Armando Ruiz announced his candidacy for Port Arthur District 2 Councilman.

Ruiz, 26, said the opportunity to run “fell into his lap.”

“As a former newspaper co-owner, I became the go-to person for what’s going on in the community,” said Ruiz, who previously co-owned the Spanish-language publication La Noticiero. “People I knew and family being active were the ones who told me they could see me being the mayor. With the newspaper, I got involved with the chamber and nonprofits.”

This is Ruiz’s first time to run for public office. He presently serves on the city’s Beautification Commission, serves as president of the Hispanic Business Council under the umbrella of the Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, and will serve as vice president of the Port Arthur Rotary chapter in 2021.

Ruiz’s three key topics during his campaign are better infrastructure, job access and better safety. In infrastructure, Ruiz said he would look into how Port Arthur can improve its streets, plumbing and ditches.

If elected, Ruiz plans to work with the mayor and other city council members to hire local talent for an increase of jobs coming to Port Arthur.

“Within the next two or three years, we’re going to see a major influx of jobs,” he said. “We’re sitting on black gold.”

Port Arthur’s parks have been a focus of Ruiz’s concerns on safety. He added many of the parks are not well maintained and have become susceptible to vandalism.

“How can we make the parks better to attract families?” he said. “Working with Parks and Recreation, we’re pushing for a splash pad at Lakeview Park. We’re also working on a soccer field behind Our Lady of Guadalupe. People gather every Sunday in Beaumont for soccer, and 65 to 70 percent of the players are from Port Arthur. Beaumont has a field in progress for soccer. Why can’t we have something like that in Port Arthur and keep our cash money in Port Arthur?”

Cal Jones currently holds the District 2 council position.