January 02, 2009, cont. from front page, Toy sales suffer in wake of financial crisis, By Krishna Villena, Public transport legalized, By Jesús Ibarra, Biblioteca Publica General Manager position available

It will be a difficult year because of the economic crisis, but sanmiguelenses have the strength to face not only financial problems but any kind of problem. I trust that despite these setbacks it will be a successful year. The local government has a lot of projects planned, mainly regarding roads.

We have an ambitious project that includes building a new access to Infonavit Malanquín and an access to San Luis Rey and all the adjacent neighborhoods.

Cristóbal Finkelstein Franyuti, city secretary

The priority in this administration is public security, so we have tripled the investment in this area; we now have 50, rather than just 16, patrol cars.

There is a national imperative, instigated by President Calderón, to identify and oust corrupt police officers. Of our 220 police officers we have already replaced 90. This will be a difficult year. I think the financial crisis will begin to be felt in San Miguel, but I think our city will not suffer as much as other parts of the world. There is still a lot of investment in the city and more is coming. I hope this will generate more jobs, since we will have to deal with unemployment and returning Mexican immigrants.

Daniel Trujillo, head of Public Scurity

When I became director of Public Security, we were 17 years behind schedule in educating and equipping the police force, but we have advanced at least five years.

We now have training, more vehicles and weapons, and in 2009 we will have a police academy and receive training from the police departments of two US counties. We will also be sending our officers for training abroad. My commitment is not to fail the residents, nationals or foreigners, rich or poor. My goal is that San Miguel’s police will be the best in the state, and–why not?– the best in the country.

Guillermo González Engelbretch, Tourism Council manager

We will have a larger budget than last year because the Department of Tourism, Economic Development and International Relations is becoming Economic Development and International Relations, and we are assuming the resources allocated to the tourism sector. We will be focusing on attracting wealthier tourists through Virtuoso magazine and the program Tesoros (Treasures). The boutique hotels will be certified by a Spanish company, and this will be subsidized by the state government.

Marcelo Castro Vera, president of the hotel owners’ association and manager of Hotel Real de Minas

Times of crisis are in some ways times of opportunities. We must find the kind of tourism we can exploit. We are going to try to increase occupancy rates with promotions and to give excellent service at a lower price, working hand in hand with the Tourism Council and with SEDETUR.

I think that with all the hotel owners together we can achieve a lot of good things.

Jaime Fernández, former mayor and co-owner of Instituto Allende

We will try to improve the quality of our services and have better tours and more quality in the art exhibitions in order to attract tourism. We also hope to have more national and international publicity. I would like to see tourism in San Miguel increase and for the city to have more strict control of urban development and conservation of our cultural and architectural heritage.

Raúl Barrera, head of Public Works

Our main goal for this year is to solve the traffic congestion at the intersection of Calzada de la Estación and Libramiento Manuel Zavala. We planned to build a glorieta (traffic circle), but this would cause problems along the stretch of the Libramiento above the Arroyo de las Cachinches. To solve this, we are planning to build a direct access from the entrance to San Antonio (next to the funeral parlor) to Infonavit Malanquín.

This access will also join Calzada de la Estación through the street next to La Casa de Don Rubén salon de fiestas. With this, all out-of-town buses will arrive directly at the bus station, without passing through the glorieta.

We are also planning to begin work on the Libramiento Norte, which will join Palmita de Landeta with San Luis Rey and provide direct access to these and all the other neighborhoods in that area.

We are planning to build a World Heritage Square, at the bus stop opposite the Oratorio, and a Bicentennial Square, at the train station.

Ángel Gastélum, head of Urban Development

We will be showing the work we have done regarding urban development and regularizing properties. We will be considering public meetings and working together with IMPLAN (Municipal Institute for Planning).

Funds for improving the city’s image will no longer be obtained from the Pueblos Mágicos program, since we are now a World Heritage site and our funds will come from the World Heritage Cities program.

Eduardo Arias, member of the Architects’ Union of San Miguel and IMPLAN

In January, IMPLAN will begin meeting. One of the projects we are working on, along with the local government, is a series of centros de barrio (neighborhood centers) to create an identity in the neighborhoods.

These centers include cultural and sports spaces, workshops and multiple-use areas and may also create jobs for elderly people.

I think that Centro streets should be open exclusively for pedestrian traffic and parking lots with shuttle service should be opened.

Verónica Agundis, head of Education and Culture

In 2009 we will be focusing on standardizing elementary and high-school education and increasing literacy. The INEGI (National Institute of Statistics and Geography) needs to bring its information up to date; the latest statistics are from 2005, but we have made a lot of improvement since then.

