John Treviño Jr.
John Treviño Jr. (1939 – 2017) was the first Mexican-American to serve on the Austin city council, serving from 1975 to 1988. Trevino was a political trailblazer and one of the most prominent Hispanics in Austin for years. He was known for his lifelong public service. Early life and service. Treviño was born in Austin and at age 8 volunteered to become a Catholic altar boy. He worked at a laundry, did odd jobs and made deliveries for a local blueprint company. His family had always had a modest income, but after he volunteered for a Catholic  service group, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, his eyes were opened to the poverty around him. At age 17 Treviño volunteered for the army and trained as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He became a paid anti-poverty worker, the first at the East First Neighborhood Center, when he was 27. In the Austin community of Montopolis Treviño partnered with a local Catholic priest, Father Underwood, to operate a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program that had been newly created as part of the War on Poverty initiative. Austin Political Power. In the early 1970s, Treviño , Gus Garcia, Richard Moya and Gonzalo Barrientos were known by journalists as the "Young Turks" or the "Brown Machine" according to Gus Garcia. These Hispanic leaders, along with a coalition that included labor activists, African-Americans, and young voters, overturned the traditional Anglo businessmen based power structure of Austin. City Council. In 1973 Treviño sought a seat on the Austin City Council but lost. In 1975 he was elected and went on to serve thirteen years. He contributed to a number of improvements while on the City Council, such as, started clinics across the city to provide access to health  care for the poor; created what would become the Department of Small and Minority Business Resources; supported women and minorities to be included on city commissions and boards; and established a review of hiring practices to provide fair access to city jobs for minorities and women. He also helped resolve conflicts with the vendors at the Renaissance Market on Guadalupe Street. In 1978 he became the mayor pro tem, and in 1983 he served for three months as acting mayor when then mayor Carole Keeton was appointed to the State Board of Insurance. In 1983, Treviño received 59,905 votes for  his re-election, which is the most votes ever received by an Austin City Council candidate. Service After City Council. The University of Texas School of Social Work nominated Treviño to go to an International Conference on Social Welfare in Helsinki, Finland. He was one of 13 Americans invited. After scandals at the Capital Metro board of directors Trevino was elected to help clean it up. He served on the board from 1997 to 2009. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and he served on the International Board of  the U.S./Mexico Sister Cities Association. Legacy. In 2006, the City of Austin designated a park in his honor, the John Treviño Jr. Metropolitan Park at Morrison Ranch.