Ray Madrigal de Pancho Villa wants to be mayor because he thinks he can do a good job for Corpus Christi.
Born Raynaldo Madrigal in Runge, Tex., he legally changed his name to Madrigal de Pancho Villa because he says a DNA test proved he’s related to the famed Mexican revolutionary general.
“I recently discovered that I was his grandson,” said Madrigal de Pancho Villa. “His blood runs through my body.”
Madrigal de Pancho Villa served in the U.S. Army from 1960-1962. After discharge he came back to the Coastal Bend and ran several Corpus Christi businesses until retiring in 2002. A graduate of Del Mar College and Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Madrigal de Pancho Villa was also part of the 5th class of Leadership Corpus Christi in 1977.
“The city invested some money in Ray Madrigal to be, I’m not going to say a leader, but to be a responsible person in our community,” said Madrigal de Pancho Villa.
A former municipal court judge in Seadrift, Madrigal de Pancho Villa says if elected mayor, his top priority is to find a solution for the city’s water issues. He also wants the city to consult TXDOT for help with street repairs.
“Our state highways are in good condition, the City of Corpus Christi streets are not so good,” said Madrigal de Pancho Villa. “I think we should take the formula the state has for their streets and maybe we’ll be able to solve the problem.”
Madrigal de Pancho Villa also wants to switch Chaparral Street back to a one-way for safety reasons.
“The safety of out citizens is very important to everybody,” said Madrigal de Pancho Villa. “I think they made a mistake on this issue.”
Since 2012, the 76 year old Madrigal de Pancho Villa has run governor, 27th District U.S. Representative, District Clerk, the city council, and mayor twice. He hopes the third time’s the charm.
“I’ve always been a people person,” said Madrigal de Pancho Villa. “I like to work with people, and I think I would do a good job as the Mayor of Corpus Christi.”