We are currently planning a cultural week to celebrate Ignacio Allende’s birthday. This will include concerts by the Symphony Orchestra of the Marine Corps and conferences by historian Graciela Cruz related to her findings in the Panteón San Juan de Dios.

Ernesto de la Peña, head of Bellas Artes

We will be doing everything we can to promote cultural events and hold culturally relevant competitions, such as an essay contest about Mexican independence or a topic related to the Mexican Revolution. Bellas Artes also intends to promote sculpture during 2009. We will continue being the venue for different festivals, seminars and post-graduate courses in art history.

Eduardo Soria, municipal treasurer

The mayor has instructed me to focus on public works, since in the end public works are what will remain and allow us to have a better way of life. My task is to refigure the budget and save resources for public works.

We have just bought some construction machinery, so the local government will not have to rent the equipment. With this, we intend to save money and redirect these resources to other works. The approved budget for 2009 is 350 million pesos, 3.8 percent more than last year.

César Arias, director of El Charco del Ingenio A.C.

It will be a difficult year for El Charco and other nongovernmental organizations. In times of economic crisis, the first activity to be reduced is philanthropy, and San Miguel civil associations will suffer that.

We have to have more imagination to attract resources and to join with other civil organizations. With joint effort we would be more efficient.

Regarding the botanical garden, we will promote the environmental education and conservation programs. I think that San Miguel will see a decrease in tourism. I hope this will cause real estate developers to reflect on the current situation, since they have such irrational expectations. I am encouraged that UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) will open a campus in San Miguel.

On January 5, children across the Republic find it hard to sleep, anticipating the visit of the Three Kings and the toys they will receive the following day.

This year, it may not be only Mexico’s children who have trouble sleeping: the worldwide economic crisis has affected toy manufacturers and families’ ability to buy their products.

According to the website www.elfinanciero.com.mx, Miguel Ángel Martín González, director of the Mexican Association of the Toy Industry (Asociación Mexicana de la Industria del Juguete) said that toy manufacturers have predicted a 15% decrease in sales this year “because consumers are saving money and expenses have increased a lot.” Through August the industry saw a seven percent growth, but in September department and specialty stores began canceling orders.

Along with China, Spain and Brazil, Mexico is one of the leading toy exporters in the world. Six of the world’s largest manufacturers have factories in Mexico. Last August, Lego built its second biggest plant in Mexico.

According to www.elfinanciero.com.mx, 65 to 68 percent of the toys sold in this country are imported, mostly from China, the US and Spain. Mexico exports about 25% of its toy production.

Martín González said that the toy industry normally generates about 7,000 temporary jobs during the holiday season but this year that number decreased by 1,000. The industry also generates 28,000 permanent jobs, but in the first months of 2009 work will slow down or halt because the inventory is not moving.

In San Miguel, the Three Kings have several choices for toy shopping, though their pockets may not be so deep as in the past. Soriana, Mega and Bodega Aurrera supermarkets, Liverpool department store in La Luciérnaga and the San Juan de Dios, Ignacio Ramírez and Tuesday markets are popular shopping stops.

Prices vary slightly from one location to another. Soriana, Mega and Bodega Aurrerá tend to offer more promotions such as discounts for cash sales and no-interest credit plans. Liverpool’s prices are highest, and the store offers credit plans ranging from 3 to 48 monthly payments with a Liverpool credit card to a 4-month payment plan using any other credit card.

Video games remain among the most popular toys, outselling other less technologically advanced diversions. In San Miguel, Liverpool and Mega sell consoles for video games such as Microsoft’s X-Box 360 for 3,249 pesos and Nintendo’s Wii for 5,499 pesos.

At the Tuesday market the consoles sell for about 300 pesos less, but the products are not guaranteed. A video game for Sony’s Wii console costs an average of 800 pesos at Liverpool, Office Depot or Mega.

On the street, original video games may sell for 500 to 700 pesos and bootleg copies for around 50 to 70 pesos.

Comparison shopping

Soriana
Polly Pocket set (Mattel), 200 pesos
Batman action figure, 800 pesos

Mega
HotWeels car (Mattel), 25 pesos
Bicycle for 5- to 6-year old children, 433 pesos

Bodega Aurrerá
Folding scooter, 99 pesos
Barbie bicycle R-16 for girls, 1,388 pesos

San Juan de Dios market
Plastic tea set, 50 pesos
Barbie doll, 200 pesos

La Placita (Tuesday market)
Used medium-sized stuffed animal, 30 pesos
Racecar track (Hasbro), 600 pesos
Stroller for dolls, 150 pesos
Xbox original videogame, 700 pesos

Liverpool
Dora’s talking kitchen (Fisher-Price), 200 pesos
Kota the Triceratops battery-powered dinosaur (Playskool), 6,000 pesos
Hot Wheels Extreme Jaws car track (Mattel), 350 pesos

Three Kings Parade

On Monday, January 5, the Department of Education and Culture sponsors a Three Kings Parade beginning at 6pm. The parade features music, mojigangas, clowns, treats and a launching of helium balloons bearing childrens’ gift requests for the Three Kings.

