Joel Olmos, the current mayor of La Cisterna and a member of Acción Humanista, launched his pre-candidacy for re-election to the municipal council at the DINAR center in La Cisterna, which was packed with residents.
In addition to representatives of security committees, cultural and sports centers, and neighborhood councils, the mayor was accompanied by the deputy and president of Acción Humanista, Tomás Hirsch, members of parliament from his district such as Lorena Pizarro (PC), and representatives of government parties such as Revolución Democrática with its national leader, Javiera López, and the former secretary general of the Socialist Party and current executive secretary of the Chilean Association of Municipalities, Andrés Santander. Also present were the former independent candidate for mayor of La Cisterna, María Victoria Mora, the municipal president of the PPD, Benjamín Campos, as well as the support already expressed by Irma Pérez (now a member of the FRVS), who was running as an ecologist for the 2021 seat.
For Olmos, this overwhelming social and political support is “a confirmation of the continuity of this project for a second term, with the commitment of hundreds of neighbors. We will continue to work together with the community to deepen this process: to bring more dignity, quality of life, and good living with territorial justice to all the neighborhoods of our municipality (…) we have had the support of deputies, political leaders, mayors; but also, of the community leaders of La Cisterna, who give life to this community municipality”.
For his part, Tomás Hirsch, president of Acción Humanista and Deputy Hirsch, appreciated the broad support for Olmos’ election in La Cisterna: “I have seen the work that Joel Olmos is doing, which is characterized by his closeness to the people, community, commitment, with municipal services in the neighborhoods and streets. This is someone who comes from the community and has lived here all his life. We think it is very important that Joel can give continuity to his work and that we can count on Joel as mayor of La Cisterna for four more years”.
From the Communist tent, deputy Lorena Pizarro said “Joel Olmos is a great mayor who must continue a work that means transforming a municipality that for so many years has neglected its neighbors from the public space, fighting crime with more social participation and, most importantly, with progress in the popular territories with policies of greater social justice. I am convinced that we must achieve the greatest possible unity to move forward in the democratic construction of local governments, to prevent the arrival of the right wing. In La Cisterna, Joel has achieved a form of government that we have not seen for decades”.
On the other hand, from the independent world, the mayor of Cerro Navia, Mauro Tamayo, appreciated the event: “I have come to publicly support Joel Olmos as the current and next mayor of La Cisterna. We are convinced that the best thing that can happen to this municipality in the future is a transformative leadership that aims for substantial change, from the bottom up, from the towns and neighborhoods, always involving and listening to the communities. I believe that Joel Olmos represents the future and hope”.
At the end of the event, along with hundreds of neighbors, municipal leaders from the government parties and local social leaders attended the event to express their support for Joel Olmos and his “Community Municipality” project to strengthen the local social policies already in place and to stop the forces of the extreme right in the municipality.