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Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón (left) and former head of DACO, Valerie Rodríguez Erazo (right). (Source: Government of Puerto Rico)
SAN JUAN — The abrupt firing of Valerie Rodríguez Erazo, now former head of the Puerto Rican Department of Consumer Affairs (DACO), by Governor Jenniffer González-Colon felt like a revenge straight out of the meanest queen bee’s playbook targeted at the brightest star in her troubled administration.
Rodríguez Erazo’s offense? Securing the administration’s only real victory, a critical win against a private power company, and becoming the darling of the Boricua consumer. The die was cast: in this story, no one outshines González-Colón.
Puerto Rican politics is an extreme sport, more complex than a Tina Fey screenplay. But this incident isn’t just about two political figures jousting for public approval. It lays bare the gaping split within the pro-statehood Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP). This internecine feud goes back to what many see as González-Colón's unpardonable betrayal — challenging then-PNP Governor Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia in the 2024 party primaries and eventually going on to win La Fortaleza, the governor’s mansion. His side of the PNP has been looking for payback ever since.
It underscores how González-Colón — an avid student of Donald Trump’s bullying political style — is willing to burn the house down to destroy anyone she perceives as a traitor. But this time, she sabotaged herself by dismissing a woman born of el tronco del PNP (the heart of the PNP) with close ties to the rival faction led by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz.
Rodríguez Erazo is married to Elías Sánchez-Sifonte, the strategist credited with delivering La Fortaleza to former PNP governor Ricardo Rosselló and a key figure in the infamous chat that led to Rosselló’s ouster. Sánchez Sifonte still works closely with the Senate President. Rodríguez Erazo is also the daughter of Charlie Rodríguez Colón, a former PNP Senate President, and Kathy Erazo García, a prominent PNP activist who works in the office of Rivera Schatz. Earlier this year, he appointed her as the Senate representative on the board of directors of Discover Puerto Rico, which markets the archipelago as a tourist destination. It’s a fine kettle of fish indeed.
“The war has been declared, and it’s a war of no return. And it leaves behind casualties,” Ángel Rosa, a Puerto Rican political analyst, said on his podcast.
What Was Rodríguez Erazo Doing?
Rodríguez Erazo championed what people cared about with style and handled the media like a pro. After being appointed, she suddenly was everywhere, inspecting supermarkets, parking lots, airports, and other establishments. The feeling on the street was that she was the only one looking out for the Boricua consumer. She earned the people’s trust — something the PNP governor has lost.
González-Colón’s approval ratings are at a historic low after an inauspicious start to her administration. It has been plagued by island-wide blackouts, problematic cabinet nominations, a petulant leadership style, constant trips (at least 15), and her failure to honor her central campaign promise: to get rid of LUMA Energy, the Canadian-American company that oversees power transmission and distribution in Puerto Rico.
On December 1, four days before her unceremonious ousting, Rodríguez Erazo won an impressive victory against LUMA. In a landmark decision, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court unanimously struck down a contractual clause that protected LUMA from legal responsibility for damages caused by blackouts and voltage fluctuations.
Constant blackouts have damaged countless appliances, like refrigerators, air conditioners, microwaves, and more. Add to that spoiled food, lost work hours, and reduced income to the list of daily hardships. All this on an island where nearly 40% of people live in poverty. Since the Puerto Rican government signed a contract with LUMA in 2020, public anger has erupted into rage against the company.
Almost everyone celebrated Rodríguez Erazo’s win — except La Fortaleza, which quickly spun the victory into a negative. When asked about the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision, the governor dismissed the win as pyrrhic, suggesting that consumers would ultimately pay the price.
“If the implication is that the people will be the ones continuing to pay for it, then we have done nothing,” González-Colón said to the press.
It was only a matter of time before things came to a head. And they did, on December 5, four days later, when a war of words erupted between Rodríguez Erazo and González-Colón. During a local news show, the then-head of DACO implied that the criticism against her originated from within La Fortaleza, remarking that “the worst shots come from inside,” likely a thinly veiled reference to Secretary of State Francisco Domenech, González-Colón’s problematic Praetorian Guard.
The governor responded by telling Rodríguez Erazo to “stop the gossip and get to work.” However, to many, it seemed Rodríguez Erazo was the only one actually working. The governor warned that if Rodríguez Erazo couldn’t work as part of a team, she could leave. What sounded like a threat quickly became reality: later that day, the governor issued a press release announcing that Rodríguez Erazo had been fired and replaced by Hiram Torres Montalvo. He is more of the same. In 2022, then-Governor Pierluisi named him as head of DACO (where Torres Montalvo had also served as legal advisor in 2011), but the nomination was not confirmed by the Senate. There are rumblings that the same could happen again.
Rodríguez Erazo continued to outmaneuver González-Colón after the fallout of her firing, delivering a stinging blow in a video posted to social media.
“If I had to do it all over again, I would do it the same,” she said with her distinctive lisp and gentle demeanor. “People want leaders who work. They don’t care about the party. They just want results.”
And she is right.
Puerto Ricans don’t care about internal party squabbles — or who wins this fight. After years of economic downturn, a U.S. government-imposed Fiscal Control Board, natural disasters, government corruption, the selling off of the archipelago to vulture capitalists, high electricity bills, and constant blackouts, what matters is simple: that the lights stay on and that the overpriced food in their fridge doesn’t spoil.
So What Now?
Soon after the firing, Rivera Schatz posted his own message on social media, leaving no doubt that this episode in the PNP’s internal war is far from over.
“LUMA is grateful for the departure of Lcda. Valerie Rodríguez Erazo, who did an excellent job. The now-former head of DACO achieved what the Energy Czar has been unable to do until now: make LUMA answer to Puerto Ricans. I agree with the governor, we must stay focused! But the question is: what are they focusing on?” Rivera Schatz wrote.
The governor should be focused on what’s coming in January, when the second legislative session opens, and the PNP’s internal battle enters a new phase.
My favorite mail carrier said it best when talking about Rodríguez-Erazo’s firing: “González-Colón saw Rodríguez Erazo as competition. But come January — when Thomas Rivera Schatz gets his chance at payback — that’s when the real shots will come from inside.”
It is a sentiment I believe many Boricuas share. Stay tuned.
A former News Director for Univision Puerto Rico and conflict correspondent, Susanne Ramírez de Arellano is a Columnist for The Latino Newsletter.
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Noem Hearing: Earlier today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was one of three witnesses who testified in front of the House Committee on Homeland Security to discuss “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland.” At one point, she left the hearing before it ended.
Carlos Berríos Polanco edited and published this edition of The Latino Newsletter.
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