“Most folks have the idea that their regidores (municipal councilors) don’t do much of anything except attend bimonthly council sessions and show up to collect their pay,“ says Ajijic alderman Carlos Soto Perez.
“I hope to change that impression by remaining close to the people and truly acting as their elected representative.”
With those words Soto announced that he will dedicate two afternoons each week to running something like a constituency service out of Ajijic’s Delegacion office, located on Calle Colon opposite the plaza. The idea is to open the door to all to residents – foreign and national – lending an ear to their concerns, complaints and suggestions and turning their input into advocacy for urgent improvements, better public and worthy quality-of-life projects. And to better serve the purpose, he will often rope in other city hall officials to sit at his elbow.
Soto says the schedule will be kept flexible to accommodate his other duties, pledging to keep the public advised of the specific days he’ll be on hand each week with signs to posted at the Delegacion no later than the previous Friday. Hours will be 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone wishing to notify him in advance about specific issues they wish to address are welcome to leave a message at the Delegacion or contact him by email at [email protected].
As the new government settles in to its first month, a number of actions benefiting Ajijic are already on the front burner. Chapala Mayor Joaquin Huerta has pledged to reactivate the plaza remodeling project before the end of October. The aim is to complete resurfacing around the bandstand before the annual town fiestas start in late November. Street repairs and clean-up projects are now under way.
To encourage wholesome activity for village youth, a top-notch skateboard and cycling park has been built at the waterfront Malecon. It will be inaugurated Sunday, October 28, with a full day of competition and a music festival starting at 10 a.m. In addition, a new soccer field located west of town off the highway at El Bajio is slated for a grand opening in the next few weeks.
Soto is the son of beauty salon operator Maria Perez and the well-known taxi driver who is his namesake. The young lawyer served as an assistant in the city hall legal department before his election to the city council on the Huerta ticket. He has been named to chair council commissions on Ecology, Honor and Justice, Tourism and Treasury, and sits on seven other committees primarily related to legal and budgetary matters.
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