“It was the lack of direction that made me return”: Maria das Dores Meira returns to the Setúbal Chamber four years later

Four years after leaving the presidency of Setúbal City Council, Maria das Dores Meira returns to the position, this time as an independent candidate. The former mayor, who led the municipality for the CDU for more than a decade, now ran with the support of the PSD and won this Sunday’s electoral race.

In an interview with SIC Notícias, the mayor confessed to feeling “a huge emotion” for returning to leadership of the municipality and spared no criticism of the current state of the city.

“Returning to Setúbal, returning to the Chamber, is a great emotion. We have a Chamber with fantastic people, but at the moment it is without a king or castling. Seeing that the entire city was aimless, stagnant and disoriented was what made me come back”, he stated.

According to Maria das Dores Meira, Setúbal has changed a lot in the last four years “for worse”. The mayor pointed to the lack of urban cleaning and the absence of a strategy in municipal services as signs of degradation.

“The city is very dirty, the public space is neglected and there is no guidance or planning. People asked me: ‘You have to go back, Setúbal is needed, our City Council is needed'”, he said.

“André Martins didn’t have the capacity”

During the interview in the Grand Edition, the new president He also left harsh criticisms of his successor and former vice-president, André Martins (CDU)who classified the last term as “of poor management and stagnation”.

“André Martins didn’t have the capacity to manage Setúbal City Council. It’s not easy to govern a city with great social needs, you need proximity, talking to people, solving problems on the ground. He wasn’t able to do that”, he considered.

“The CDU maintained the same executive that was with me, but without leadership. While I was there, I filled the gaps and ensured cohesion. When I left, it was clear that there was a lack of direction”, added Maria das Dores Meira.

“I was never notified of any investigation“

According to Maria das Dores Meira the PS and the CDU conducted a “black campaign” to try to stop his return to the Chamber.

“They did very bad things, like the audit,” he said.

The audit in question referred to the alleged undue receipt of 35 thousand euros in subsistence allowancesbut the mayor denies any irregularity.

“It’s all a lie. The report said there was no proof of anything. Justice will investigate. I was never notified of any investigation”, he guaranteed.

Maria das Dores Meira also rejected accusations about the irregular use of credit cards during his previous term.

“Being an accused is not being accused”

Returning to the presidency of the Chamber, Maria das Dores Meira promises an audit of André Martins’ management and the decentralization of powers to parish councils.

“I will see everything that is not right to be corrected. Otherwise, everything that is right will be maintained”, he stated.

Asked what she would do if she became a defendant, Maria das Dores Meira responded that she will remain in office.

“Being accused is not being accused. It is an absolutely normal process for someone who is being investigated”, he highlighted.

Among the dossiers that the mayor promises to reevaluate is the city’s parking concession contract to a private company for a period of 40 yearssigned during his previous mandate. André Martins’ executive had requested the termination of the contract due to alleged non-compliance.

“If there is non-compliance by the company, there must be termination. I don’t yet know what the terms of this non-compliance are, but I will take up the process immediately. If there are reasons, the contract will be terminated”, he guaranteed.

With the return of Maria das Dores Meira to the presidency of the Chamber of Setúbal, the municipality enters a new political cycle. The mayor promises “return direction and dynamism” to the city and regain proximity to the population that, he claims, “has been lost in the last four years.”