Audy’s Column
Brian De Peña, the Mayor of New Energy
At the moment the word “change” is very fashionable in universal political discourse, especially in the Western world. With the election of the former president of the United States, Mr. Donald Trump, he became the 45th elected president of that country.
Thus, an important point in American politics was closed, since the presidency of the first black man to reach the highest position in American politics and possibly in the world ended: The Presidency of the United States of America, supported by a speech where the word “change” was a fundamental axis of enormous help to former President Obama to reach the Oval Office.
The speech penetrated so much into the soul of the entire nation, to the point of democratically putting a black president to govern the destinies of such an important nation. The desire for change was vibrant.
The same thing happened in Mexico, a country that after decades of almost single-party governance, levels of insatiable corruption, citizen violence, and a continuous decline in the standard of living and public services of that nation, democracy is at the mercy of an entire people and the current president of that country, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is elected.
If we continue in the south, we see important “changes” in Puerto Rico, Colombia recently, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and in short, much of the entire continent. Honduras elects a woman as president, and in Brazil, it is expected, according to several polls, that former president Lula Da Silva will return to power.
Much can also be said about the Dominican Republic about the word change and its influence on the electorate of that country. After 20 years in power, the current opposition PLD party leaves a country technically in defeat due to high levels of administrative corruption, such as had rarely been seen in that country. The current president Luis Abinader with his clear message of “change” convinced the vast majority of the electorate that he put him in power.
I make this brief analysis as an introduction to explain what happened in the City of Lawrence, a place where the energy of change was also experienced. It is known by all the residents of the area that this city, despite its enormous charms, no fewer opportunities that it offers its inhabitants, and extremely rich history of values and cultural growth that is fostered over time, is also a city with very difficult challenges to face, where corruption plays a fundamental role.
As a resident of the City of Lowell, my comments or opinions that I hereby express about Lawrence may be criticized by many. However, my ties to this city run extremely deep. Excellent friends and relatives live in the city and for that reason my continuous visits, apart from being an employee in a company with branches in said city.
Thanks to that link and my continuous visits, I have realized that the word “change” in this case is worthy of observation. The connection that Mayor Brian De Peña has established with the community, coupled with his excellent communication team, is headed by the respected member of this community, Mr. Néstor Castillo. He has dedicated himself to communicating with the city about all important matters and personally, he had never seen him in my almost 30 years living in the area.
The information from him is clear and continuous about the projects that are carried out daily under this administration throughout the city. On the other hand, seeing the mayor daily supervising the projects, taking photos with the residents, and visiting schools, the public library, health care centers, public parks, and avenues, indicates a connection with the population little seen in the past.
The population was recently informed of a trip to the Dominican Republic, where he established some agreements, including with an academic institution on the island to accredit technical courses taken in the Dominican Republic and accredit them here after an academic process. Said agreement will benefit a very important number of students in the area who, for various reasons, mainly immigration and cost, make things difficult for them.
In short, the political discourse grabs everything. We have become accustomed to this dilemma, to the point that seeing a public official doing his job and responding to everything he promised on the campaign see it as something out of this world and out of our reality.
Democracy is without a doubt the best political system that we all have as humans. However, as good as it is, we abuse it daily. Leaders like Mayor Brian De Peña are an example of governance that is much needed, especially in these times, where democracy presents serious challenges at a global level.
From this column, and very I respectfully express my gratitude and feeling of hope, since the saying that says, “a better world is possible,” can be made a reality by seeing the work of a leader committed to his community.
Hopefully many, from here and there, follow this example.
Be the first to comment