With a clear government plan to recover Neiva as the capital of the Magdalena River, support and accompany entrepreneurs through an entrepreneurship and innovation fund, as well as guarantee that public resources are used transparently and according to the needs of the city, Jorge Andrés Gechem wants to become Mayor of Neiva.
HUILA DIARY, POLITICS
By: Maria Camila Mosquera M.
A safe, enterprising and sustainable Neiva is the goal of Jorge Andrés Gechem on his way to the Neiva Mayor’s Office, because during his time in the Departmental Assembly he had the opportunity to learn more about the different needs of the Neivans and from there he began to take actions in favor of entrepreneurs.
Why does Jorge Andrés want to be mayor of Neiva?
My aspiration arises precisely from the work we do as a representative to help entrepreneurs, to really promote entrepreneurship and economic development in our region, going from words to deeds.
After the approval of the public policy on entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship and innovation and the festivals we organized, many people from different trade union and entrepreneurial sectors invited me to run for Mayor of Neiva. Today we understand that there is a priority and we have to continue insisting that we seek ways to promote comprehensive, sustainable economic development in Neiva. Today it is urgent to improve the economy of Neivanas families, but how do we improve income? That is why we have to continue promoting entrepreneurship and here we also need an administration that restores confidence and that one, we cannot continue in personal fights , we cannot look back and there are some dynamics that must change so that Neiva also changes, here we cannot continue in which they arrive with two campaigns determined to govern, full of commitments of all economic and political types, the positions committed two and three times , that finally ends up hurting Neiva.
It arises from the love for my city and also from a sense of responsibility towards Neiva, when 4 years ago I was elected as the most voted deputy in the opita capital and the desire to help all of us together, being partners, reactivate Neiva , let’s update it, let’s move it forward. I want an entrepreneurial, safe and sustainable Neiva.
Are you aware that whoever assumes the mayorship of Neiva must assume all the remains of finding an Administration with debts and a city with many needs?
It is a great challenge that I feel prepared and ready to take on for several reasons, the first of which is because I do not arrive with the commitments that others would, that gives me more freedom, more peace of mind, more autonomy, second because I know the municipal administration , I worked in the Neiva Mayor’s Office during the government of Dr. Rodrigo Lara. Third, with my advisory team, we have been structuring a crash plan that we are going to implement in the first 100 days, which will allow us to clean up and strengthen the finances of the mayor’s office with an austerity plan, we are going to eliminate unnecessary expenses, we are going to have a lot of transparency in the management of public resources, but transparency to be credible needs moral authority in the resume and I don’t have any process, nor any investigation in my resume and that’s why I can look everyone in the eye, a lot of leadership, a lot of capacity for union, here we have to dialogue with the academy, with the unions, with everyone we have to build a city project that has a long-term vision and I propose Neiva 2050, but also management capacity and we have that capacity management, thinking about the best interests and strategic projects for Neiva.
It will not be easy for anyone, the difficult situation of Neiva today is not a secret, as a city, as a mayor’s office and also for the citizens, for this reason, today we have two priorities: economic development to generate employment opportunities, income, fight hunger and security, We cannot have more silence, no more silence in the face of what is happening in terms of security, here it is a firm call, as police chief I will assume responsibility for the safety of Neiva and we will all recover safety and tranquility for the citizens.
How to return to Neiva epicenter of tourism?
We have to update Neiva not only in that, Neiva has been falling far behind other capital cities in the country, so here we invite all of us to build a long-term city project Neiva 2050, united that we get agree on the fundamental aspects of the city towards the future. One of those is economic development as a priority and this implies support for entrepreneurship and support for our productive commitments and one of them is tourism so that Neiva can be a tourist city.
We need to support entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, we must understand that Neiva is not touristic today, but it does have potential, which must be developed, for example, in the rural sector, eco, agrotourism, we have an opportunity for that, a full Neiva of events, just as I organized six festivals, I want a Neiva full of events of all kinds, cultural, musical, union, academic, entrepreneurship events, this agenda in Neiva all year round helps us boost the economy and brings tourism.
Of course, we must also strengthen the festivities, our folklore, that attracts tourism but the great tourist opportunity for Neiva, the great tourist anchor really is in the Magdalena River, we have to recover the identity of Neiva as the capital of the Magdalena River, we cannot continue to turn our backs on it, if we let it turn our backs on the river and face it, with a project really around the river, which includes the boardwalk, which today includes the island park, etc., we are not only going to advance with a Neiva more sustainable, responsible with the environment, with our nature, with our waters, but also a tourist Neiva.
Jorge Andrés says yes or no to a soccer stadium in Neiva?
Yes, we have been here for 7 years and nothing has happened, we are not going to take it any longer, nor let more time go by, nor negligence, nor omission, what we have to do is make decisions that allow us to give a definitive solution to the football stadium in Neiva and that is what we will do.
What will be the commitment to the educational sector for the city of Neiva?
The educational infrastructure is a fundamental issue that we have to improve. The issue of the Santa Librada National School hurts me, because it is also heritage, we have to intervene and support the entire educational community to improve the environmental conditions and the infrastructure of the school and other institutions, especially the headquarters.
In terms of education, I want a Neiva with zero illiteracy, I propose that in four years everyone in Neiva knows how to read and write, that is the basis for us to really achieve a more educated Neiva I want to promote entrepreneurship and that begins also from education, so we are going to implement the chair of entrepreneurship in Neiva, as well as the financial economy that is essential so that on the one hand we can generate training and education opportunities, but on the other hand also continue to encourage entrepreneurship for the sake of that we support talent and that we have a Neiva with a better economy.
What to say to Neivanos so that they support him in this candidacy?
I invite you to be partners, for you, for Neiva, for all of the entrepreneurs, so that we can move forward together. That we vote conscientiously, without pressure of any kind, on October 29 the vote is secret and it is a right, a duty, we must exercise it freely and conscientiously.
We want to create a fund that will be called the fund for entrepreneurship in the municipality, and we are going to allocate 20% of the annual budget of the mayor’s office there, since the Administration manages a high budget, but the citizens do not see how these resources are invested, let’s look at what is happening in Neiva with the road network, these resources should not even be for a political campaign, but for the people, well, we will put them in the entrepreneurship and innovation fund, we will help with financing to all people, entrepreneurial families, who want to get ahead with their work, not only with financing, but also with accompaniment and assistance, so that this financing can be forgiven, as long as a business plan is fulfilled and, above all, that they generate a minimum of employment.
We need to unite Neiva, we need a more visible Neiva in the national context, we need to bring Neiva up to date, give order to Neiva so that the citizen feels that there is a mayor, we have 4 years for Neiva to be better and we are going to achieve it together, We need a safe Neiva and that is urgent and we are going to achieve it, an entrepreneurial Neiva, a transparent Neiva, a sustainable Neiva, that thinks about the environment, about climate change, that is why I have been talking about comprehensive economic development, sustainable for Neiva, that this is neither more nor less than the economy of the common good, thinking of who?, of the citizens.
Highlight 1: Jorge Andrés, proposes the creation of an entrepreneurship and innovation fund, leveraged with 20% of the Municipal Administration budget, to support young people, families and people who seek to get ahead with their work.