Vela, Blanca Sanchez, 1936-2014

Blanca Sanchez Vela (May 27, 1936 – February 19, 2014) was an American politician and matriarch of one of the most prominent families in Brownsville, Texas. Vela, who served as the Mayor of Brownsville from 1999 until 2003, was the city's first female mayor. She remains the only woman to hold the mayoral office to date.

Born Blanca Sanchez in Harlingen, Texas, Vela began her college career by taking the bus from Harlingen to Brownsville to attend Texas Southmost College, a community college. She later earned both her bachelor's degree and a master's degree. She married her husband, Filemon Vela, Sr., in 1962. He was later appointed a U.S. federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Prior to her election as mayor in 1999, Vela served on the Brownsville Public Utilities Board (PUB), including a stint as the board's chairperson from 1995 until July 1998. She and Betty Dodd co-founded of the Brownsville Public Library Foundation in 1994. Blanca Vela also became the first woman to hold a seat on the Brownsville National Bank's board of directors.

Vela announced her candidacy for Mayor on August 28, 1998, as a challenger to incumbent Mayor Henry Gonzalez, who was seeking re-election for a third term. She defeated Gonzalez in the city's mayoral election on May 1, 1999 with 56 percent of the vote. On January 7, 2003, Mayor Blanca Vela announced that she would not seek re-election for a second term in a speech in front of the Market Square fountain. Vela left office on June 10, 2003. Vela issued as statement thanking her family and the citizens of the city as her last act in office. Vela died of natural causes at her home in Brownsville. She was buried in Buena Vista Burial Park in Brownsville.