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“Do you want to run the 100th São Silvestre? Share, like the video and tag two friends in the comments! Draw in November!” The text may appear to be from an influencer, but it was actually published by , on .
The caption accompanies a “tiktoker” style video, in which the politician appears spinning a bottle on the floor, as in a game. On the left side of the image, a text says: “Registrations closed”. On the right side, the message appears: “Kit Draw”. When the bottle stops, Lins kicks the object and tells how his followers can have free access to the event.
“The draw will be on November 21st. There will be four entries drawn, in a historic edition that will have more than 50 thousand runners. I will be there and wait for you. Tag everyone and like, share this video”, says the secretary.
Look:
The publication was made days after, with registration fees ranging from R$ 319.90 to R$ 990.90, depending on the kit purchased. It is not clear from Lins’ post which kit will be drawn.
The São Silvestre video is not the only one in which the secretary provides tickets for events linked to the area in which he works at city hall. THE Metropolises found three other cases of private races that had registrations offered in the same way.
From racing to Ferris wheel
- The most recent draw was last Thursday (9/10) and gave access to the Cartoon Network Race, which will take place in Santana, in the north of the city, this Sunday (12/10). The editions of the Circuito das Estações – Winter Stage and the Superman Run, in June, were also drawn on his Instagram page.
- In all cases, the Participation in the draw is linked to comments from followers, who must tag other profiles, like the video and share the content.
- In August, the secretary also carried out the same type of draw to offer free tickets to Roda Rico, a Ferris wheel installed in Parque Villa-Lobos, in the west zone of the city of São Paulo.
- “It’s a great option for you to come with your friends, your family and your girlfriend”, says the politician, in a video that reproduces characteristics common to advertisements made by influencers, with Lins highlighting the “various options” in the food court and giving suggestions about the tour to his followers.
- On Mother’s Day, the secretary also raffled off dinners in restaurants in Osasco, the city where he was mayor for eight years.
Risk of administrative improbity
Event promotions in the capital of São Paulo draw attention to the relationship that the politician has with brands as secretary. Days after releasing the video of the São Silvestre draw, for example, Lins published a photo meeting with event representatives in his office. To take place in the city, races require authorization from the city hall.
Professor of Law at Faculdade Getúlio Vargas, Mario Schapiro says that the publications cast doubt on the secretary’s relationship with racing companies. “He is auctioning off goods that no one has access to. The question to ask is: why does only he have access? Why does only he have access to four São Silvestre registrations when registrations closed in a single day?”
For Schapiro, if it is demonstrated that the secretary is raffling off benefits that he obtained as a result of his position, he could be held liable for administrative misconduct.
“There is an obvious conflict of interest here. He is gaining these benefits because he is secretary and using this position to gain followers on social media. If he is a candidate for federal deputy and is increasing his follower base, these tickets were an asset that guaranteed him an electoral benefit. Other candidates did not have access to this.”
For political scientist Marco Teixeira, the São Silvestre publication is the most sensitive because it makes direct mention of municipal management. “It is very evident that without this closeness to the mayor, to the public sector, he would not be doing this.”
As for Professor Fernando Neisser, also from FGV, the secretary can use the private network for this type of advertising, as long as he is not exchanging benefits with companies, such as offering advantages to businesspeople.
“There is no prohibition on a public agent carrying out private advertising on their networks, including with the aim of increasing the number of followers, as long as they do not do so at the cost of public resources”.
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What Secretary Rogério Lins says
O Metropolises questioned the secretary, the City of São Paulo and the companies involved in organizing the events. In a statement, Rogério Lins’ press office said that the draws carried out on the secretary’s networks “aim to bring people closer to sporting and cultural activities”.
“The experiences offered were made available by the organizers, without any type of conflict, benefit or commercial link”, says the secretary’s advisory.
Asked why the secretary links the draws to comments, likes and shares on his personal page, the advisor responded that the format aims to “expand the reach of the posts, in order to encourage participation in sporting and cultural activities, and to technically make the draw viable on the platforms used, which require this interaction for the automatic and transparent selection of participants”.
The City of São Paulo responded, saying that the publications mentioned were made on the secretary’s personal social networks, “having no institutional link with the city hall or this department”.
“The secretary emphasizes that the initiative’s sole objective was to publicize and expand the population’s access to sporting and cultural activities promoted in the city. The experiences disclosed were offered spontaneously by the organizers of the respective events, without the use of public resources, personal benefit or commercial relationship”, ends the note from the department.
O Metropolises He asked the organizers of the races and Roda Rico about offering access to the events to the secretary, whether he had purchased the registrations, and whether there had been any advertising negotiations with Lins.
In a statement, the São Silvestre organization said that Lins “did not make any type of purchase of registrations” and that there was no contracting or commitment of financial resources from the organization for the purposes questioned by the report.
“The organization of the São Silvestre International Race informs that the free distribution of registrations to institutions and partners supporting and publicizing the race, such as the São Paulo Department of Sports and Leisure, is a common procedure in sporting events of this nature. It is part of the promotion and increase in the social reach of the activities, aiming at mutual support for the race.”
The organization also stated that it “reiterates its commitment to transparency and ethics, reinforcing that the distribution of amenities follows internal standards established for the promotion and success of the event”.
O Metropolises did not receive a response from the Cartoon Network, Superman Run and Circuito das Estações race organizations. The space remains open for demonstrations.
Roda Rico said that it has an institutional policy of limited courtesy aimed at “relationship actions with the press, influencers, entities and authorities that contribute to the spontaneous dissemination of tourism and leisure in São Paulo”.
“The invitations are punctual and follow representative criteria, without any political, contractual or advertising ties. In the case mentioned, there was no contracting or commercial partnership with the mentioned secretary”, ends the note.
