This Sunday, December 10, the signing of the transfer acts of the municipal administration from mayor Enrique Cresto to the mayor-elect Francisco Azcue will be formalized. This administrative act, which takes place in the presence of the councilors and the public notary, will conclude the transition process that both leaders initiated the day after the general elections and will enable the assumption of the new municipal government.
In this regard, the municipal secretary of Government and Treasury, Aldo Álvarez, highlighted that “from our team and in all municipal secretariats and offices, all the requested information was made available to the new administration, just as mayor Enrique Cresto instructed us,” the official pointed out. “But we also collaborated on practical matters that help to understand public service and the way work is done in each sector, which represents a very valuable support for the administration that is beginning,” he added.
“We say that this administration leaves the bar high, because the indicators we have are positive. This is a financially solid municipality, without debts, with a balanced staff, with works in progress, with machinery and equipment, with a Counter-cyclical Fund that represents a concrete economic support and is available to the new administration so that, if necessary, they can face emergency situations or adverse economic scenarios without compromising the municipal coffers,” highlighted Álvarez.
INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY
“When Cresto took office, there were 2,000 workers on the staff. 8 years later, this number remains practically the same. This is the result of the staff freeze; the implementation of public competitions for new hires, and the requirement of completed secondary studies to formalize entry, among other measures that were taken over the years to strengthen the quality of public employment in the municipal government,” valued the Secretary of Government and Treasury.
“Furthermore, the percentage allocated to the payment of salaries represents 47% of the budget today and always remained below 50% during this administration; which reflects an optimal balance between the payroll and the resources invested in public policies, works, and services,” the official also argued.
“It is also important to remember that this municipality was recognized and awarded at a national level - both in governmental and academic and institutional spheres - for its levels of transparency, citizen participation, and access to public information, marking a path to deepen in order to consolidate the institutional quality of the local administration,” highlighted Álvarez.
HISTORIC INVESTMENT IN WORKS
For the secretary of Urban Development, Mireya López Bernis, one of the relevant aspects of the administration that is ending is “having been able to carry out a historic investment in public works that boosted the integral development of the city,” she defined.
“There was planning, teamwork, negotiations with the Nation and the Province, and clear objectives. All this enabled the execution of major works that are strategic for the future and of development policies and programs with a strong impact on popular neighborhoods, which changed the lives of thousands of Concordia families,” reviewed the architect.
“This means that there was planned growth and that there is a direction, a path to follow that the new administration can take as a starting point to renew the momentum and deepen this transformation,” maintained López Bernis.
In the same sense, the coordinator of Strategic Affairs of the Municipal Executive, María de los Ángeles Petit, assured that “there were very important works here and projects that are underway but also profound changes that marked a before and after. This is the most valuable thing, because when one builds collectively it is possible to change reality and this administration proved it,” she said.
CITY MODEL
“Today we can say, for example, that the integral transformation of the Abasto, which was an open-air dump and today is a modern processing and recycling plant; the income to the municipality through public competitions; the development of the Urban Planning Code; public housing and habitat policies, gender policies, and the participation of institutions in decision-making are all demonstrations of an administration that introduced important changes to consolidate a model of a resilient, modern, orderly city with a better quality of life,” pointed out Petit.
“Surely the current officials and those who were part of Cresto's teams throughout these years must feel proud of everything that was done, mainly because it was done by listening to the people and building together, which is the way Cresto works and is the hallmark he gave to his administrations,” summarized the municipal advisor.
Finally, the secretary of Productive Development and Citizen Participation, Guillermo Satalía Méndez, assured that “the new administration of Francisco Azcué can rely on everything done during these two terms of government to be able to do much more, because there are solid foundations to continue advancing and that is what is important. In the life of cities, political leaders and administrations pass, but the processes that strengthen growth mature in the long term and that is where the effort must be placed, to continue the good, correct what is needed, and build with an eye on the future,” he concluded.