Biography
Mr. José Manuel “Conny” Varela Fernández was born on February 13, 1954, in the town of Cayey, and has resided in Caguas since 1976.
Varela Fernández studied at Notre Dame College in Caguas and graduated from Miguel Meléndez Muñoz High School, where he received the leadership medal.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in Political Science from the University of Puerto Rico, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1974. In 1977, he earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law and served as class president during his first year. During his senior year, he worked at the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, attached to the Attorney General’s Office.
From 1977 to 1996, he was a partner at the Varela & Varela Law Firm. In 1978, he was a professor of criminology at Puerto Rico Junior College, and from 1979 to 1980, he was a professor of commercial law and political science at Caguas City College. In 1982, he presided over the Great Olympic Crusade and received a special distinction from the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee for his outstanding performance. In 1987, the Caguas Municipal Department of Recreation and Sports selected him as a Distinguished Young Man of Caguas in the “Law” category. From 1989 to 1991, he was legal advisor to the Government Commission of the House of Representatives.
From 1989 to 1990, the American Cancer Society, Caguas District, awarded him a special award for his outstanding participation in the Education and Fundraising Crusade in that district. He distinguished himself as President of the Rotary Club of Caguas, being recognized as the most outstanding president of District 700 in 1990-1991.
Representative Varela, who is married and has three children, began his political career in 1993, when he was sworn in as a Municipal Legislator of Caguas.
In 1996, he was first elected to the House of Representatives for Representative District 32 in Caguas, where he served as a member and minority spokesperson on the Criminal Law, Municipal Affairs, and Retirement Systems committees. He also served on the Government, Civil Law, and the Special Commission to Combat Crime committees.
In the 2000 general elections, he was reelected by a margin of approximately 4,000 votes. During that four-year term, he chaired the Government Commission and served as Vice President of the Finance Commission.
In the 2004 elections, he was re-elected by a margin of nearly 5,000 votes, standing out as the minority spokesperson on the Government Commission. He also served as a member of the Budget and Socioeconomic Development Commissions.
In 2008, he was reappointed, serving as minority spokesperson on the Socioeconomic Development Commission and as a member of the Government, Comprehensive Development of the Eastern Region, Public Safety, Housing and Federal Relations, and Veterans Affairs commissions.
In 2012, he was re-elected to the position of Representative and chaired the Government Commission of said legislative body.
He was reelected in 2016 and assumed leadership as Spokesperson for the PPD Delegation in the Government Commission.
Varela reappointed his term in 2020, being elected by his colleagues as Vice President of the House of Representatives for the Nineteenth Legislative Assembly. During that period, he chaired the Commission for the Study and Evaluation of Puerto Rican Constitutional Law, Proposed Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and Electoral Affairs, and the House Subcommittee on the Situation in the Judicial Branch of that body.
In the November 2024 elections, Varela once again received the support of the people of Caguas and was sworn in for the eighth time, being appointed Spokesperson for the P.P.D. delegation on the Legal, Recreation and Sports, and Economic Development committees.