Incoming Mayor Jesus Cabrera pledges to appoint a special liaison officer to serve as the contact person to assist foreign residents doing business with the new Chapala municipal government.
Taking a pause from a two-day workshop held early this week to put city hall’s next top-echelon crew in sync for their duties, Cabrera told the Guadalajara Reporter that he is fully conscious of the important role foreigners play in sustaining the local economy, and is therefore keen to listen and address their concerns.
As he geared up for taking the oath of office on January 1, Cabrera extended a personal message to expatriates, saying, “Do us the favor of lending us your confidence. Our interest is to serve you and give you the place you deserve.”
Stressing that the new administration is intent upon working hand-in-hand with society as a whole, he said, “There will be room for all opinions, all suggestions in the 2010-2012 municipal government.”
To that end, he noted, “We are going to create a space in city hall to attend exclusively to the needs of the foreign community as a link to the municipal government and obviously it should be a person who speaks two or more languages. With this, we want to demonstrate how important this sector of society is to us.”
As for the new government’s immediate agenda, Cabrera indicated that public security will be a top priority. “The truth is that crime is a common worry of all inhabitants,” he said.
He pledged that Chapala’s police department will map out a crime prevention strategy to reach all corners of the municipality, focusing on the chief problems of home burglaries, drug dealing and the spread of street gangs. Maintaining close coordination with state and federal authorities will be a critical factor in confronting security matters beyond the scope of local police. “Before all else we are going to generate an environment of security, an environment of tranquility.”
Chapala’s new chief executive has high expectations of seeing local commerce and tourism blossom over the next three years as a result of the recent formation of the Consejo de Promocion Economica y Turistica de la Ribera, A.C. (COPRETUR). The association was set up by the incoming mayors of nine lakeshore municipalities to promote the region as a prime tourist destination and thereby boost business and job opportunities. Plans are already in the works for more than 30 first-rate sports, musical entertainment and cultural events to be held during 2010 alone.
Cabrera projects that a similar formula will be followed to address environmental issues, with local authorities from all around the lake joining forces through the newly established Intermunicipal Association for Environmental Protection and the Sustainable Development of Lake Chapala (Aipromades).
Cabrera made a point to stress that his government will not authorize land use changes that would allow for the construction of the kind of cracker-box housing developments that have begun sprouting up on the outskirts of Jocotepec and Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos.
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