Businessmen criticize budget increase

The local chairman of the manufacturing chamber called it unacceptable and incongruous that Mexicali City Council members voted to increase allocation of discretionary funds they each have available to distribute within the community more than 40 percent.

Alberto Sánchez Torres, president of the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry in Mexicali, or Canacintra, criticized Morena council members and their allies for approving a measure that clearly follows a political interest.

The action is totally contrary to the austerity and transparency that should prevail as the highest priority in the current City Council, he added.

“It is inadmissible that council members of Mexicali are more concerned with greeting someone else’s hat and increasing their political aspirations, than in working in favor of the great problems that the city currently has,” Sánchez Torres said.

On Monday, in a special meeting city council members were given the opportunity to allocate such funds to the Fire Department or to the Department of Social Development. However, the proposals were rejected by the majority coalition in the council.

The majority council members decided to increase the social spending item by nearly 5 million pesos, or about $238,095.

Each council member will have 85,000 pesos, or around $4,000 a month, to support their constituents.

Mexicali Mayor Marina Ávila told reporters on Tuesday the approval was justified by the increasing requests of help by local residents.

“The seriousness of the pandemic requires that our authorities stop being concerned about the results of polls, political agenda and electoral work,” she said said.