His victory in the elections for mayor was partly due to the backing of then-president of Brazil, Getúlio Vargas.

During his term in office, he made several social and populist reforms in the fields of health care, education, and indigenous culture (to his credit stands the revival of the Samba).

[2] He quickly became the most popular politician in Brazil, and was even considered as a suitable candidate for the future presidential elections of 1938.

By then, however, Vargas had already launched his autocratic "New State" (Estado Novo), erasing the possibility of democratic elections.

It was severely questioned in 2006, after the ex-deputy Roberto Jefferson, confessed defendant and impeached for participating in the "mensalão scandal", was decorated with it by his own daughter, councilor Cristiane Brasil.