Rebeca Cofré
Cofré in May 2010
Intendant of the O'Higgins Region
In office
20 April 2020 – 13 February 2021
PresidentSebastián Piñera
Preceded byJuan Manuel Masferrer
Succeeded byRicardo Guzmán
Mayor of Chépica
In office
6 December 2008 – 20 April 2020
Preceded byMiriam del Carmen Rodríguez Cruz
Succeeded byPatricio Cepeda
Personal details
Born
Rebeca del Rosario Cofré Calderón

(1962-08-23) 23 August 1962
Providencia, Santiago, Chile
Political partyIndependent Democrat Union
SpouseSergio Schlack Harnecker (2002–present)
Residence(s)Fundo El Monte, Chépica, Chile[1]
Signature
WebsiteFacebook profile

Rebeca del Rosario Cofré Calderón (born 23 August 1962) is a Chilean politician and member of the Independent Democrat Union (UDI). In 2008 she was elected mayor of Chépica, a small commune in Colchagua Province, after running unsuccessfully for the same office four years before. She was re-elected to the office in 2012. In 2013, she was named as one of the 100 Leading Women of Chile by Mujeres Empresarias[n 1] and the Economía y Negocios (Economy and Business) section of El Mercurio newspaper.

Biography

Early life

Rebeca Cofré Calderón was born on 23 August 1962, to Luis Antonio Cofré Farías and Rebeca de las Nieves Calderón Segovia, in Providencia, a district (comuna) of Santiago.[3] In the 1970s Cofré's family moved to Pichilemu, then in Colchagua Province, where she attended the Escuela Doctor Díaz Lira (currently the Colegio de la Preciosa Sangre) with her sisters Francisca Javiera and Carolina de las Nieves. She attended high school at the Liceo C-25 (currently the Liceo Agustín Ross Edwards), with her class being the first to graduate from the school.[4]

Cofré married in second nuptials Sergio Gustavo Reinaldo Schlack Harnecker (born 13 February 1928), on 16 February 2002, in Nancagua, Colchagua Province.[5] The couple has resided in Chépica, a city south of Nancagua, ever since.[4] She has three children.[6]

Political career

According to her biography on the Chépica government website, Cofré decided to start her political career in 2000 because of her "great motivation for the protection of the people's dignity, mostly of the working women".[n 2][6] Pichilemu News, an online newspaper from Pichilemu, states that she "emulated" her husband, farmer Sergio Schlack, who was a National Renewal regional adviser representing Cardenal Caro Province in the 1990s.[4]

From left to right: deputy Juan Carlos Latorre, officials from the Library of the National Congress of Chile, deputy Ramón Barros Montero, and Cofré during a ceremony at a local school, May 2010.

As a member of right-wing party Independent Democrat Union (UDI),[4] she ran as a candidate for mayor of Chépica in 2004, competing against four other candidates: Leonel Arturo Padilla Peña (Humanist Party, PH), Raúl Araya Donoso (independent), Gastón Retamales Fuenzalida (independent), and Miriam del Carmen Rodríguez Cruz (Socialist Party, PS). Rodríguez Cruz won the election, garnering 3,546 votes (47.01%) out of 7,543 votes cast. Cofré, in contrast, obtained 3,260 votes (43.22%).[7] Cofré ran again as a candidate for mayor of Chépica in 2008, obtaining 4,931 votes (62.71%) out of 7,863, winning against incumbent mayor Rodríguez Cruz, who obtained 2,932 votes (37.29%).[8] Cofré took office as mayor of Chépica on 6 December 2008.[9]

A 27 February 2010 earthquake destroyed most of the historic centre of Chépica. Among the destroyed buildings were the local church, the Fundación las Rosas (Las Rosas Foundation) house, the firefighters' headquarters, and small shops, which according to Cofré were close to 200 years old.[10] The local council was forced to hold meetings at an indoor court.[11] Cofré aimed to recover "whatever it [was] possible".[10]

In November 2010, the municipality conducted a festival, for the first time, named the Festival de la Esquila, which consisted of sheep shearing, Chilean typical games, a craft, gastronomic and cultural fair, and the performances of Potro Bretón de Montaña and the Sonora Juventud from Peumo.[12] On the following year, in July, Cofré announced the creation of a commerce promotion office, after a meeting with local businessmen and government authorities.[13]

Cofré ran for re-election as mayor of Chépica in the 2012 election, running against Miriam del Carmen Rodríguez Cruz, from the Socialist Party, and Antonio Cerpa Plaza, an independent supported by the Humanist Party. Cofré won the election, obtaining 4,483 votes (55.9%) to Rodríguez Cruz's 3,161 votes (39.4%) and Cerpa Plaza's 379 votes (4.7%).[14][15]

Rebeca Cofré was named one of the 100 Leading Women of Chile in November 2013.

In January 2013, it was announced by Cofré and the local priest Claudio Fuenzalida that the San Antonio de Padua church, badly damaged by the 2010 earthquake, would be re-constructed.[16] Later that year, in November 2013, Cofré was named as one of the 100 Mujeres Líderes de Chile (100 Leading Women of Chile) by Mujeres Empresarias and the Economía y Negocios (Economy and Business) section of the El Mercurio newspaper.[17] She accepted the award at the newspapers' headquarters in Vitacura on 26 November 2013, in a ceremony attended by personalities such as President Sebastián Piñera Echenique and First Lady Cecilia Morel Montes, who was also named one of the 100 Leading Women of Chile.[18]

In 2020, the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, appointed her as Intendant of the O'Higgins Region, replacing Juan Manuel Masferrer.

