Stuck with little to say about concrete accomplishments, Mayor Joaquin Huerta’s focused the message of his first annual his state-of-the municipality report on coping with the “asphyxiating” debt left by his recent predecessors and his personal commitment to putting the local government on a steadier keel over the next two years.
Delivering his informe to a scant audience attending the formal city council session held September 14 a the Auditorio de la Ribera, Huerta summed up his first 11 months in office by stating, “This first year of government has been a year full of challenges and learning experiences…of satisfactions accompanied by arduous work.”
He spoke of financial discipline and drastic cost-cutting measures his administration has undertaken to confront a debt burden currently calculated to exceed 138 million pesos. He emphasized his gratitude to city hall staffers at all levels who have accepted work furloughs and sacrifices in pay to help keep the municipality afloat
He indicated that the thrust of his work has revolved around tough decision making, responsible governance and efforts to line up state and federal programs to finance public work projects that will boost tourism, generate employment and improve the living standards of common folks.
He underlined public security as the key public issue in which his government has achieved substantial improvement.
The mayor dedicated a short portion of his speech to the topic of expatriate residents, saying: “To all of the foreigners who live among us or come to visit, I want to say that the municipality is and will continue to be a good host. We are aware of your contributions to the economies of Chapala families and we want to provide you with the best conditions to stay and reside here. We maintain a close relationship with the foreign community and wish to strengthen those ties as a point of reference so that other of your fellow citizens will choose Chapala as a tourist destination or place of residence.”
Huerta’s discourse was complemented by a video presentation summarizing the activities of different government offices and more than 30 infrastructure projects that are set to be kicked off over the next few months. Images from the video were duplicated in glossy 34-page pamphlets that were handed out to the public at the end of the event.