Eight women and 29 men are registered to compete for positions as delegados (town administrators) in Chapala’s five satellite communities, to be decided on the basis of public referendums slated for Sunday, February 3.
Voting polls will be set up at the central plaza of each locality, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Citizens holding federal voter registration ID cards are eligible to cast ballots in their respective places of residence.
Candidates registered to run in Ajijic – comprising electoral sections 466, 467, 468 and 469 – are Jose Luis Baron Velazquez, Elvira Crespo Vergara, Rafael Escamilla Ramos, Hector España Ramos, Ricardo Gonzalez Gonzalez, Rolando Madera Castañeda, Jose Luis Gutierrez Nuñez, Gerardo Padilla Puga, Eduardo Palma Perez, Francisco Jose Perez Perez, Raul Uriel Real Soto and Jorge Reynoso Romero.
Contenders in Atotonilquillo (sections 470, 471,472) are Sandra Lorena Cruz Esqueda, Ernesto Alejandro Gutierrez Maldonado, Jose Jaime Hernandez Cazares, Bernardo Lara Gutierrez, Benjamin Rocha Jimenez and Juan Miguel Vazquez Godinez.The field in San Nicolas de Ibarra (section 473) includes Nicolas Contreras Gonzalez, Edith Gisela Gonzalez Rodriguez, Guillermo Ortega Navarro, Ana Luisa Raygoza Ibarra, David Rodriguez Guardado, Maria de Lourdes Rojas Orozco and Gilberto Ruiz.
Candidates in Santa Cruz de la Soledad (section 474) are Jose Guadalupe Camarena Olmedo, Javier Carranza Cruz, J. Jesus Castellanos Gomez, Maria de Jesus Rivera Zuñiga and Vicente Sandoval Siordia.
Joining the race in San Antonio Tlayacapan (section 475) are Alfonso De Anda Hernandez, Miguel Angel Espinosa Corona, Juan Carlos Espinoza Zaragoza, Ana Maria Huerta Rivera, Rosa Maria Lechuga Milian, José Asuncion Milian Gudiño and Juan Carlos Moreida Milian.
Once the polls close an immediate tally of votes will be carried out by city hall officials assigned as poll workers, with representatives of each candidate present as observers. Documentation will then be submitted to a special electoral commission for verification. Official results are to be announced on February 6, with the new delegados scheduled to take the oath of office on Monday, February 11.
The delegado essentially serves as a liaison between city hall and the constituents they represent. Day to day administrative responsibilities include supervising the operation of public services, compliance with municipal ordinances and the organization of public events. They also handle concerns and complaints of the populace and advocate for public works and programs in benefit of the community.