Mayor Promises Financial Report on Acapulco

(Acapulco, NA 20 November) By law, municipalities are required to make an annual report of government, mainly with budgetary and financial data, to the public and to federal and state agencies. Many municipalities simply ignore the requirement or provide the information long after the reporting deadline. This was the practice during previous administrations in the city government of Acapulco, and most voters assumed that it would continue.

Acapulco acting mayor José Luis Ávila Sánchez announced that this year would be different. “Of course I shall present the government report, because Acapulqueños have a right to see the information,” he said. He added that the timing of the release is for the City Council to decide. This year the report will be especially interesting for politicians, as it covers a period when candidate Manuel Añorve Baños was mayor. “Unlike previous administrations,” he said, “we will not make this a public relations event, with special ads, radio spots, and the like.” He said that word of mouth will be sufficient to give the report the attention it should demand. “I’m not proselytizing,” he declared. “I am only complying with my duty as the head of the City Government.” The release will be made either in the Convention Center or in Papagayo Park. In all likelihood, Acapulco’s annual report will not be made public prior to the gubernatorial elections in January.