NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday November 26, 2007

Nogales mourns loss of beloved mayor, Ignacio J. Barraza

Nogales Mayor Ignacio J. Barraza died Wed. Nov. 21 of heart failure at the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson.

Barraza, 38, will be remembered by colleagues, friends and citizens for his vision and commitment to Nogales and Southern Arizona.

His dedication to public service began more than a decade ago when he worked under Sen. Dennis DeConcini as his southern Arizona representative. Barraza was appointed City Administrator for the City of Nogales in 1997, and was then appointed in 2003 to fill a vacancy in the Nogales City Council. He was re-elected in 2004 to a four-year term, becoming the first city council candidate in recent history to be elected during the primary election.

In 2006, Barraza resigned his city council position to run for mayor, and in September 2006, the citizens of Nogales voted in overwhelming support for Barraza, electing him with nearly 60 percent of the overall votes.

Funeral services have been scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 27th, with additional information found at the City of Nogales Web site: http://cityofnogales.net