«I am not a candidate for the Municipality of Portimão. At the moment, I am only a candidate for the presidency of the Political Committee of PS Portimão», he told the Sul Informação Luís Carito, who, on Friday, June 1st, will compete with Joaquim Castelão Rodrigues for that organ of the Portimonenses socialists.
Carito, current president of the outgoing CPC and vice-president of the municipality, argues that «the PS candidate for the next Municipal Elections in Portimão must be the militant or independent close to the Socialist Party that meets the best conditions for the PS to continue at the forefront of the Chamber'. And that, he guaranteed, "will be discussed within the party following these elections for the municipality."
Until the end of the current PS mandate at the head of the Portimão Chamber, there is still a year and a half of work. “This mandate must end fulfilling the objectives we set ourselves at the beginning. For that, it is necessary that the municipal executive continues with strength and with the solidarity of the comrades of the party».
But if Luís Carito wins the elections for the Municipality, will he then be a candidate for the presidency of the Chamber? "I do not know. Let's see who will be the best candidate», he replies. Even so, he admits that "if the militants, on the 1st, at the polls, give a sign that they are looking to me as a candidate for a candidate, I will be able to solve this."
«Right now, my goal is to win the Municipality. Whoever is chosen, I will be solidary and strongly support that candidate so that he can be elected and can be the future mayor of Portimão», succeeding the socialist Manuel da Luz, who can no longer re-run.
Little work and a lot of debt
Will the fact that, in this term, there is little new work and a lot of debt to show the population, harm the future PS candidate for the Portimão Chamber? “The PS has to explain to people that this debt is the result of a series of investments that were made. In other words, at this moment we have a lot of work done because we anticipated and created debt to do this work. We could have had a less daring attitude and expected that we had money in a safe so that we could go on with the works. But that was not our option. It was: is there the autarchy's debt capacity? So let's do the work, because the sooner the municipality has completed the work, the more competitive it will become», explained Luís Carito, in an interview with Sul Informação.
The candidate for the Council of the PS and vice-president of the Chamber guarantees that this option was not taken "for nothing". «We had revenue perspectives, which, in the meantime, as a result of the international crisis, were not fulfilled», he guarantees.
Before the crisis erupted, Carito assures that “Portimão had three billion euros in private investment proposals, which would generate important revenue for the municipality. With the crisis, all this stopped. There are projects approved, but investors are not making progress».
The large drop in revenue from local authorities, namely in Portimão, recalls Luís Carito, does not only refer to IMI and IMT. “We are talking about urban planning fees – we haven't had a new approved subdivision or a new big project in Portimão for I don't know how long. Before, we estimated that we could invoice another 40 or 50 million annually, in subdivision fees, in counterparts to the Chamber, etc. But that was all reduced to zero. We are living off IMI and IMT taxes, which have also decreased substantially».
In the current situation, admits candidate Luís Carito, “we will have to have some time without so much investment. But the fact is that the equipment and infrastructure are here».
Proposals for 12 years to 2024
In an interview about the PS's internal elections, in the dispute for the Municipality of Portimão, the conversation with Luís Carito always ends up at the issues of the City Council. An aspect that yours opponent in this party suffrage already criticized, in an interview with Sul Informação, saying that there has been no separation between the Chamber and the party.
But this does not seem to be an issue that concerns Carito, nor does the candidate shy away from it. “In these things about local power, things are inseparable. The PS is a party of power, which has been at the forefront of the destinies of this Portimão Chamber for over 30 years».
Luís Carito also refutes the accusation of his opponent Castelão Rodrigues that there has been no internal debate. “It's not true!” he says categorically. "But it is clear that, in terms of mandates that coincide with the ends of political cycles, as is the case, participation and internal debate increases, because it is from this point onwards that we begin to build what is the new municipal mandate, which are the proposals we have to present. There, in fact, participation, reflection, internal debate, increase».
“There was discussion, the bodies worked, the parliamentary group in the Municipal Assembly, in articulation with the party, met many times in preparation for the Assemblies, we held a Municipal Convention”, listed Carito.
"My proposal is that, in this year and a half until the Local Elections, the party starts to debate, first among militants and sympathizers, then with civil society, what we want for Portimão in the next 12 years, until 2024, exactly the year in which Portimão celebrates 100 years in the city».
Responsibility for the situation of the Chamber rests with everyone
There are those who believe that the image that a large part of public opinion in Portimon has of Luís Carito, as the main responsible for the current very difficult situation of the Chamber's finances, could harm the Socialist Party, in the face of opposition, in the 2014 Local Elections. does this worry Carito?
“Someone has to take some responsibility in these matters. I have the financial responsibility of the Chamber and therefore I assume my responsibilities in this area”, he replies.
The candidate for the Council of the PS warns: «the responsibility for the situation is mine, it belongs to the entire executive, it belongs to all the mayors. These are not isolated acts, they are collective acts, whether at the executive level or at the bodies that have oversight responsibility». A warning that could be interpreted as targeting his opponent Castelão Rodrigues and one of his biggest supporters, João Vieira, both prominent members of the PS bench in the Municipal Assembly.
The PS in Portimão has around 380 members enrolled and they will be the ones who, on Friday, June 1st, should choose from List A, headed by Joaquim Castelao Rodrigues, agronomist, former regional director of Agriculture and Fisheries, who is running with the motion «Change with Confidence – Return to the bases, conquer the Future», and List B, headed by Luís Carito, vice-president of the Chamber, doctor, with the motion “Our Ambition is Portimão”.
As elections for PS Council Political Commissions take place in the Algarve and the country on the 1st and 2nd of June.
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