Global Courant 2023-05-25 11:46:53
confrontations in the municipal corporationdismissals, persecutions, questioned appointments create a tense and uncertain environment in the mayor’s office.
For the first time in history, the councilors imposed an agenda in a corporate session, which unleashed a series of actions by the municipal authorities against the six councilors who rebelled.
Two of them made it public and councilor Vicente López appeared at the Special Prosecutor for Transparency and the Fight against Public Corruption to denounce the Mayor Roberto Contreras for abuse of authority.
The councilor accompanied him Carmen Elena Pazwho will proceed today to file another complaint for verbal attacks in corporate sessions, persecution and abuse of authority.
The clashes in the sessions have been repetitive, but the straw that broke the camel’s back occurred in session 61 when the councilor José Antonio Rivera presented a motion on various points, so that they respond and comply with the recommendations of a report issued by the Superior Court of Accounts (TSC), referring to the Sulambiente case, making it clear that they were not asking for the higher costs to be paid, but that the agency’s mandate be fulfilled.
Seven councilors seconded the motion, but the mayor abruptly closed the session and did not allow the vote to end. In that session 61 several situations occurred that generated discomfort among the councilors.
Three new calls were given for session 63, but in two there was no quorum and in the third six councilors presented an excuse en bloc. The mayor convened again and the plenary attended, but the session was held with the agenda presented by councilor Carmen Elena Paz and not with the one presented by the mayor. The mayor’s agenda did not include the ratification of Act 61 and did not give a chance for the remaining councilors to pronounce on the motion presented by councilor Rivera.
The councilors’ agenda was imposed by vote, which generated evident discomfort in the mayor, according to the audio of the corporate session where there was no access to the media, as is customary.
The position of the councilors generated, according to them, persecution and abuse of authority. The staff fired them and, according to the employees, they explained that they would not even be paid for the month they worked for which they are also preparing to sue.
fire liberals
The confrontation between corporations has brought together the employees who work on the councilors’ teams. Former employees like Lourdes Madrid, Kevin Romero, Dania Tavieles, Josué Barrera and others were surprised when they tried to mark their tickets and were not allowed to enter. They went to the staff and told them: “They are fired because they were not at the workplace and the councilors don’t even have an office, where we were was a place that the councilor himself paid for. The entire team of alderman Rivera was fired by the mayor,” said Lourdes Madrid.
To know
– While councilor López filed the complaint, the mayor sent several messages to his phone with threats and intimidation, he said.
– Mayor Roberto Contreras indicated that there is no persecution against anyone in the municipality of Sampedrana.
He regretted that many of his dismissed colleagues are going through a calamity with their children with heart problems and other illnesses and will no longer have Social Security.
The same has happened with the employees of the other councilors who have shown opposition in the corporate sessions.
Reality
The layoffs have been at all levels, several managers were fired and according to information in the possession of THE PRESS and although the municipal authorities argue that it is normal, the reality is different, since the dismissed are those who have collaborated with the Superior Court of Accounts (TSC), some in the special investigation carried out and others in the audit they are carrying out at the moment.
One of the dismissals that has caused the most uproar is that of financial manager Fernando Ruiz, an expert in the field who is being replaced by lawyer María Sanabria, who started out as a police judge with no experience in finance.
He Mayor Roberto Contreras appointed her as director of Specialized services (Dirsse), then as an administrator and later as a financial manager.
Historically, the municipality has had in the position of financial manager specialists in the matter such as Mauricio Reina, Rolando Perdomo, Claudio Rojas and others with a high profile in finance.
THE PRESS they repeatedly requested attorney Sanabria’s resume and it was not provided, they only stated that she was a judge.
Another change made was in the Prevention Management, Security and Urban Mobility where the commissioner German Palma was located, who was replaced by Carlos Andrés Flores. They also did not give their resume, they only mentioned that they know him as the Olanchano.
But, while the changes continue in the municipality as well as the confrontations, the Superior Court of Accounts (TSC) continues to do its job with 12 auditors who have been in the municipality since January.
The crisis has already reached the Public Ministry and it is urgent to find a solution.
