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It’s
an unheard-of situation. Nothing like it has ever happened before in all
the history of Mazatlan. An elected mayor who took up office in January
of 2002 was deposed within slightly more than five months and the state
legislature named a substitute mayor. The man who finds himself in this
unique spot actually ran for the post in 1999, and lost. But Gerardo Rosete
seems to be taking his position —his actual job title is Municipal President
— in stride. Young (about 40), energetic and admittedly wearing a thick
skin, Rosete has had nearly six months to make himself at home behind his
desk at city hall. He came to office under the strangest conceivable circumstances.
Jorge Rodriguez Pasos, the ex-mayor, was found to be unsuitable for a variety
of reasons. Among other things, he was denounced by the state Civil Rights
Commission after beating his wife so badly she had to be hospitalized. After
a series of other irregularities, that was the topper. The incident caused
such a furor that the state legislature threw Rodriguez Pasos out and named
Rosete, a newly elected state legislator of the same political party, as
“acting” mayor. Chances are slim to none that the original mayor, who left
municipal affairs in a shambles, will ever return. For one thing, he may
become a convicted felon before the dust settles. Still, a handful of his
followers, even at this writing, have set up a “planton” (sit-in) in the
Plaza de la Republica in front of city hall. They’ve hoisted huge signs
demanding that Rodriguez Pasos be returned to his rightfully elected position
and accusing Rosete of stealing the mayoralty. Meanwhile, Rosete is trying
to clean up the mess his predecessor left behind. A native son of Maza-tlan,
whose father also was born here, Rosete’s parents lived five blocks from
city hall when he was a boy. He attended local schools then went to university
in Guadalajara and got his degree in electrical engineering — which means
his professional title is “ingeniero” instead of “licenciado.” He returned
to Mazatlan, married Angeolina Haddad, and settled down. They have a bright
and charming 9-year-old daughter, also named Angeolina. Rosete worked for
the family business, Industria Rosete, which fabricates rust-proof metal
fixtures of various types for industrial use. A few years ago, he served
as vice-president of the local chapter of Canacintra (national manufacturing
association). In 1999 he also ran for mayor, in a five-candidate field,
and lost to Alejandro Higuera. When he consented to an interview with the
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thing we wanted to know was, considering the controversy and all the problems
being the mayor entails, why would he want the job? He laughed but agreed
it can be thankless, and that there’s often criticism of his decisions.
But, he said, “in the end, nobody is offering any better solutions.” He
also said that there is “never enough money to satisfy the legitimate needs”
of the municipality, let alone unreasonable demands from some quarters.
One of his problems, he said, is that the day isn’t long enough to do everything
he’s supposed to do. Some days, he works from 7 in the morning to as late
as 11 p.m. or even midnight. Besides the routine of his office, everybody
wants the mayor — for ribbon cuttings, for special events of all sorts.
And he is committed to visiting every colonia and sindicatura (towns outside
the city limits of the municipality). Mazatlan’s territory is much greater
than most visitors think. It stretches from El Quelite on the north to Walamo
on the south, and eastward beyond La Noria and El Recodo into the sierra,
all the way to the Durango border. Rosete is continuing the program begun
in the time of Mayor Higuera, which called for setting aside at least one
day each week for field trips “to meet the people face to face,” as Rosete
put it. “I want to hear from people of every color and every point of view,”
he said. Basically, the mayor said he thinks his best talent is that of
being a good administrator. Asked about his goals, he expressed the belief
that “everyone has a right to potable water and an adequate sewage system.”
The thing is, the system already in place was constructed years ago and
never had much maintenance. Besides that, the city has grown dramatically
in the past couple of decades. During his administration, he said, “the
number one priority is drainage,” a term often used to describe the local
water and sewer system. His engineers have told Rosete that it will take
seven years to complete the work just begun under his leadership — and visible
throughout Mazatlan. Rosete laughs easily, and thought it especially amusing
when we suggested he might be able to see his drainage project through almost
to completion. It is a fact that the normal term for an elected mayor in
Mazatlan is three years, but he was not elected. Conceivably, he could run
for mayor in 2004 and be elected in his own right. That would give him a
total of more than five years in office to see his drainage project through
to near-completion. While he laughed heartily at our comment, something
told us he had already thought of that possibility himself. |
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