Historically mayors used to be minor political figures in the Puerto Rican landscape as the
executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico exerted an overarching authority over the municipalities. However, in recent years, the executive branch has adopted a decentralized form of government and started to focus on statewide politics rather than on local or regional ones. and has allowed certain highly populated municipalities with robust local economies —such as
Caguas and
San Juan— to prosper and exercise a high degree of autonomy, while leaving others with mild or little population —such as
Florida and
Moca— with challenges to overcome. Nevertheless, these policies have made mayors highly influential on the local, regional, and statewide
economy of Puerto Rico, as well as in its
politics and
society. An example of this would be the
Willie Tax which was implemented independently in
Caguas by its former mayor,
William Miranda Marín. The tax was subsequently adopted by other municipalities and eventually evolved into the statewide sales tax known as the
Puerto Rico Sales and Use Tax (IVU). Today, mayors have become strong political
stewardesses and anchors for other politicians seeking support from the citizens living in their municipalities. It has also become increasingly common to involve and discuss political matters with the mayors, their assemblies, and the organizations to which they belong to, before implementing
public policies, and
approving or
vetoing
bills. Both the mayors and the central
government of Puerto Rico, including the
Governor and the
Legislative Assembly, have been able to work in unison and
symbiotically to up bring Puerto Rico and its municipalities. The Puerto Rico Mayors Association was founded in 1949 by
Felisa Rincón de Gautier. The Puerto Rico Mayors Federationwas founded in 1968 by
Carlos Romero Barceló as the Federation of Municipalities of Puerto Rico. The president of the Federation as of 2017 is
Carlos Molina Rodríguez, after succeeding
Hector O'Neill. ==Duties and powers==