Monday, July 14, 2008

Meeting with El Gobernador!


Governor of the state of Nayarit, Ney Gonzalez

This morning, the officers of the Amigos de Bucerias had the pleasure of meeting with the governor of our state, Ney Gonzalez . Following a general meeting of our group a few months ago (in which many questions were asked regarding future development in our area), we requested a meeting with the governor. A few days ago, the American Consular Officer for Vallarta, Kelly Trainor, called and said we were "on" for this morning.

Meeting with Governor Gonzalez was pretty much like meeting with Governor Kulongoski in Oregon (or any other governor, for that matter, I'm sure). Except, of course, Governor Kulongoski speaks Ingles, would likely not have invited us to his family's vacation home in Nuevo Vallarta (three miles from us), and would not have given us almost two hours of his time.

I was very impressed with the level of knowledge Gov. Gonzalez has regarding the details of the plans being made for our state, and especially the coastal area that runs from the state border north to Rincon de Guayabitos (including Bucerias) - an area that has recently been christened Riviera Nayarit. An impressive amount of state and federal money has been pledged for development of this area.

Our immediate area has been targeted for a number of new health care facilities, including a new 30-bed hospital, outpatient clinics for mental health, alcohol and drug addiction and HIV. Outreach and prevention programs are also planned, along with a cardiac and diabetes center.

Most reassuring to us, was that Bucerias is slated to remain a puebla tipica, or typical small Mexican village. Plans do include an expansion of our town plaza and construction of a malecon, or boardwalk, along the ocean front downtown.

Ney Gonzalez is a charming, well-educated and amiable man, with a good sense of humor. It was a privilege to meet with him, and a bit reminiscent of my working days.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Love to be able to contact you for info on moving! You seem to have handled it so well. We are curious about health care being Canadians. No fees now so not sure what to expect . If you have a moment it would be great to get in touch. pansy@shaw.ca