If there is one public issue Rafael Escamilla Ramos would call a personal passion, it’s social responsibility in caring for the environment.
While juggling multiple duties since taking charge as Ajijic’s interim delegado (town administrator) two weeks ago, Escamilla is already setting his sights on encouraging his work team and village inhabitants to conserve water, eliminate litter, separate refuse for recycling and demonstrate respect for the area’s natural bounty.
He says his appreciation for the importance of saving water stems primarily from his eight years of experience (2002-2010) as an auxiliary administrator at the Ajijic branch of the SIMAPA water and sewage management agency. He learned a lot about the limitations of local water resources and the consequences of wasteful practices.
Now in the role of the town’s government boss, he is putting that knowledge into practice by instructing service employees on optimum times of day to water the town’s gardens and green areas and just how little wetness is required to keep them lush and healthy.
Rafa, as he is known to friends, is a smart and seasoned teacher. A graduate of the University of Guadalajara with a degree in industrial engineering, over the last 30 years he has held down academic posts at various public and private schools as a professor of math, chemistry and physics.
In those jobs he developed a strong interest in giving students a firm understanding environmental themes and conservation values. He’s excited about the potential for instilling the same mystique on a broader scale.
He says that sketchy garbage pickup that became a bother immediately after Chapala’s change of government is practically back to normal. And he has reinstated collection of green wastes in central Ajijic every Thursday.
Although the number of service personnel assigned to the town has been reduced to just eight regular workers, he has six of the hands dedicated to outdoor cleaning and maintenance duties to keep streets and public areas looking tidy, with two men engaged in street light repairs, and one lady doing office housekeeping. He has also roped in some local construction workers to volunteer in sprucing up the village graveyard.
Meanwhile, he has lined up area captains to guide the end-to-end beach and Malecon cleanup campaign scheduled for Saturday, October 17, starting at 8 a.m.
Other projects on his immediate to-do list include keeping a tight lid on informal commerce, reducing traffic congestion and overseeing the long-delayed completion of plaza renovations. One item he checked off this week was ending the restricted access and paid parking scheme for the beach area on the east side of the pier. Business operators and the newly formed tourist assistance and inspection squad will help maintain order in the vicinity.
Escamilla is on temporary appointment as town manager until a public referendum is held early next year to fill the office for the duration of the 2015-2018 administration. Depending upon his performance over the next few months, he will have a shot at staying on the job. He ran for the post in 2013, placing second behind Hector España.
On other fronts, Chapala Mayor Javier Degollado named Miguel Ángel Espinoza Corona to act as provisional manager in San Antonio Tlayacapan and Ema Sandoval López to hold down the fort in Santa Cruz de la Soledad. Ernesto Alejandro Gutiérrez Maldonado and Ana Luisa Raygoza Ibarra remain on duty in Atotonilquillo and San Nicolás de Ibarra respectively.