Domingo, 10/2/2019
Hola, Todos –
Bonus election issue –
Mayoral candidate – Norma Illares is the candidate for the Libertad es Pueblo (LEP, Lista 9) movement and proposes to reinforce security. She is the only woman of the 13 mayoral candidates and was on the Cuenca city council for 2 consecutive terms. She has identified where the main needs of the local population are: security, mobility, entrepreneurship, employment, groups for priority attention, land use and management, participatory budgets. She would:
Tram rolls through Centro.
Prioritize defining the Tranvía fare which, according to a consultant’s survey, should be between $.35 and $.50. She notes that with the Tranvía, some bus lines will leave, mostly from El Centro, in order to improve service to peripheral areas. She would also integrate mixed transport and public bicycles. The goal that would make the Tranvía sustainable is 120,000 passengers daily. <About 20% of the population or a lot of tourists.>
Create agreements between the city and other institutions to fight insecurity. She would put surveillance posts at the northern and southern entrances to the city as well as in the Sayausí sector. The Armed Forces of National Police would would be in charge and could also have migratory controls.
Not allow mining in the páramo nor near water sources.
Review the city accounts since it has debts payable up to 2031.
Define a land plan and identify land where industry can develop.
Key issues in Cuenca:
Reactivación comercial – she proposes applying a plan to compensate merchants who lost income during the Tranvía construction if the Tranvía generates economic revitalization. <That’s a pretty big if. I bet the compensation will be in the form of business and income tax rebates.>
Controles de seguridad – She would post members of the Armed Forces, National Police, EMOV, Comisión de Tránsito del Ecuador and migration control agents at the entrances and exits to Cuenca. <And you already thought it took forever to get back into town at the end of a weekend.>
Mejorar iluminación – She would increase funds for the Fundación Iluminar to improve lighting and encourage the public to use their public spaces. She is proposing a plan for cultural activities.
Camal Municipal – She would relocate the slaughter house which is in a populated area. The sale of that property should finance the move to land in Atucloma.
Mercado El Arenal – When she was on the council, she pushed to have a piece of land on the Panamerica Norte put into reserve for the construction of a new wholesale market which now operates at El Arenal.
Vivienda social – She would establish areas in reserve to guarantee the land for “vivienda social” (social housing) and look for agreements with public and private institutions for financing since the city does not have sufficient municipal funds.
And that’s all for today so Hasta la Mañana –
Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.
