Port Aransas Mayor Charles Bujan, known for leadership in Hurricane Harvey, has died.

Port Aransas Mayor Charles Bujan – who became nationally known as a stalwart champion of his city in the wake of Hurricane Harvey – died Wednesday, according to county and port officials.

He was 77.

Bujan had tight ties with the beachside city he loved, an island that his family had called home since 1885 – a point for him that was a matter of pride. 

Already a pillar of Port Aransas, Bujan was introduced to the rest of the nation as the plain-talking, steadfast leader of a community devastated in the aftermath of the Category 4 storm.

He was one of few area elected officials who ordered a mandatory evacuation ahead of the hurricane that made landfall Aug. 25, 2017.

Precinct 4 commissioner Brent Chesney, who represents the residents of Port Aransas for Nueces County, said Bujan was a “great character in principle” whom he respected.

“Harvey was his shining moment,” Chesney said. “He was the right person. He was in the right place at the right time to lead them through that tragedy.”

Bujan hadn’t doubted what the storm could bring.

“My family has lived here for 130 years — we’ve been through all the major storms,” he told the Caller-Times, seated at a table inside an emergency operations center days after the storm. 

“I know all the signs, and this one that was coming off of the Yucatan Peninsula had all the signs of coming here.”

Bujan never wavered in his confidence that the city would recover, while acknowledging that the extensive damage it had endured would make for a long one.

He was vocal about Port Aransas’ need for assistance and that the area was “first hit and first forgotten,” said Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales.

Thanks in part to his leadership, she said, “we were able to get temporary housing for workforce in the past legislative session. … Hurricane Harvey defined him, in my mind.”

Bujan’s reputation as a direct – and at times – brusque communicator was equally well-known.

“He did not mince words, and I certainly was on the end of some of those words,” Chesney said. “He fought for everything he could, and he made it clear that you better listen to him because he was trying to help his people. He loved that city.”

Bujan was named the Caller-Times Newsmaker of the Year in 2018.

The Port of Corpus Christi Commission initially had been planning to recognize Bujan in a special meeting Wednesday.

The recognition has been deferred to next Tuesday, said port chairman Charlie Zahn.

Caller-Times reporters Vicky Camarillo and Chase Rogers contributed to this report.

Kirsten Crow covers government, industry and development in South Texas. Support local news by checking out our subscription options and special offers at Caller.com/subscribe