"To get Maria re-elected, João is trying to create a positive agenda at PMA"

Sergipe 247 - Journalist Gilvan Manoel, editor of Jornal do Dia, states in the Sunday/Monday edition (September 14 and 15) of his column that Mayor João Alves Filho (DEM) "had left the command of the Aracaju City Hall in the hands of some secretaries to take care of his wife's reelection campaign, but ended up backing down, and appears at occasional events."

According to him, "faced with the declining number of votes for women, as demonstrated in the successive polls conducted in recent days, João is trying to create a positive agenda in the mayor's office, but is running into obstacles he himself has created."

"So far, he hasn't managed to start a single project during his administration. Everything he has delivered was planned and started during the administration of former mayor Edvaldo Nogueira, such as the Lamarão condominium delivered last week. The same goes for the Tancredo Neves viaduct, the Augusto Franco Market, and, in the coming days, the Cultural Center in the old Federal Revenue building," he says.

Below is the full text: 

Final stretch

In recent days, Mayor João Alves Filho has finally decided to return to managing the city of Aracaju. His 45-day leave of absence was for naught in the face of numerous criticisms, and he realized that if he doesn't pay close attention, his wife Maria do Carmo's (DEM) candidacy for re-election to the Senate is at risk, including in the capital.

Yesterday he scheduled a "Pro-Women" event in the Bugio neighborhood, one of the areas of the city where his administration is also criticized. And after realizing that Aracaju is, in fact, like a "Beirut without bombing," he decided to invest in operations to fill the potholes that plague the city, from north to south. This includes the important Avenida Beira Mar, where, next to Parque dos Cajueiros, a crater is already reaching the second lane of the road.

João Alves clearly demonstrates that he feels uncomfortable in his role as mayor, dislikes the demands of the population, and has resumed his advertising campaign promoting the BRT, a faster transportation system that has been featured since his 2012 election campaign. In interviews, the mayor speaks as if he were the state governor, recalling his three long-ago terms in office.

João Alves had left the command of the Aracaju City Hall in the hands of some secretaries to take care of his wife's reelection campaign, but ended up backing down, and only appears at occasional events. Yesterday, the expectation was that he would only go to the Pro-Women event in the late afternoon, because he was participating in a motorcade with his wife.

It is João who speaks at rallies in the interior on behalf of Maria, and it is also he, along with former governor Albano Franco, father of the candidate for first alternate on the ticket, Ricardo Franco (PTB), who negotiates support with mayors and leaders in the interior.

On Wednesday, a disastrous intervention by Ricardo Franco on a radio program caused perplexity due to his arrogant and unprepared behavior. He made it clear that if George Magalhães dared to say what he said about his father on one of his family's radio stations, he would be summarily dismissed. Perhaps even with physical aggression.

Today, João Alves continues trying to convince the population that Maria is indeed in good enough health to serve another term, should she be elected, and that she did not negotiate her removal from office – if elected – in favor of Albano's son. Maria appears very frail, speaks with difficulty, and always appears seated at political meetings, as she did at Tuesday's meeting at Eduardo Amorim's campaign headquarters, where allies urged her to show more energy for the election campaign.

Faced with the declining vote for women, as demonstrated in successive polls conducted in recent days, João is trying to create a positive agenda in the mayor's office, but is hampered by obstacles he himself created. So far, he hasn't been able to start a single project during his administration. Everything he has delivered was planned and initiated during the administration of former mayor Edvaldo Nogueira, such as the Lamarão condominium delivered last week. Similarly, the Tancredo Neves viaduct, the Augusto Franco Market, and, in the coming days, the Cultural Center in the old Federal Revenue building.

On TV, Maria do Carmo tries to show that she is capable of serving another term and considers it a "prejudice" on the part of her main opponent, federal deputy Rogério Carvalho (PT), to suggest that her two terms as senator were insignificant and meant very little for the state of Sergipe. Rogério insists on comparing his single term as a federal deputy with Maria's 16 years in the Senate and displays very impressive figures.

In 2006, when she won her second term, Maria do Carmo began the campaign in a more comfortable situation than she is now. She won against José Eduardo Dutra by a small margin of votes, even then due to legal maneuvers that prevented the release of polls on the eve of election day showing a technical tie.

This year Maria is facing even more serious problems than in 2006, and her opponent is a much more vigorous politician than Dutra, one who has built a very solid base in most municipalities in Sergipe and is beginning to win the sympathy of the people of Aracaju.
The final stretch of the campaign promises to be exciting.