Tardiness and information overload were the hallmarks of this week’s back-to-back informes de gobierno (government reports) staged by Chapala Mayor Javier Degollado and opposition City Councilor Juan Carlos Pelayo.
Degollado presented his state-of-the-municipality address on Tuesday, September 12 to a full house at Ajijic’s Auditorio de la Ribera. The event, programmed for 6 p.m. as a formal session of the cabildo (city council), got underway 90 minutes behind schedule.
His chronicle of government business over the past 12 months came off as a hodge-podge of dry facts and figures read off a teleprompter, central themes drawn from a written script and ad lib remarks, interspersed with video clips now playing on Facebook.
A gifted off-the-cuff speaker, the mayor highlighted accomplishments in improving public security, knocking off public works projects, boosting local tourism and business investments and increasing social benefits for the needy.
Pelayo’s report the following night before a small audience at the former town hall started just 45 minutes late. He made history with the first ever report delivered from across the political aisle. A formulaic speech and a repetitive video focused on activities championed by the Nacional Acción Party (PAN) faction. Pelayo boasted of leading public health initiatives, such as this year’s dengue prevention campaign, and an upcoming awareness program to battle addictions, as well as advocating for a moratorium on local tax increases in 2018.