Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón
By THE STAR STAFF
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón agreed on Tuesday, in separate interviews, that they both listen to the people on the issue of candidacies for governor.
“Believe me, the day I’m going to announce a candidacy for whatever forum, I’m doing it big. I am evaluating, visiting the villages, and listening to the people,” González Colón said at the end of an event in San Juan in which the start of the first phase of the federal Martín Peña Channel dredging and restoration project was announced. “I listen to people in the street, I listen to the polls that are given in the street and in the media itself. I am evaluating, I have not ruled it out and I will be doing what the people tell me.”
For his part, Pierluisi said “the people have been demanding for more than 12 years that I aspire to the governorship and be governor.”
“It has been a continuous demand that I have received from the people, and now, my wish, is that with the favor of God and the people, I continue in office for five years and 11 more months,” he said.
Asked if the New Progressive Party (NPP) is prepared for a primary between the two, the resident commissioner replied that “the NPP has always been prepared for a primary, so there is no need to fear any of that.”
“Of course, at the moment there are no candidacies,” she said. “In December [2023] is when that selection process opens if there will be one or not. But obviously, you’re going to have primaries for mayors, House and Senate. This is a very natural process.”
The governor’s answer meanwhile was that “the party has had primaries in the past and has prevailed, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because those decisions are made at the right time.”
“In my case it was from day one, for obvious reasons,” Pierluisi said. “I believe that Puerto Rico is interested in the stability and credibility of an eight-year government. Since 1996 [with Pedro Rosselló González] no leader has been revalidated. I think we have to break that cycle for the good of Puerto Rico. In addition, there is a lot of work that transcends this four-year term. Those are my reasons.”
“In the polls, to which I have access, I do very well,” the governor added.