Kiko Munro Presents Results During First City Address

After detailing through his first City Address, explaining how Puerto Peñasco has made progress in economic revival, improvement of urban infrastructure, and in addressing the historic problem of the city's water supply, among other topics, Mayor Kiko Munro accepted that the challenge has just begun and he will continue moving forward until all goals are met.

With civil and military authorities on hand, as well as representatives from the different sectors of Puerto Peñasco, the mayor lauded the efforts of all city council members, as well as of each and every member of the Municipal Administration.

"I must say being Mayor is the most representative, demanding, and satisfactory role I have held in my life," he stated, "today I represent not solely the City Administration, which by legal mandate presents its first City Address through me, rather today I humbly and proudly represent the people of Puerto Peñasco."

He emphasized society and government have together taken the reins of the city in order to begin its transformation, little by little, in literally bringing it out of the stark reality it had been living through just one year ago.

"I was not confronted with tremendous surprises in stepping into this role," he remarked, "both you and I knew we would find disorder, negligence, fraud, irresponsibility, and injustice, in sum chaos and betrayal of citizens' trust."

He detailed how his administration had inherited a disastrous water network, with losses of 45% of potable water due to leaks, poor equipment and poorly maintained drilling equipment, which led to launch of a comprehensive program to rehabilitate wells.

The economy was depressed, he added, there was a 15% shortage in sewage lines, 20% shortage in electric lines, 82% shortage in paved streets, and 40% of the city's public lighting was faulty.

Kiko Munro noted when he took office there was no money, nor projects upon which they could work in order to strengthen a development proposal for the municipality.

"In many administrative areas we did not even find computers, not to mention the lack of machinery, and to top it off federal contributions were completely committed with an expensive debt...in sum, they left us in ruin," he expressed.

The municipal leader indicated instead of sitting back and complaining about the situation, they decided to set to work; all director level officials donated their first month of salary and did an in-depth diagnosis as to the condition of the area each received.

He underscored unfinished projects were reinstated, as it would have been unwise to not take advantage of work already begun with community resources, hence completion of paving of Boulevards Rafael Godoy and López Portillo.

In reviving the economy, an intense campaign to promote Puerto Peñasco as a safe destination for tourism and investment was begun, drawing more than 1.8 million visitors to the area during the first eight months of 2016.

The mayor emphasized his administration has put special focus on street lamps, not just as a topic of urban image but rather as a point of public safety and quality of life.

"We are replacing common street lamps with LED technology," he explained, "We have already installed more than 2000 street lamps during this first year, and will be installing 6000 more in the coming months and, thanks to reports from the community, will be able to put 80% of public lighting into operation."

He added another topic that required urgent attention was that of roads, noting they have repaved or fully paved 12 important city streets during this first year, or rather one street per month on average.

He detailed roads they have addressed so far during his administration have included: Avenida Constitución, Rocaportenses Blvd. and Rafael Godoy Blvd., the streets San Luis, Juan de la Barrera, Juan Aldama, López Portillo, Francisco I. Madero, Luis Encinas and Juventino Rosas, as well as Boulevard Fremont and Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez Boulevard.

"This means during this first year of our administration we were able to invest 248,860,137 pesos into roads, which has translated into rehabilitating 320,934 square meters of pavement, including 263,876 square meters of repaving with asphalt measuring 3 cm. thick, 27,153 square meters of hydraulic concrete, and 29,905 square meters of paved roads with asphalt measuring 5 cm. thick."

In addition, he expressed, a comprehensive program was begun to address pot holes in order to provide maintenance to 18% of the streets, while they also restored and brought dignity to important public spaces such as the Police Department, three public safety neighborhood offices, the Municipal Women's Institute, three Community Centers, the Basic Rehabiliation Unit, the Municipal DIF, Civic Auditorium, Casa de la Cultura, City Hall, and the malecón, among others.

With respect to a lack of basic services in sectors of the city, they broadened water, sewage, and electric lines to neighborhoods including 4 de Marzo, Brisas del Mar, and San Rafael.  San Rafael also saw the start of a process to regularize property titles.

In fulfilling the goal of providing a new look to Puerto Peñasco, the mayor mentioned rescue of 29.4 million pesos from the State Consensus Board for Public Projects from the 2015 fiscal year, which had been considered lost yet that they were able to put into 16 projects.

He commented in maintaining the city's image, a Peñasco Limpio program was implemented to ensure more efficiency with collection of waste due to trimming of trees, and debris in neighborhoods.

"The tremendous challenge for this administration is precisely that of looking how to associate the lack of quality in services and infrastructure in the city with the services and infrastructure in the beach area," he stressed.

The Clean Beach certification process is yet another achievement referred to by Kiko Munro during his First Address, who expressed his certainty Puerto Peñasco will soon become the first destination in Sonora to have obtained this.

In working to provide better quality to visitors, the Tourist Auxiliary Unit was created, which is made up of bilingual staff, equipped with an all-terrain vehicle, six four-wheelers, six bicycles, two Segway motorized vehicles, uniforms and radio communication equipment.

