Chapala is at peace, on the financial mend and well into a process of transformation that will bring prosperity, declared Mayor Javier Degollado at his first annual report on the state of the municipality.
He presented the obligatory Informe de Gobierno at a city council session Friday, September 9 at the Auditorio de la Ribera. The facility was packed to the hilt, with a spill-over audience seated on the adjacent patio.
The session started a full hour behind schedule, following normal protocol with the trooping of the colors, singing the national and Jalisco anthems, and a roll call of the cabildo (council). A quorum was declared, with three out of the 11 of the body absent.
The formalities continued with the introduction of honored guests. Although Jalisco Governor Aristóteles Sandoval did not show as anticipated, Social Development Minister Miguel Castro attended in his place. Also present were Nezahualcóyotl Ornelas, the governor’s cabinet chief who was reassigned early this week to take over the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works, and Martha Covarrubias, Jalisco representative in the federal Chamber of Deputies, recently named to head the congressional Lerma-Santiago Commission.
The Informe began with a 20-minute video projection covering diverse government functions and public works carried out over the past 12 months, hooking on to the current administration’s slogan “Rescatar para Transformar” (Rescue to Transform).
Degollado carried on with an extemporaneous speech highlighting achievements under his watch. He underlined a restructuring of the public debt, translating into substantial savings in annual interest costs. He also mentioned progress in settling costly lawsuits, including labor cases lodged by former government employees and disputes with private companies contracted to operate parking meters and public lighting systems.
The mayor boasted of 60 public works projects aimed at boosting tourism, inspiring confidence among private investors, generating job opportunities, strengthening the economy and improving living standards for the populace.
He emphatically claimed that his government has dealt effectively with public security issues by increasing police department manpower and rebuilding its patrol fleet.
“High impact crimes are no longer occurring. Liberty has returned. People were previously fearful of staying out after eight o’clock. We now enjoy an active night life in safety,” he stated.
Both the video and Degollado’s remarks were light on hard facts and figures that are normally at the core of the yearly government reports. According to Chapala press chief Antonio Manzano, a more substantive printed version of the Informe is to be released by the end of the week.
Earlier the same day, First Lady Elizabeth Guzman presented her annual report on the activities of the Chapala Family Development Agency (DIF) at the Centro Cultural Antigua Presidencia. Her speech and a complementary video delved into the gamut of social services provided to children, working mothers and the elderly. She made a special point of expressing gratitude for the cooperation of the expatriate community. Dale Palfrey