Julian Castro, at this point, has a pretty substantial public image. Coming from San Antonio as mayor, he was able to accomplish many issues going on in the city. He comes from a family of hard workers, which is definitely viewed as positive from the public eye. Castro is considered a Mexican-American, which could be seen as a positive, or negative by some people. Either way, he was able to prove to everyone that he is perfectly capable of succeeding in an office. President Obama has been quoted saying, “Julian is a proven leader, a champion for safe, affordable housing and strong, sustainable neighborhoods” after Castro’s confirmation to be the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. With the support of President Obama, Castro is on a good path for a well -viewed public image.

According to Reuters, policy makers and private economists are nervous about Castro being the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development because he took the role in a time of renewed weakness in the United States housing market. This is definitely considered to be a weakness to many people since he was put in somewhat of a hole at his starting position. Although Castro came in at a time of crisis, the amount of accomplishments and opportunities within this specific industry have mostly been positive. Like I said earlier, President Obama is a big supporter of Castro. This is definitely looked at as a strength for Castro if he decides to run for the 2016 election. Since a large weakness for him is starting off while the housing market is so low, this could also be looked at as a large opportunity. By the end of 2014, more than two thousand housing units were built in downtown San Antonio with almost 350 million in total investments. Yes, this was a large success for him and the city of San Antonio but it doesn’t always work out this well. There is a possibility that he will take the same mentality as he did for San Antonio for the United States. This is a possibility for being a large opportunity, or threat.

Julian Castro has always been a big supporter of LGBT rights, education, health and fitness, neighborhood revitalization, and workforce development. These are all extremely important issues that the United States is currently facing. I think out of all of these, Castro will focus mostly on neighborhood and city revitalization and using it to his advantage, He has had plenty of success in this field and certainly knows what he’s talking about. Overall, I think his list of accomplishments in all of these subjects is rather large from the teen birth rate in San Antonio declining by more than 15 percent while in office to San Antonio being ranked best-performing local economy in the U.S. by prestigious Milken Institute in 2011. I believe that he has a lot in store for all of us.

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/about/principal_staff/secretary_castro

http://thehill.com/conventions-2012/dem-convention-charlotte/246937-rising-star-julian-castro-first-latino-tapped-for-keynote-slot-

http://www.mayorcastro.com/accomplishments