The parade begins at DIF on Avenida Guadalupe and ends at the Jardín.

Consumers’ rights

According to La Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor ( www.profeco.gob.mx ), in 1985 the General Assembly of the United Nations approved the principles of the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection:

The right to be informed

Publicity, labels, prices, instructions, guarantees and other information concerning products and services must be complete, clear and truthful.

The right to choose

Vendors shall not put pressure on consumers to buy a product or service or place conditions on the sale or demand payment in advance without a contract.

The right not to be discriminated against

Purveyors of products or services shall not discriminate against consumers based on gender, race, religion, economic situation, nationality, sexual preference, or handicap.

The right of protection

Consumers can be defended by authorities and can demand legal recourse. They also can organize with other consumers to defend their interests. If a provider does not respect consumers’ rights they can go to the Profeco office to complain or call to report abuse against a group of consumers.

The right to education

Consumers have the right to education regarding buying and selling to know their rights and how the law protects them. They also have the right to gather with others to learn how to shop more intelligently.

The right to security and quality

Products and services offered in the marketplace must meet all requirements in terms of security and quality. The instructions must include pertinent warnings and clearly explain the recommended use of the products.

The right to compensation

If providers do not fulfill what they have promised consumers have the right to be compensated whether by refund, price reduction or free repair.

Av. José Vasconcelos 208, Col. Condesa, Delegación Cuauhtémoc, México, D.F. 06140, Tel (55) 5625 6700. Telephone number in Mexico City: 5568-8722; from other states in Mexico: 01-800-468-8722.

Profeco’s recommendations for consumers buying toys

According to the Special Program of Verification and Surveillance of December Festivities 2008, Profeco recommends following these recommendations:

Verify that all labels, instructions and guarantees are in Spanish. The guarantee must clearly explain the basic information to know how, where and when to present a claim and the name and address of the provider or importer.

Select age-appropriate toys according to the manufacturer’s recommendation.

Buy toys in well-established places where a guarantee is offered. Always save the receipt.

Choose toys that are marked with the official Mexican Regulations NOM-003-SCFI-2000 or NOM-001-SCFI-1993 for electronic products.

Save the instructions, manuals and guarantees for further consultation and if necessary demand they be supplied.

City Secretary Cristóbal Finkelstein Franyuti announced that 151 of 160 public transport units in the municipality were legalized December 19. He said that for the last 15 years the bus companies in the city lacked concessions, which were retired when the state no longer regulated public transport in municipalities.

“Public transport worked illegally all this time, without jurisdictional certainty or security, neither for the owners nor for the users,” said Finkelstein, who added that in 2002, public transport was municipalized and the state demanded that all the municipalities check and control it. “It was a gigantic labor since we did not have files or background checks on the bus owners,” he said.

The local government implemented a program for regulating public transport, which included a mechanical check-up on every unit; backgrounds of drivers; basic security measures; and bus appearance guidelines. Thanks to this program, Finkelstein said, 92 percent of the public transport units were legalized and the concession titles were handed to the owners of 151 vehicles. “The other 8 percent would probably be regularized during the first trimester of 2009. They could not be regularized because they did not meet all the requirements of mechanical condition and security measures,” he said. He added that regularization of public transport benefits authorities, bus owners and users. “With his concession title, the owner will invest in the vehicle since he will have the certainty that nobody would retire it from public transport service. We know the bus owner and that the bus meets the required security measures. The user can be sure that the bus in which he or she is traveling is completely safe,” said Finkelste
in.

Biblioteca Publica General Manager position available

The General Manager reports directly to the President of the Board of Directors and participates in all board meetings, but without voting privileges.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Oversee all activities of the Biblioteca Pública and assist the various committees in their various functions

Manage the Human Resources department

Assist the department heads with the management of their areas

Supervise the building & grounds staff

Coordinate all support activities of the Biblioteca Pública

Coordinate all relations with outside public and private organizations

Requirements:

Good written and verbal skills in both English and Spanish

Basic computer skills

University education

Good interpersonal skills

Three years managerial experience

Mexican citizenship

Please send applications with your employment history and qualifications to Gregory Diamant, President, Biblioteca Publica, Insurgentes 25, San Miguel de Allende. Or email: gdiam99@gmail.com.