Clemente Vera.

Commitment to children’s safety

Architect and businessman. Vice-Chair of Parks and Police 4 Kids Foundation. Kind but firm and passionate when expressing his ideas, Clemente Vera advocates for a controlled growth of the City of Doral. His vast knowledge about permit processing, construction protocols and building regulations gives him qualities that can be of added value on the position of Councilman of the City of Doral he is pursuing in the upcoming elections.

By Devorah Sasha and Maria Alejandra Pulgar.

His life at risk and the gift of faith

Clemente Vera was born in Cuba and defines himself as an honest man, always committed to doing the right thing.

He arrived in the United States in 1965 with his parents, after leaving the island in an urgent manner, escaping from the danger of being put against a firing squad by the Cuban regime. For a child so young it was not an easy situation. They escaped a sure death to then confront a city where they did not know the language and people were prejudiced against those refugees that were coming in herds, to protect their lives and those of their children.

“Being a Cuban and not being able to speak in English, I was discriminated against. Consequently my days in elementary school were fighting almost every day.  In those days it was not called bullying and there was not intervention. My childhood was not the best in the world but I had loving parents and they did their best to keep me in the right track”. However he remembers happy moments, riding all day on his bike, a hobby and passion he still cultivates today.

College time was different. Times had changed and he was able to focus on his studies to complete successful accomplishments. Clemente Vera graduated from TEXAS A&M University with a double major: Bachelor of Science in Building & Construction, and in Environmental Design & Architecture. The experience of adapting to a new country and achieving success has taught him that no matter who you are or where you come from, if you play by the rules, you can become anything you want to be.

He has resided in Doral for 10 years with his wife and their 3 sons. To him his family is the reason for living and working hard. He is a strong man, with a heart of gold according to those that have had the chance of working with him. His dream has always been to achieve peace of mind, and that comes with working hard, taking care of business and providing for his family, so they can continue progressing in life, the same way his parents supported and provided for him to put through difficulties and achieve success.

But for Clemente his biggest partner for success and happiness is God. He has a strong faith and considers it the key for living a fulfilled life. Faith is what keeps him going. “God is everything to me”. One of his fondest memories was going to Church with his parents, “I miss them; sadly neither of them is here but I know in my soul they will always be with me”.

Straightening priorities

Vera has been a business owner for more than 25 years. He works in general contracting and takes pride on saying he has always finished every job he has committed for regardless of the financial outcome of the project because “a happy client brings more clients”.

His community activism was limited until now to participate as Vice-Chair of Parks and Police 4 Kids Foundation, a group devoted to helping young people to have the opportunities to develop their Academic, Athletic, and Artistic Skills to the best of their abilities, and he was not interested on pursuing a political position, but there have been issues in the city that prompted him to step up to the challenge and run for Councilman. He feels confident his experience and abilities would be of added value for the City Council. “The situation about drugs, the need of having police around the schools, and the security of the kids are vital for the city. Those are the issues that interest me the most and I would make a priority to address them properly and solve them once and for all”.

Another issue that attracts his attention is the permitting and licensing process within the city. Being a general contractor he would really like to get involved in ways to smooth out the project permit process, making it easy to follow and reducing processing time.

 “I think Doral is a great city and I want it to continue being that way. Current authorities have done a wonderful job and I want to continue and improve their work. Doral has so much more to be done, so many opportunities for growth and development, and I want it to be done properly. As a developer I can really put my efforts and points of view to benefit the city”.

“If you don’t vote, don’t complain”

Clemente Vera is very sincere and straightforward. He wants to serve in the Council because he cares about the issues and priorities of the citizens. “Visiting the homes and families in the community in this campaign I have learned a lot”. He believes that people have to participate and vote “if you don’t vote you lose your right to complain about the things you care about that are not getting done”.

 “I like people that are honest, who are accomplished and committed to getting things done. Honesty is paramount to me; because that is the way I am, in my personal life and in my work”. He believes in collaboration and involvement. “I will invite everybody to work together for the greater good. He wants to work with whoever is elected and he wants to count on having everybody on board to contribute to the success and future of Doral.