just jobs
- Support the small businesses already carrying our economy
- Cut the delays and red tape that push investment elsewhere
- Grow the logistics, warehousing, and manufacturing base
- Build real relationships with site selectors and industry leaders
- Align workforce training with the jobs actually coming
What this means for Laredo
More employers choosing Laredo, a broader tax base, and opportunity that stays local instead of leaving with our graduates.
International Trade & Logistics
Laredo is one of North America's most important trade gateways. JD has worked in customs and cross-border commerce for decades and knows where the opportunities are — and which relationships Laredo needs to capture them.
Key priorities
- Leverage Laredo's position as the nation's leading inland port
- Strengthen partnerships with carriers, brokers, and manufacturers
- Reduce crossing bottlenecks that cost businesses money
- Turn cargo volume into local jobs, not just pass-through traffic
- Coordinate with state, federal, and Mexican partners
- Recruit trade-adjacent industry to locate here, not just ship through
What this means for Laredo
Trade that translates into Laredo paychecks, Laredo careers, and Laredo tax revenue that pays for streets, parks, and public safety.
Healthcare Access
When your family needs a specialist, you shouldn't have to start by asking, 'How far do we have to drive?' You should be able to ask, 'When can we get in?' Laredo families deserve more of the care they need, close to home.
Key priorities
- Expand access to specialists here in Laredo
- Support recruitment and retention of physicians and nurses
- Partner with hospitals, clinics, and universities on training pipelines
- Improve access to care for seniors and working families
- Back community health partners already doing the work
What this means for Laredo
Fewer 150-mile drives for care, shorter waits, and a healthcare economy that also creates good local jobs.
Jobs & Opportunity
JD is the son of Mexican immigrants who built a life here through work. He wants a Laredo where the next generation can find good jobs, start businesses, and stay — because opportunity is here, not somewhere else.
Key priorities
- Good-paying jobs that support a family
- Real support for entrepreneurs starting and scaling here
- Skills training tied to Laredo's actual industries
- Pathways for graduates to build careers at home
- Opportunity that carries into the next generation
What this means for Laredo
Young people who don't have to leave Laredo to succeed, and families who can build something that lasts.
Responsible City Leadership
Residents deserve a city government that answers the phone, explains its decisions, and finishes what it starts. JD's approach is practical: set the goal, measure the progress, report the result.
Key priorities
- Clear accountability for projects, budgets, and timelines
- Transparent spending residents can actually follow
- Faster, more responsive city services
- Planning that looks beyond the next election
- Collaboration with county, state, and federal partners
- Decisions driven by results, not politics
What this means for Laredo
A City Hall that works like a well-run organization — and treats residents like the people it works for.