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Betty Flores
Elizabeth Garcia Flores, better known as Betty Flores (born December 28, 1944), is a businesswoman who was the first female mayor of Laredo, Texas. She served a brief unexpired mayoral term followed by two four-year terms from 1998-2006. She was the driving force behind the building of the World Trade Bridge, which brought relief to her community after an enormous increase in truck traffic after the implementation of NAFTA. It was the only promise she made to the people of Laredo, declaring that IH35 within the city limits would once more belong to the people of Laredo. After securing the diplomatic notes and financing for the bridge and its installations she worked with her Mexican counterpart to open the bridge on time and on budget. At one time she was forced to tell the Mexican government of Tampaluipas that all truck traffic would be diverted to the Columbia Bridge in the State of Nuevo León (also a bridge that belongs to the city) if the project was not completed and opened on time. She had the full support of the customs and immigration agents in Laredo who were experiencing high level of unsafe conditions due to the small area of the bridges downtown. She is, however, best remembered for bringing a multi-purpose arena to the people of Laredo, the Laredo Entertainment Center, renamed Laredo Energy Arena, the home of the Laredo Bucks hockey team. Though she is a Democrat, she displayed a picture of herself with U.S. President George W. Bush, who visited Laredo two weeks before Flores left office. She was succeeded by Raul G. Salinas, another Democrat who was elected on June 17, 2006. All Texas mayors and city council members are elected on nonpartisan ballots though most have party preferences or have declared party allegiance by voting in a primary or a runoff election.
==Early years==
Flores was born in Laredo to Eloy Garcia, Sr. (1923–1998), a businessman, and the former Bonnie Lopez (1919–2012), originally a beautician.〔Bonnie L. Lopez obituary, ''Laredo Morning Times'', February 18, 2012〕 Betty Flores was reared in the "Heights" neighborhood of mid Laredo. One of her neighbors was Mayor J. C. "Pepe" Martin, Jr., who served from 1954 to 1978, whom she says taught her loyalty from a young age. Her father was for many years a member of the elected Laredo Community College board of trustees and a philanthropist who gave generously to the institution, which named a building after him. Eloy Garcia gave Betty her first dollar when she was a little girl and her first campaign check when she decided to run for mayor. He lived barely long enough to see her elected. He went to cast his vote in an ambulance refusing to vote at the hospital. Eloy and Bonnie Garcia were in partnership with their children in the E. G. Ranch Partnership. Her mother donated the land for what became the Bonnie L. Garcia Elementary School in the United Independent School District in Laredo.〔
In 1962, Betty Garcia married Antonio "Toño" Flores. They lived for many years in South Laredo and later moved to the then new neighborhood of Del Mar where they still maintain their residence. Their son, Antonio Flores, Jr., was killed by a drunk driver after stopping to help a friend in need. Their daughter, Cristina, is the former wife of Juan Guevara, and the Flores' have a grandson, Antonio Flores Guevara. Flores has five siblings: Eloy Garcia, Jr., Elsa Bonnie Jasso, Efrain Garcia, Edna Garcia, and Edgar Garcia.〔
Flores did not graduate with her class of Martin High School because she left the school after being told she could not longer hold any position in school clubs after her marriage. She returned and finished her pending two credits at Nixon High School. She worked for the Union National Bank and then the Laredo National Bank (since Compass Bank), having begun as a secretary. She eventually became the first woman senior vice president of the bank and was affiliated with the institution for twenty-eight years. "I've worked with men all my life. I was always the only woman in the room. I never focused on that when I was campaigning," she said in a farewell interview with Julie Daffern of her hometown newspaper, the ''Laredo Morning Times''.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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