Saturday, October 17, 2009

More About the Garbage

Bloggers, San Miguel has a problem. Garbage! It isn't being picked up.

As of a week or so ago we have a new city administration. The first ever woman was elected and she ran representing several parties against the PAN. I don't understand the politics of all of this but it seems that the other parties couldn't pull in enough votes for the last few elections to beat the PAN so they picked Lucy to represent all of them. Lucy says she is an independent and isn't going to favor one of the parties that helped get her elected over another. The losing PAN isn't happy about losing and I kind of think they really aren't happy about a woman being Mayor.

The story is that the old administration ran out of money before the end of their term so they stopped repairing the garbage trucks and eventually they didn't have enough money to buy gasoline.

For at least a week we have not had a garbage pickup on our street. Fortunately, for some time the garbage department had been parking trucks in some locations around town at night so that if you missed them during the day, you could take your garbage there. That is what we have been doing. But last night the truck wasn't parked in the regular place in our Colonia so we went to the Pemex station on Ancha where another garbage truck is usually parked. There sat the biggest dump truck I've ever seen. We didn't think it was a garbage truck because it didn't have the city signage on it but because we really wanted to get rid of the garbage we asked some guys at the Pemex if the garbage truck was going to be there. They said that the dump truck was for garbage. That was good news but there wasn't anyway we could throw the two sacks high enough to land in the truck and there weren't any guys around to help. So we left our garbage on the side of the truck to wait for someone to load it.

But here is the best part of the garbage story from today. We just had four police pickups come down our street. The lead pickup is announcing that they will take the garbage and walking along side of the pickups are seven or eight people collecting the garbage and throwing it into the trucks. One of the people helping pickup the garbage is Lucy, the new Mayor.

This woman has "it!" I think I'm really going to like her.

Oh, and the rumor on the street is that the garbage problem may be straightened out next week. We certainly hope so.

8 comments:

Babs said...

There was a march on City Hall last week by the garbage truck drivers. There was a HUGE confrontation of the new Mayor and the drivers. She was screaming, literally screaming at them and they proceeded to stand with their signs. They haven't been paid. She was saying, "It's not my fault" "It's not my fault". It was not professional at all.......garbage sat on Cuesta de San Jose last week for several days until a bunch of residents loaded up their pickup trucks and hauled it off to the dump outside of town. Ahh, first the circus and now this. Are they somehow connected? Is this the circus -just not with animals?

Billie Mercer said...

Ahh....the garbage story continues....

Islagringo said...

Our former Mayor, and current one, are female. The former Mayor started a progam to hire local women to collect litter, clean the streets and the beaches. The island has never been cleaner. I won't get into the political dealing they have both done, but all in all, I think the island is much better for having a woman as Mayor.

pitchertaker said...

All this garbage and no pictures!! You a photographer or what?

Billie Mercer said...

pitchertaker, I knew someone would bring up the absence of photos. It is a long story but I was on the other side of the house and the camera wasn't ready...needed lens, battery and card. Just use your imagination this time.

Brenda Maas said...

Ah that stinks, sorry couldn't resist. Hope they get it straightened out soon.

Calypso said...

The world would be better off if it was run by women - but please no women reporters in football locker rooms. I'm just saying...

Tina said...

Yes, the garbage problem is HUGE! We had
a gigantic stack of garbage bags in our courtyard,
and with two cats a a labrador--well, let's just
say it was pretty aromatic. Missed the police/Lucy
parade, but managed to get our trash hauled
away at 8 p.m. on Friday night to one of the parked trucks. Our "basura savior" is the most wonderful Mexican man our maid introduced us to. He is
completely deaf--and completely good through and through! We are so thankful to get rid of the trash.

And by the way, he refused to take any payment from us.

Now, if the city can just get their *@#% together,
life will be good!