By The Star Staff
The former Popular Democratic Party (PDP) mayor of Cataño, José Rosario Meléndez, on Thursday announced his official candidacy for mayor of the San Juan metropolitan area municipality in the November elections.
“I come with strength and determination to give back to Cataño the experience of a good government, with results and inclusion,” the businessman said at the PDP headquarters in Puerta de Tierra, where he was accompanied by his family, other party members and candidates for the municipal assembly. “After the four-year term of Cano Delgado and the current one, the request of the people is to return to work.”
Rosario Meléndez was mayor of Cataño for two terms, from 2009 to 2016.
“In these last two years in Cataño we have not had a good time and that is obvious,” he said. “My priorities are clear, starting with returning a healthy administration to the people.”
Among other issues, the candidate mentioned the importance of the promotion of sports, such as Superior Women’s Volleyball, as well as economic development and transforming La Esperanza Park into a modern center in support of activity tourism.
Other initiatives Rosario Meléndez noted refer specifically to the creation of protections for the benefit of the elderly population, which continues to increase, as well as the improvement of the quality of housing for the residents of the Juana Matos and Puente Blanco communities.
On Sept. 16, 2012, during his first term as mayor, Rosario Meléndez oversaw the granting of property titles in the coastal community of Juana Matos.
“About a hundred residents benefited from the deeds to their home, after years and years of waiting. What used to be said but could not be done, or they dragged their feet, was achieved in my administration,” he said. “That is what the people of Cataño are asking for, again.”
“Another goal is the unequivocal commitment to municipal public servants, who deserve to be better equipped to carry out their work, as well as to increase their salary, as has been achieved in other municipalities,” the former mayor added. “It’s a matter of having the commitment to look for alternatives.”