Friday, December 13, 2024

San Pedro Town Council reflects on first year in office

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San Pedro Mayor Daniel "Danny" Guerrero
San Pedro Mayor Daniel “Danny” Guerrero

On March 7th, The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) completed one year since being elected to office. Since the election of the new council, which includes six members from the United Democratic Party and one from the People’s United Party, there have been several changes in the municipality. The Mayor of San Pedro Town, Daniel “Danny” Guerrero took the opportunity to elaborate on the accomplishments and the shortfalls of the council under his leadership.

A reflective Mayor Guerrero said that during the first year in office, a lot has been accomplished since all councilmen have been pulling their weight. “We have been working with all government institutions very closely. We have also bridged the gap in helping the education system by working along with all schools. We have been helping every school. For example, we have managed – with the help of Canary Coves – to build three new classrooms at the RC school and we are working with an anonymous donor for a similar project at the Adventist school. We are also working, again with Canary Coves, this summer at the Anglican School. We have maintained an open door policy and have been informing the people on a weekly basis what we are doing. We go on the morning shows and we have been open to the media on whatever they want to question us about. We embarked on an ambitious street upgrade project and even started working on the streets in San Mateo. We have been working with the Police and other civil groups and we will continue to do so during our term in office. We have also been working with Saga to address the concerns about stray animals, and I know there is some more work that needs to be done. We are also working to revive the cultural events on the island and San Mateo Street Work Continues (12)improve the tourism industry on the island,” said Guerrero.

One of the shortfalls of the council so far is its approach in reporting about the use of the town’s finances. During the campaign period prior to the election, Guerrero and his team had promised quarterly and yearly financial reports, something that is not being done. When questioned about his campaign promise, Guerrero admitted that it is one of the shortfalls but one he plans to address in the very near future. “We are not hiding anything and we will be doing a financial report shortly. However we had a few delays because our administrator was on maternity leave for three months. We decided that we’d do it when she is back, so we are working on a financial report. I am encouraging people to come to the public meeting when we announce the date, because I expect people to show up to a meeting of that nature. We are also working on a new website where all our information, including financials, will be posted for everyone to see,” explained Guerrero.

Guerrero also said that before the end of March, the SPTC will be implementing new measures aimed at addressing the many traffic concerns on the island. Those new measures include the use of big trucks and vehicles within San Pedro Town, parking regulations on Barrier Reef and Pescador Drives, the installation of new parking signs and painting of streets to indicate parking and no parking areas, requirement for bicycle to have proper bells, lights, brakes and reflectors amongst other new regulations.

The current SPTC is now moving into its second year in office with no major reshuffling of portfolios except for that of the Deputy Mayor. The new Deputy Mayor is Guillermo “Mito” Paz, and he replaces Severo Guerrero Jr.

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