Ricardo Rosselló facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ricardo Rosselló
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Rosselló, photographed in 2019
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| Shadow Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Puerto Rico |
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| Assumed office July 7, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Charlie Rodríguez |
| Governor of Puerto Rico | |
| In office January 2, 2017 – August 2, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Alejandro García Padilla |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Pierluisi (judicially annulled) Wanda Vázquez Garced (constitutionally appointed) |
| President of the New Progressive Party | |
| In office June 5, 2016 – July 22, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Pedro Pierluisi |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Rivera Schatz (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ricardo Antonio Rosselló Nevares
March 7, 1979 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Political party | New Progressive |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic |
| Spouses |
Natasha Marie Cervi
(m. 2008; div. 2010)Beatriz Areizaga
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents | Pedro Rosselló Maga Nevares |
| Education | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS) University of Michigan (MS, PhD) |
Ricardo Antonio Rosselló Nevares (born March 7, 1979) is a politician from Puerto Rico. He served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 2017 until he resigned in 2019. His resignation followed large protests related to a group chat that became public. Ricardo Rosselló is the son of Pedro Rosselló, who was also a governor of Puerto Rico.
In 2010, Rosselló started a group called Boricua ¡Ahora Es! This group worked to change Puerto Rico's political status. Rosselló believes Puerto Rico should become a U.S. state. After several years of political work, he announced he would run for Governor in 2016. He won the primary election for the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (PNP). Then, he won the general election in 2016, beating five other candidates.
In July 2019, a group chat on the Telegram app between Rosselló and his staff was made public. This caused a lot of controversy. Many protests took place across Puerto Rico, with people asking Rosselló to resign. About 500,000 people protested in Old San Juan on July 17, 2019. After first saying he would finish his term, Rosselló later promised to resign on August 2, 2019, which he did.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ricardo Rosselló was born in 1979 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His parents are Pedro Rosselló and Maga Nevares. His father, Pedro Rosselló, was Governor of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001.
Rosselló went to high school at Colegio Marista Guaynabo. He was chosen to compete in the International Mathematical Olympiads. He earned a bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2001. He studied biomedical engineering and economics. He later received a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan.
Starting His Career
Scientific Work
Rosselló helped start Beijing Prosperous Biopharm, a medical research company in China. He worked on developing new medicines.
Early Steps in Politics
Rosselló became involved in politics during the 2008 Puerto Rico governor election. His father, Pedro Rosselló, lost a party primary election that year. Ricardo Rosselló was a delegate for Hillary Clinton in 2008 and for Barack Obama in 2012.
After this, Rosselló became a political commentator. He wrote articles for El Vocero, a newspaper in San Juan. He also appeared as a guest on political radio shows. He published a book about his father's time as governor.
In 2012, Rosselló founded Boricua ¡Ahora Es!. This group wanted to change Puerto Rico's political status. They worked to educate people and get the United States government to act. The group was active during the 2012 Puerto Rico status vote.
Becoming Governor of Puerto Rico
Running for Governor in 2016
Since 2012, people thought Rosselló might run for governor in 2016. In 2013, he started putting together a group to create a Plan for Puerto Rico. This plan was meant to help solve Puerto Rico's economic and political problems.
On September 19, 2015, he announced he would run for Governor. He held a large campaign event in San Juan. On June 5, 2016, Rosselló won the primary election for the New Progressive Party. This made him the party's candidate for governor. He made Puerto Rican statehood a main part of his campaign. He believed statehood would help the economy.
On November 8, 2016, Rosselló won the election. He received 41% of the votes. He became Governor of Puerto Rico on January 2, 2017.
Time as Governor
When he became governor, Rosselló was one of the youngest people to hold the position. On his first day, he signed six executive orders. These orders included declaring a state of financial emergency. He also aimed to get more federal funds and make it easier to get permits for new projects. Another order focused on making sure women employees received equal pay. He also began working to manage Puerto Rico's large national debt.
In 2017, Rosselló signed a law to make business permits easier to get. He also created the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety. Rosselló wanted to make the government smaller and more efficient. He also worked on labor reforms.
He took credit for raising the minimum wage in Puerto Rico. In 2017, he signed the Equal Pay Act. In 2018, he signed laws to reform the insurance industry. This was a response to how insurance companies acted after recent hurricanes. In December 2017, he signed the "New Government Law." This law aimed to combine government agencies to save money and improve services. Rosselló said the goal was to reduce 131 agencies to about 30 or 35.
In June 2019, Rosselló announced that $2 million would be used to build new roofs. This was for homes still missing roofs after Hurricane Maria in 2017. The governor who took over after him, Wanda Vázquez Garced, said all contracts signed by Rosselló would be reviewed.
Economic Plans
When Rosselló became governor, Puerto Rico faced a huge debt of $70 billion. The poverty rate was 45%, and unemployment was 14.2%. Rosselló told the Financial Times that he would work with those Puerto Rico owed money to. He also planned to make financial changes. He asked government agencies to cut their spending by 10%.
In January 2017, Rosselló signed a law to set aside money for important government services. This money might otherwise have been used for debt payments. He hired financial experts to help negotiate with creditors.
On May 31, Rosselló shared his proposed budget for 2018. It focused on paying pensions and increasing spending on health, public safety, and transportation. It also proposed cuts to education and other departments. The budget aimed to balance payments for debt and the federal control board. Rosselló also announced tax breaks for workers and retirees.
In December 2018, he presented a tax reform bill. This included a tax credit for workers and lowered the corporate tax rate. Before this, Rosselló had reduced the sales tax for restaurant food.
In 2018, Rosselló announced that Puerto Rico had its lowest unemployment rate ever, at 9.3%. In June 2018, he began the process of privatizing the island's energy system. In November 2018, he promised that Puerto Rico would use only renewable energy by 2050. He also started InvestPR to attract businesses and a Destination Marketing Organization to encourage tourism.
Education Changes
On February 5, 2018, Rosselló announced a big education reform. This plan aimed to bring school vouchers and charter schools into Puerto Rico's education system. He signed it into law in March 2018.
Social Issues
Rosselló is seen as socially liberal. He supported adoption rights for same-sex couples. He also created the first advisory board on LGBT issues. His administration supported a ban on conversion therapy. For the first time, the governor's residence was lit in rainbow colors to show support for the LGBT community. Rosselló also criticized President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
Views on Statehood
Rosselló strongly supported Puerto Rico becoming a U.S. state. He believed it would help the economy and solve Puerto Rico's colonial status. He said, "Colonialism is not an option... It's a civil rights issue." In January 2017, he announced that Puerto Ricans would vote in a special election on June 11, 2017. The options were "Statehood," "Current Territorial Status," and "Independence/Free Association."
On June 11, 2017, 97% of the votes were for statehood. However, only 23% of eligible voters participated. Rosselló planned to create a group to ensure the vote's validity in Congress. He stated that he wanted to build the political support needed for statehood.
Personal Life
Ricardo Rosselló was married to Natasha Marie Cervi from 2008 to 2010.
On October 14, 2012, Rosselló married Beatriz Areizaga. They have a daughter, Claudia Beatriz, and a son, Pedro Javier. His cousin is Roy Rosselló, a singer and former member of the boy band Menudo.
Images for kids
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Rosselló, photographed in 2019
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Rosselló (center) speaks in Utuado, Puerto Rico in March 2018.
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Rosselló with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump after Hurricane Maria in 2017
See also
In Spanish: Ricardo Rosselló para niños
- List of Puerto Ricans
