His father, with whom he shared his nickname ("Paco"), was a dentist who would be elected Mayor of San Pedro de Jujuy; the young Pérez lost his mother at age five.

He also served as legal adviser to the Provincial Health and Social Services Ministry, the Cattle Ranching Directorate, and the Consulate of Bolivia in Mendoza in subsequent years.

Pérez was appointed Undersecretary of Labor for the Santiago del Estero Province with interim Governor Pablo Lanusse following a Federal intervention order signed in 2004.

He returned to Mendoza the following year, and in 2007, left his private practice to accept a post as Minister of Infrastructure for the newly elected Governor Celso Jaque.

[4] His first major policy proposal as governor was to advance an open source governance initiative in a bill which included provisions for a system of petitions and referendums, as well as public consultation boards.