“Chuchi” Molina: “I want Santa Fe to be the locomotive of change in the country”

Thursday 27.6.2024

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Last update 6:22

On a piece of furniture you can see a copy of Sarmiento’s “Facundo”, another book about the 2003 flood and an editorial gift from the Catholic University of Santa Fe. There are also small presents that have more the sincere value of generosity rather than of ostentation.

On one side, two restored antique chairs and a small table; The light spills through the window in that corner, which seems ideal for tea or a mate. It is the office of the President of the Council, which is occupied by Adriana “Chuchi” Molina, the first woman in the history of this capital to reach that position.

The conversation with El Litoral is guarded by a superb painting by Luis Dona: you can see a double bass from which the legs of a Kafkaesque cockroach emerge; a bee on a window and the silhouette of someone who seems to be watching. Towards the foreground the strings of the instrument seem to emerge, and there, in this pictorial element, a metaphor could be found that reflects the local legislator.

Handling the strings without pulling or tensioning them, making them sound good by putting each note in its place, is like the art of politics. It’s about seeking agreements, sharing ideas, talking and listening, above all. Molina has expertise in this, since she was a councilor on two occasions and Government Secretary during the administration of former mayor José Corral.

The radical councilor will take stock of political and institutional management since she assumed the presidency. He assures that in the run-up to that debate that wasn’t, that of Assisted Social Parking (ESA) for car attendants, there were no tensions with the Executive, although “there may have been some different views.” And that the relationship with the municipality is “very good.”

He will also talk about giving centrality to the city’s residents, this said as a priority of the Council’s 2024 Annual Plan, and will highlight his support for the administration of Governor Maximiliano Pullaro, saying: “We are going to support Santa Fe as the locomotive of change.” from the country”.

-A lot of things happened in these six months. Two extraordinary sessions, several declared emergencies, Budget 2024, Tax, the new SEOM… What is your assessment in political terms of his management as head of the presidency?

-Every month, since we took office in December, we had sessions. Let’s say that it was a very atypical year, and this probably had to do with the change in municipal management.

But this was one of the objectives that we set for ourselves from the beginning: precisely, to find consensus to guarantee the legislative initiatives that the mayor (Juan Pablo Poletti) needed to start with a good administration when he took office in the Municipal Palace. And I think that showed in the work we’ve had so far.

I’m talking about the sanctions of the Budget and the 2024 Tax Ordinance, the water emergency, the security emergency, the transportation emergency, the social and economic emergency. But also postponed debates, such as that of car guards. Now another discussion will arrive that has also been slowed down, such as private travel applications.

There is a lot of dialogue between all the councilors, not only from the official Interbloc “Unidos…” (which has a large majority in the local Legislature), because the rest of the councilors are given the place that corresponds to them and that they deserve, since each one of them represents the residents of our city, regardless of their political color.

-In the run-up to the debate that never took place, that is, on Assisted Social Parking (ESA), were there tensions between the Council and the municipality, or at least some misunderstandings?

-No, there were no tensions. We may have had different looks at some point, but we were always talking. I also always guaranteed that the issue was in the Council and that it could be discussed or not. Without ceasing to be who I am and knowing that I have a political and party affiliation, I try not to establish a hasty position on issues that are sensitive for the community.

This continues to be an important issue, in a context like the one we have today, of poverty, marginality and unemployment. This must be understood and solutions achieved; I was talking to the mayor and he showed me how there were already cooperatives that included former car care workers. Well, this is positive, after the prohibition of this informal work.

-What is the political relationship with the municipal Executive today?

-The relationship with the Executive is very good. We have a lot of dialogue, we constantly talk with the mayor, with the Secretary of Government (Sebastián Mastropaolo), with the Secretary General (Alejandro Boscarol). It’s a good relationship.

-The Council’s Annual Plan brought several new features, many “extra session” activities and now, electronic voting. When do you estimate it would begin to be implemented?

-Regarding the last thing, some adjustments had to be made to the system after the drill. But I estimate that we will debut with electronic voting in August, when we resume regular sessions after the July recess.

There were six focal points in the Council’s 2024 Annual Plan. Perhaps the main one was that “every voice counts.” This implies giving real importance from the local Legislature to greater connection and closeness with the community, and with the institutions of civil society.

Thus we have The Open Doors Council, with guided tours whose host is “Chimi Santafesino” (Lorenzo Canteli, well-known tourist guide). Many neighbors have signed up to come and learn about the Council, its history, who we are, what we do and how we represent them.

We have planned to implement voting by the city’s residents through social networks. “Do you want such a square to be called such and such? What public space in your neighborhood needs lighting?” Well, there will be two days for people to vote. They will not be binding, of course; but it would be another tool for closeness with citizens, outside of the in-person visits we make to the neighborhoods.

In the Young Council, more than 120 students have already come to visit us. It has been many years since there were so many schools and so many children participating in this activity. And on the other hand, the forums, which are organized by the councilors themselves: there have already been forums on security and restorative justice, dengue and road safety, mental health and sports. Now there will be another one about older adults.

Molina highlighted the holding of the Metropolitan Forum, which was attended by 60 councilors from the Metropolitan Area. “On July 5, a new forum of metropolitan councilors will be held, and the councilors of Venado Tuerto and Avellaneda are invited. This experience will remain in the history of our Council, because we must start talking about the metropolitan: it is impossible to continue talking only about the cities,” he considered.

In the Annual Plan, another of the axes outlined was to achieve more efficiency and transparency in institutional management. “Electronic voting has to do with this; But it is not only electronic voting, but there will also be digital signatures, which will mean paperless. “We are working on administrative procedures to make them more agile,” added Adriana Molina.

Then he marked two other elements that he considered central: “For us it has been very important in these six months, in the relationship with the other councilors, everything related to important issues for the city and the region, such as the waterway and the works there is in the city with national funds, we are still waiting to see what happens with this.”

“In addition,” he continued, “we and the mayor plan to accompany the governor (Maximiliano Pullaro) in all those initiatives and actions that benefit the city and the region. Beyond ‘United’, belonging to this space, with the rest of the blocks, on these central issues, we have found consensus,” he said.

-Next year his mandate ends. Are you already thinking about renewing your banking or aspiring to something else?

-No, I am absolutely stuck in the present and in the current situation. I only see the future of tomorrow and these months, not beyond. And I feel very satisfied with the work of the formation that has been done in the province with “Unidos”, and with a new role that I have (Molina is vice president of the party at the provincial level).

And supporting the governor (Maximiliano Pullaro), with this great possibility that Santa Fe will be the locomotive of change in Argentina, with a person like Maxi (for Pullaro), who is the one who must lead this locomotive.

Beyond the partisan, the central issues of the provincial government are axes that must be supported: production, security, education. I want to work every day to improve the future. I don’t really think about anything else.