By Carola Rico
Mayor Mauricio Trejo Pureco met with the Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende on March 22 to discuss the benefits and priority needs for the city. He spoke at the Hotel Real de Minas before a hundred Sanmiguelenses and members of the foreign community living in San Miguel.
Topics discussed included issues such as security, economic reactivation, mobility in the historic center, water supply, public finances, local talent, and the issue of the water lilies in the Presa Allende. Rotary President Skip Essick, President-elect Lee Carter, and several club members thanked the mayor for returning as a speaker, thus fulfilling a commitment made as part of a previous Rotary Club presentation by the mayor.
In his most recent talk, the mayor stressed that the people of San Miguel wanted a positive change in government and said his administration is focused on generating a better quality of life for the city’s residents, not simply surviving in the face of adversity. The main issue addressed was security, about which Trejo highlighted the use of an «iron hand» to ensure that people’s human rights are respected.
He spoke of efforts to assure that today San Miguel police officers are the best paid in Guanajuato, with the best life insurance in the country, and with close ties to the colonias and communities. He also pointed out that there is support from the state government, particularly the Secretary of Public Security Alvar Cabeza de Vaca, the National Guard, and the Mexican Army. All these initiatives represent ways to lower crime rates, in spite of the fact that some media outlets misrepresent official data.
Regarding the economy, the mayor pointed out that his policies have a positive local impact and are based on reactivating tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic. The policies are aimed at the people of San Miguel and their organized unions, not only the large transnational corporations.
Another highlight of the talk was progress in traffic control strategy, mainly in the historic center, where road congestion is caused by tourist service transport called «turibuses» as well as public transport vehicles. Trejo presented a comprehensive plan that would allow tourist vehicles to take visitors to the tourist attractions offered by this World Heritage city, such as the Atotonilco sanctuary, the Cañada de la Virgen archaeological zone, the Mirador, and others.
He pointed out that the municipality proposes that the «turibuses» be electric and hopes that taxes collected by the state be used for this purpose, as well as for the renewal of public transport, so that they do not pollute the city’s Plaza Principal.
Another important issue for the foreign community is the supply of drinking water. Trejo spoke of the damage to the aquifers because of excessive exploitation by the uncontrolled growth of at least 300 housing developments. He pointed out that the current Board of Directors of SAPASMA is dedicated full time to resolving the water deficit and addressing the lack of public services such as sanitary and storm drains and wastewater treatment plants.
