| 1 | 1 | | 84R13489 RMA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Canales H.R. No. 1264 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The tenure of an esteemed public official will draw |
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| 7 | 7 | | to a close when the Honorable Leopoldo Palacios Jr. concludes his |
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| 8 | 8 | | service as the mayor of Pharr in May 2015; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, A native of Pharr, "Polo" Palacios graduated from |
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| 10 | 10 | | Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School in 1952 and subsequently served |
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| 11 | 11 | | this state and nation for four years as a member of the United |
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| 12 | 12 | | States Air Force; he later attended Texas A&I University and went on |
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| 13 | 13 | | to graduate with a degree in social work from The University of |
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| 14 | 14 | | Texas--Pan American; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, After being employed in insurance sales for many |
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| 16 | 16 | | years, Mr. Palacios started working in the financial industry, and |
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| 17 | 17 | | in 1965, he established a loan company in McAllen; in 1981, he once |
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| 18 | 18 | | again changed career paths to become a drug and alcohol abuse |
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| 19 | 19 | | counselor, and he went on to found Palacios Alcohol Drug Education |
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| 20 | 20 | | and Counseling Services, where he has positively impacted countless |
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| 21 | 21 | | lives through the decades; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Palacios entered politics in 1985 with his |
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| 23 | 23 | | appointment as city commissioner, and he was subsequently returned |
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| 24 | 24 | | to that office time and again by local voters; over the course of |
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| 25 | 25 | | his 17-year tenure in that post, he ably served his constituency, |
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| 26 | 26 | | and he recalls as one of his proudest achievements providing more |
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| 27 | 27 | | than 20,000 new residents with clean water, sewerage services, |
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| 28 | 28 | | streets, and electricity after the annexation of the Las Milpas |
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| 29 | 29 | | area by the city; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | WHEREAS, In 2002, Mr. Palacios was elected mayor of Pharr, |
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| 31 | 31 | | and under his guidance, the city has received a host of accolades |
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| 32 | 32 | | for its dedication to historic preservation, economic development, |
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| 33 | 33 | | and civic excellence; it was designated as both a Preserve America |
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| 34 | 34 | | Community and a Texas Main Street City in 2004, and it received a |
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| 35 | 35 | | 2006 All-America City Award from the National Civic League; |
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| 36 | 36 | | moreover, Mayor Palacios was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Honor |
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| 37 | 37 | | in 2009 by the Pharr Chamber of Commerce in recognition of his |
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| 38 | 38 | | outstanding contributions to his community; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | WHEREAS, In addition to his mayoral duties, Polo Palacios has |
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| 40 | 40 | | served as a member of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge Board, |
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| 41 | 41 | | the Hidalgo County Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Lower |
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| 42 | 42 | | Rio Grande Valley Development Council, American Legion Post |
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| 43 | 43 | | No. 101, the United States Conference of Mayors, and Disabled |
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| 44 | 44 | | American Veterans; at the statewide level, he was appointed to the |
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| 45 | 45 | | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner by Governor Mark White |
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| 46 | 46 | | and, at the national level, to the Military Academy Selection |
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| 47 | 47 | | Committee by U.S. Senator John Cornyn; and |
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| 48 | 48 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Palacios is blessed in all his endeavors by the |
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| 49 | 49 | | love and support of his wife, the former Maria Guadalupe Ramos, with |
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| 50 | 50 | | whom he has shared a rewarding union of nearly six decades; he also |
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| 51 | 51 | | takes tremendous pride in his treasured family that includes 6 |
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| 52 | 52 | | children, 18 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren; buoyed by a |
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| 53 | 53 | | strong faith as well, he and his wife are valued, longtime |
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| 54 | 54 | | congregants of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, where he serves |
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| 55 | 55 | | as a Eucharistic minister; and |
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| 56 | 56 | | WHEREAS, Greatly respected for his commitment to his fellow |
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| 57 | 57 | | citizens, Polo Palacios has devoted three decades of his life to |
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| 58 | 58 | | public service, and his myriad efforts in behalf of the city of |
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| 59 | 59 | | Pharr will be remembered and admired for years to come; now, |
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| 60 | 60 | | therefore, be it |
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| 61 | 61 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 62 | 62 | | Legislature hereby commend the Honorable Leopoldo "Polo" Palacios |
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| 63 | 63 | | Jr. for his service as mayor of Pharr and extend to him sincere best |
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| 64 | 64 | | wishes for continued success and fulfillment; and, be it further |
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| 65 | 65 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 66 | 66 | | prepared for Mayor Palacios as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 67 | 67 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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