Notes

  1. ↑ Mujeres Empresarias (Business Women) defines itself as a "network of Chilean [women] leaders", an "organisation which supports the business administration by women".[2]
  2. ↑ Original Spanish quote: "gran motivación por la salvaguarda de la dignidad de las personas; particularmente de la mujer trabajadora".[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Padrón electoral auditado - elecciones presidencial, parlamentarias y de consejeros regionales 2013. Región: del Libertador Bdo. O'Higgins. Provincia: Colchagua. Comuna: Chépica" (PDF) (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Electoral Service of Chile. 2013. p. 36. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Quienes somos" (in Spanish). Las Condes, Chile: Mujeres Empresarias. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013. Fundada el año 2001 por Francisca Valdés y Carolina Eterovic, Mujeres Empresarias (ME) es la primera Red de Líderes en Chile. Somos una organización que apoya la gestión empresarial de la mujer[.]
  3. ↑ "Certificado de Nacimiento - Rebeca del Rosario Cofré Calderón" (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Civil Registry and Identification Service of Chile. 27 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Saldías González, Washington (27 November 2013). "Pichilemina de corazón –actualmente alcaldesa de Chépica, Rebeca Cofré- es una de las 100 Mujeres Líderes de Chile 2013". Pichilemu News (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile. Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  5. ↑ "Certificado de Matrimonio - Sergio Gustavo Reinaldo Schlack Harnecker / Rebeca del Rosario Cofré Calderón" (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Civil Registry and Identification Service of Chile. 27 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 "Rebeca Cofré Calderón - Alcaldesa de Chépica" (in Spanish). Chépica, Chile: Ilustre Municipalidad de Chépica. 2013. Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Votación Candidatos por Comuna Chépica - Alcaldes 2004" (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Electoral Service of Chile. 2004. Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Votación Candidatos por Comuna Chépica - Alcaldes 2008" (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Electoral Service of Chile. 2008. Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "Región de O'Higgins: Asumieron sus cargos la totalidad de los nuevos concejos municipales". Diario VI Región (in Spanish). San Fernando, Chile: Sociedad Periodística Portales Ltda. 10 December 2008. p. 5. RANCAGUA.- Tal cual estaba previsto y como lo señala la Ley, el recién pasado sábado 6 de diciembre en distintos horarios y lugares preestablecidos con anterioridad, se instalaron los 33 Concejos Municipales de la Región del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins. Los siguientes son los alcaldes que presidirán los concejos municipales de cada una de las comunas de la Sexta Regió por el nuevo período iniciado y que se prolongará hasta el 5 de diciembre del año 2012: (...) Chépica, Rebeca Cofré Calderón.
  10. 1 2 "Chépica: Nuestras construcciones estaban cerca de los 200 años". El Mercurio (in Spanish). Vitacura, Chile. 21 March 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2013. Perdimos varias de nuestras construcciones antiguas de adobe -recalca la alcaldesa Rebeca Cofre Calderón-: la iglesia, la casa de la Fundación las Rosas, el cuartel de la Primera Compañía de Bomberos, y en la semana se terminaron de demoler pequeñas galerías de comerciantes que estaban en los cascos antiguos de la ciudad. Esto ha sido muy triste para la gente de Chépica, porque se ha perdido historia. Nuestras construcciones estaban muy cerca de los 200 años. Queríamos que el casco central de la comuna fuera declarado patrimonio nacional, pero no alcanzamos. Ya no será lo mismo. (subscription required)
  11. ↑ "Concejo de Chépica". El Mercurio (in Spanish). Vitacura, Chile. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2013. El concejo comunal de Chépica se reunió en un gimnasio para organizar la limpieza y reconstrucción. La edil Rebeca Cofré pidió la presencia de psicólogos para atender a la población. (subscription required)
  12. ↑ "Primera Fiesta de La Esquila Chépica 2010". Diario VI Región (in Spanish). San Fernando, Chile: Sociedad Periodística Portales Ltda. 19 November 2010. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  13. ↑ "Autoridades de fomento productivo se reunieron con comerciantes en Chépica". Diario VI Región (in Spanish). San Fernando, Chile: Sociedad Periodística Portales Ltda. 22 July 2011. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  14. ↑ "Resultados Municipales 2012 Alcaldes" (in Spanish). Chile: Servicio Electoral. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  15. ↑ "La Región eligió a sus alcaldes". Diario VI Región (in Spanish). San Fernando, Chile: Sociedad Periodística Portales Ltda. 28 October 2012. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  16. ↑ "Comunidad de Chépica observa ansiosa reconstrucción de su iglesia". Diario VI Región (in Spanish). San Fernando, Chile: Sociedad Periodística Portales Ltda. 10 January 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  17. ↑ "100 Mujeres Líderes 2013". El Mercurio. Vitacura, Chile. 24 September 2013. p. B9–B12.
  18. ↑ "Premian a las Cien Mujeres Líderes 2013: 75 de ellas son nombradas por primera vez". El Mercurio. Vitacura, Chile. 27 September 2013. p. B6–B7.
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