He also announced aerial connectivity with the cities of Tijuana, Hermosillo, and Cd. Juárez, which was achieved through the determined backing of State Governor Claudia Pavlovich Arellano, who was represented at the City Address by Social Development Secretary Rogelio Díaz Brown.

Mayor Kiko Munro stated in order to strengthen the activity which represents both the origin and sustenance of Puerto Peñasco, for the first time in the city's history they developed the Office of Fishing Affairs.

"Through this office we have been able to work closely with the sector and offer training as a method to achieve added value for sea products that may be marketed at a higher price.  We have supported 300 families with 261 wills and assisted with the development of 84 applications for commercial fishing permits, which strengthens the gaps from previous years," he remarked.

He emphasized they were also able to carry out the desilting of the wharf and dock entry area through an investment of 20 million pesos from the Natural Disaster Fund.

In the area of finances, he detailed, the City had a terrible credit rating when his administration first stepped into office.  Given this, they designed an austerity plan with a 10% cut in expenditures and, through discipline, they have been able to achieve what had seemed impossible: a financial restructuring that was unanimously approved by City Council and the State Congress.

"Thanks to this, we have a greater margin to use our own resources in public projects and therefore guarantee investments of 116 million pesos that will help us to ensure Puerto Peñasco has 100% lighting along streets and in public spaces in the coming months, as well as complete refurbishing of the water lines," he assured.

He highlighted launch of the Peñasco Seguro Plan through the model of education about values and prevention, along with Community Police, training and modern equipment.

Mayor Kiko Munro stressed the great work of the Municipal Office on Integral Family Development (DIF), presided over by his wife Linda Pivac de Munro, who has demonstrated tremendous sensibility in supporting students, women, children, and the elderly.

He noted he had made a total of 65 promises during his campaign, of which he has fulfilled 46 with another 13 already underway, and 6 that are pending. This represents 70% fulfillment of these promises.

Finally, he pointed out the Municipal Administration will close out 2016 with additional projects beyond those already scheduled, through an investment of 240 million pesos.

During the solemn session held at the Convention Center, those in attendance included representative Célida López Cárdenas, on behalf of the State Congress, along with members of the Administration: City Trustee Elizabeth Jiménez Borboa, City Secretary Olayn García Cinco, and council members Miguel Bastida Fernández, Maritza Montijo Quintana, Perla Alcántara García, Saúl Núñez Gordiano, Juana Espinoza Delgado, Nora Núñez González, Rogelio González Ruelas and María Teresa Valdez Rodríguez.

Also in attendance were former Puerto Peñasco mayors: Valente Cornejo López, Oscar Palacio Soto, Guadalupe Hernández Vega, José Luis Espinoza Sesma and Alejandro Zepeda Munro, as well as the Governor of the Tohono O'odham ethnic group Servando León León, and former mayor of Caborca, Darío Murillo Bolaños, former mayor of San Luis Río Colorado, Florencio Díaz Armenta, and former mayor of Plutarco Elías Calles, Agustín Quiroz.

Special invited guests included Rear Admiral Rogelio Marbán Díaz, Commander of the Puerto Peñasco Naval Sector, General Arturo Reséndiz Leana, Commander of the Military Garrison in Sonoyta, the mayor's parents Ernesto Munro Palacio and Mrs. Raquel López de Munro, Federal Representative Everardo López Córdoba, local representative Lina Acosta Cid, and Harbor Master Luis Castro Galán, as well as State PAN President Leonardo Guillén Medina, and his municipal counterpart Julieta López López.

Federal and Municipal Authorities Oversee Resumed Operation of Rehabilitated Wells

Mayor Kiko Munro, along with Omar Gómez Ruiz, General Coordinator of Emergency Attention and Basin Council of the National Water Commission (CONAGUA), and Sonora CONAGUA delegate César Lagarda Lagarda, were on hand for resumed operations of one of the 5 rehabilitated wells aimed at addressing Puerto Peñasco's historic water problems.

These projects, which are in addition to the drilling of two new wells and construction of a sand remover, are part of a comprehensive program on the extraction and distribution network, through a federal and municipal investment of over 18.5 million pesos.

The mayor detailed the investment, which totals 18,575,000 pesos, includes 10.4 million pesos from the federal government and resources of around 8.1 million pesos from the Municipal Potable Water, Sewage, and Wastewater Operating Office (OOMAPAS).

"Through this investment we have guaranteed the appropriate function of the rehabilitated wells, same which had provided 110 liters per second and now provide 345 liters per second. To this we must add the 120 liters per second provided by the other two recently drilled wells," he furthered.

The mayor also acknowledged the backing received from Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich Arellano.

Sonora CONAGUA Delegate César Lagarda lauded the efforts of Kiko Munro and called on the community of Puerto Peñasco to also do their part in ensuring timely payment of water bills, noting federal and municipal efforts are not enough on their own.

During the event, Mayor Kiko Munro presented the CONAGUA representative with a binder of projects meant to ensure investment in Puerto Peñasco's water infrastructure continue in 2017 in order to definitively resolve the city's water supply problems.