Please note this story was updated on Jan. 2 from a previous version posted on Dec. 27.
Miami Lakes Mayor Josh Dieguez has nominated Alejandro Sanchez to fill council Seat 4.
Sanchez, 40, is an associate at a commercial property group and serves on the Planning and Zoning Board.
“I am head and shoulders beyond the moon,” Sanchez said on Dec. 27 after the announcement. “I have served my nation since I was 19 years old, since I enlisted in the Navy in 2003, and it’s been a lifelong commitment for me to continue serving.”
Seat 4 was formerly held by Dieguez and it became vacant when he became town mayor in the Nov. 26 runoff election.
Sanchez served aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier out of Norfolk, Va., as an aviation boatswain’s mate.
He was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and discharged in 2007 as a petty officer, second class.
The military awarded him the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Good Conduct Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon among other commendations, according to his resume.
Married to Yaquelyn Sanchez, they have two sons, Aiden, 14, and Alain, 13.
Sanchez was one of eight residents who sought the seat on the dais. Dieguez discussed the candidates with the rest of the council during a meeting at Town Hall on Dec. 23. Per charter rules, if a majority votes for Sanchez during the Jan. 21 council meeting, the town will avoid a delay in filling the seat and paying an estimated $36,000 for a special election.
Also seeking Seat 4 were Esther Colon; William Garciga; Nayib Hassan; Mario Pinera; Pedro “Michael” Proenza; John Rogger and Enrique Suarez. Colon, Hassan, Pinera and Rogger have previously run for town council and lost.
In a Dec. 27 memo to the council posted that afternoon on the town’s website, Dieguez said he nominated Sanchez because he is someone who would put “the interests of the town above political considerations.”
Dieguez praised those who applied. He wrote that he was concerned about nominating someone who had previously run for office but had not won, though he said the council agreed it was “commendable that they threw their hat in the ring and demonstrated ‘tough skin’…”
He also wanted a person with a history of service to the town who would work well with staff.
Like many residents who have run for public office, Sanchez has a history
of volunteering in town. He chaired the Veterans Committee and was a member of the Neighborhood Improvement Committee and the Town Manager Selection Committee.
Sanchez was the 2016 Volunteer of the Year, awarded by the mayor, and the 2014 Grand Marshal of the Veterans Parade.
“Of all the applications we received … his application notably included the most letters of recommendation from everyday town residents,” Dieguez said.
Among the 16 letters, Sanchez provided endorsements from prominent Miami Lakers
too: Former Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Board Member Roberto Alonso; former town Mayor Ceasar Mestre; former vice mayors Luis Collazo and Nelson Rodriguez and current Planning and Zoning Board Vice Chair Fred Senra.
Dieguez also complimented Sanchez’s candid presentation of his background, which included a brush with law enforcement 14 years ago.
Sanchez reported that he was arrested on suspicion of committing felony battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence and disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
Sanchez blamed the incident that happened at a comedy club on “seizure medication” and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He reported that he was “never convicted.”
The misdemeanor charge was not prosecuted. The felony charge was reduced to a misdemeanor offense, which was also not prosecuted, court records show.
“Now to have this honor bestowed upon me and hopefully be made official with the votes on the 21st of January, it means the world to me,” Sanchez said.
He is pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Miami and expects to graduate this year.