At the end of an extraordinary municipal executive meeting, the last he presided over, Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues told journalists that he leaves a better legacy than the one he found 12 years ago.
“We found the Vila Nova de Gaia City Council with 300 million euros in debt, today we have accounts in the black, we owe nothing to anyone, and our municipal companies are profitable, meaning they have positive accounts,” he emphasized.
These results are due to the city’s ability to attract investments and revenue while reducing the Municipal Property Tax (IMI) and abolishing the “ridiculous ramp tax,” stressed the mayor, elected by the Socialist Party (PS).
Rodrigues, who also presided over the Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP), insisted that he leaves the municipality with positive accounts, all ongoing investments properly budgeted, and municipal companies on solid ground.
The mayor, convicted of misconduct in office related to the crime of embezzlement, decided to resign from the position effective June 30, passing leadership to the current vice-president, Marina Mendes.
Reaffirming the healthy status of the entire municipal structure, Rodrigues noted that there are around 50 million euros worth of ongoing projects, which do not constitute debt for the next term as they are properly allocated and secured.
“Moreover, we have an operational balance of 20 million euros, meaning we have 20 million euros in the treasury, and our companies are solidly established,” he underlined.
In his view, the municipality still has much to accomplish, but today it “fortunately” has resources it did not have when he assumed leadership.
“We spent four or five years putting everything in order, and when we thought we could breathe and start planning for the future, the pandemic hit, and we spent about two years completely focused on new and very different things. Therefore, some initiatives were launched a bit out of time due to this situation,” he highlighted.
On the opposition, particularly the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Rodrigues described them as “consistently unprepared” over the past 12 years.
“Absolutely unprepared [PSD]. When they have to say something, they make general statements because, unfortunately, the work done by the opposition in Gaia has been underhanded, it’s the work of dirt, the destruction of people. That’s why after 12 years, they remain the same; they haven’t come up with a single forward-thinking idea,” he remarked.
