This week, just before celebrating his first six months in charge, Mexico City Mayor, Miguel Ángel Mancera, received the award of “Mayor of the Month” by the City Mayors Foundation, an organization that is part think-tank and part PR agency, with headquarters in London. City Mayors is not supporting its decision on any of Mancera’s accomplishments during his tenure as mayor, but just on data regarding the crime decrease during his time as District Attorney (which, as shown by recent events, are not as grand as they were perceived). This designation is, then, just a mirage, a tool thought to attract more publicity. Paradoxically, this new spotlight is shining in a quite inappropriate time, in the middle of the major security scandal that his administration is going through.
The strange and bleak case of the Heavens After bar located in Zona Rosa (where, by the way, surveillance cameras didn’t function at all), it’s becoming a distinctive sign of an erratic behavior pattern of Mancera’s administration. Among other aspects, the apparent strategy of “criminalizing” the alleged victims is certainly outrageous since it’s done in order to avoid responsibilities when prosecuting crimes with a high social impact; “things that didn’t happen” in Mexico City. Generally speaking, during these past six months, the Mayor hasn’t controlled the city’s public agenda at all. In addition, clumsiness has been the common denominator with the reaction of authorities whenever they are confronted with adverse circumstances, such as the “killer dogs” case in Cerro de la Estrella; the stray bullets in a movie theater in Iztapalapa; or the frequent environmental contingencies. The lack of attention to the former has been particularly unfortunate, but it reached a new level with the proposal of intensifying the archaic Hoy No Circula program, instead of adopting new kind of rhetoric, such as energy efficiency and the modernization of public transportation. Moreover, there seems to be a sort of continuity regarding policies exercised by his predecessors, broadening rights but with an austerity discourse (for example, the unpopular suspension of the “public beaches” program). Lastly, the “decisions by Borough” program, which was put forward along this electoral campaign, has been – in the best case scenario – the slogan for a participative procedure with no content whatsoever.
Overall, the communication strategy is clear: a defensive fall back when it comes to public affairs and visible display on gossip magazines as well as social and sport events. That same District Attorney who was famous for fully embracing accountability now prefers to give comfortable interviews in order to comment on frivolities. Nowadays, Mexico City seems to be driven with the auto-pilot on, with an inertia that never ceases to amaze, even if its problems are titanic. Not only is the Mexico City political reform still pending, but also the appearance of a true commitment towards fighting the city´s structural issues. For instance, the design of a serious project to clean up the capital’s criminal and bleak justice system; or integral urban mobility and environment-friendly policies; the construction of wastewater collection and treatment, among many others (hopefully he’ll let us know so everyone can “decide together”). Likewise, the city’s population is still waiting for Mancera to explain the City Manager concept, which was so theatrically announced a few months ago. To top it off, the negotiations for the 2014 budget are next and, without enough resources, creativity – something that the Mayor hasn’t lacked of – or a project, the future is not bright. Of course, he “still” has five years and a half to fulfill those and several other duties. If not, the city will surely “demand it”.
CIDAC
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