The appointment of Jorge Ferraresi as controller of Edesur, after questions fell on the electricity distributor in March due to the heat wave, has generated some controversy because the official has already anticipated that he will continue as mayor of Avellaneda as long as he holds the his role at the forefront of the company’s audit process.
“I will take on this commitment with great responsibility and will work together with ENRE for the benefit of the citizens,” Ferraresi began in a message he sent via his Twitter account, adding: “At the same time I will continue to exercise my duties as mayor of Avellaneda”.
Undersecretary for Energy, Flavia Royón, defended Ferraresi’s appointment and also tried to justify the mayor’s decision to continue with the two positions despite the complex situation facing the electricity distributor.
“Edesur’s administrative intervention is control and inspection,” Royón said during an interview with radio with you, where he also explained that the intervention was ordered because “the situation has become worrying”. But he clarified that it is not possible to go ahead with the removal of the concession because a series of provisions must be respected. “We have passed from the auditor to the auditor, which is a stricter control,” explained Royón, before strongly defending Ferraresi’s appointment.
“It is a complex challenge, everyone knows that Edesur is a concession that has had problems for many years and it takes years of regulation”, said the secretary to justify himself in the face of this situation”.You need a person with a commitment, who understands the industry and engineer has the experience of having worked in energy companies and knows the problems of the territory”.
Royón assured that the mayor “will have an exclusive dedication” and specified that “it will be accompanied by a technical team”. “He will engage exclusively in this intervention,” insisted the official.
When asked if Ferraresi would step down as mayor, he replied that he would “call him the engineer.” But the conversation became more tense when they pointed out to the secretary that it was his sector that hired the auditor and had to define the working conditions.
“Jorge Ferraresi has extensive experience and management skills”, remarked the official who “will not carry out the task alone but will be accompanied by a team of professionals and has his own team at the mayor’s office, with us will answer“.
It is clear that Ferraresi has the mechanisms to maintain his power in Avellaneda. When he had to apply for a leave to take on the position of Minister of Territorial Development and the Environment of the Nation, he left the position of mayor in the hands of Alejo Chornobroff, but his wife Magdalena Sierra resigned as a deputy in the National Congress to take over as chief of staff of the administration
However, the mayor does not want to abandon the leadership of the district in this electoral year and, therefore, remarked that “the administrative intervention provision will have a duration of 180 days and is transitory and exceptional”.
Ferraresi’s decision to remain mayor while supporting Edesur’s intervention provoked a reaction from the opposition in Avellaneda. The president of the Together in Deliberating Council block, Massimiliano Gallucci, contested the mayor’s decision and demanded that he request the licence.
“Once again, the residents of Avellaneda are victims of the mayor’s political irresponsibility,” said the opposition leader to add: “You cannot govern a municipality and be a controller of Edesur.”
Source: Clarin
