An application “for the new challenges that municipalities face”, based on “taking care of the city and giving it life”, as well as on “promoting employment” is António Miguel Pina's proposal for Olhão.
The socialist candidate for the Chamber of Olhão officially presented his candidacy in a session that took place in Jardim Pescador Olhanense, last Friday.
In the presentation session, the current vice president of the municipality made known his proposals, should he be elected. After the session, António Pina spoke with the Sul Informação and he defended that «the phase of the major works is over», not least because there is no money or community incentives to do them, but also because «the main thing has already been done». Now, what is needed is «to take care of this large condominium that is the municipality», he considered.
“We want to ensure that the public space is clean and pleasant”, something that also involves urban rehabilitation. In this field, António Pina considered that an ever-increasing commitment to promoting the touristic vein of Olhão will greatly help.
“We have no intention of increasing the urban perimeter. In fact, in recent times, urban regeneration has been greatly driven by [residential] tourism”, since those who buy a second home in the city prefer to stay close to the center and the Ria Formosa, where the houses are predominantly older.
In addition to actions to beautify the municipality, António Pina also argues that it is necessary to «give it more life», something that is achieved «by boosting the associative movement linked to sport and culture in the municipality».
To this challenge, there is another more ambitious challenge and, as such, one that is supposed to be more difficult to put into practice. Stimulating job creation is today a national objective and Olhão, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, shares it. This does not mean, stressed the socialist candidate for Olhão, that social support should be cut, although this is also a way of reducing the need to provide it.
António Pina has a plan to stimulate employment growth, which is based on the creation of "a development agency" for the municipality, which works essentially on three fronts.
“The first thing is to ensure that we bring together people who have good business ideas with those who have money to invest”, he illustrated. In this field, the future agency would serve as a bridge between both parties.
Secondly, the structure to be created should «be an open door between the chamber and the business world», allowing for quick solutions to the problems that may arise, within the sphere of competence of the municipality, so as not to “amaze” investors.
The third major attribution of the Development Agency would be “financial diplomacy”, in order to try to attract investment coming from abroad. António Pina highlighted Olhão's potential, both in the maritime and agricultural sectors, and argues that targeted actions “all over the world, but mainly in Europe” can lead to happy marriages.
António Pina wants to create a Tourist Development Plan for Ilha da Armona
Speaking of the region's main industry, Tourism, António Pina defended greater attention to mobility and the promotion of faster and more comfortable access to the county's bathing areas, namely to Ilha da Armona, from the city of Olhão. Thus, one of the ideas is to come up with «a Tourist Development Plan for the Island of Armona».
“We have to have better and faster transport. We also have to facilitate access between the Ria and the coast», for those who choose this bathing area.
António Pina took the opportunity to criticize the Port and Maritime Transport Institute, an entity that is in the process of extinction but which until a few months ago was responsible for the management of the Riverside Zone. In the case of Olhão, the PS candidate argued that the management of this area should "pass over to the autarchy".
«We have had what could be the second five-star “hotel” in Olhão for two years now», he accused, referring to Porto de Recreio de Olhão. The tender for the consignment of the management of this “hotel” took place “two years ago, but it got stuck in a drawer”, after a consortium “of which the City Council is part” won it.
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