Abel Martínez and Santiago

How do you rate Abel Martinez as mayor of Santiago?

  • Excellent!

    Votes: 13 56.5%
  • Good

    Votes: 7 30.4%
  • OK

    Votes: 2 8.7%
  • Bad

    Votes: 1 4.3%
  • Horrible

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    23

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
PLEASE, VOTERS IN THE POLL ABOVE SHOULD EITHER LIVE IN SANTIAGO OR VISITED SANTIAGO AFTER ABEL MARTINEZ BECAME MAYOR. EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD ABSTAIN FROM VOTING UNTIL YOU VISIT THE CITY.

A few months ago Abel Martínez became the new major of Santiago de los Caballeros.

As is the case with politicians, he made many promises during his electoral campaign and people put faith in what he promised.

Now, less than a year, many people have good things to say about his way of ruling in Santiago. The biggest change that most people are noticing is how markedly cleaner the city looks and feels.

What's the verdict among DR1ers? Is Abel Martínez the best thing to happen to Santiago?

There's no question he's a much better mayor than the previous one, but is he positioning himself as among the best ever in Santiago?
 

CristoRey

Welcome To Wonderland
Apr 1, 2014
11,716
7,977
113
Been living here in Santiago since June 2015.
Abel Martinez is doing a good job. He has repaved
streets, repaired or replaced broken street lights and
has the city workers cleaning public areas 24/ 7.
Plus he has the police doing well-needed stop and frisk throughout
my neighborhood and its taking guns off the streets.

This guy is A+++ for the city of Santiago.
 

Juan Bosch

Active member
Dec 8, 2015
441
119
43
Who knows he may get a knock at his door and be arrested....he is part of that PLD clique that the Odebrecht scandal will help bring down....
 

Gurabo444

Member
Nov 1, 2009
428
0
16
I honestly hope he's not involved since what he's doing in Santiago is unbelievable. I I've never seen a local government improve a city this much is such a short amount of time (In fact, not even in 4-6 years), and perhaps is because I am relatively young though even older people have pointed out how they've never seen a Santago so clean and organized.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
What a difference a good mayor makes!

The streets are well marked, clean, and everything looks neat. The camera doesn't shake much from potholes because they have been reduced to a minimum. The tunnels and elevados look very neat, as if they were built yesterday!

Nice!

Wish every Dominican city and town looked like this all the time.

[video=youtube;qHZ3LzSmlw8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHZ3LzSmlw8[/video]

Video is thanks to Gurabo444.

Btw, once you start the video on the lower right there's a round symbol. If you click on that, it will give you the option to upgrade (free) the quality of the video to HD. I highly recommend this to get the best video experience.
 
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NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
Santiago's City Hall is making public its intention to enforce the anti-litter laws with severe fines and even prison. This warning is intented for individuals and companies.

DDpMWATVwAA8xY_.jpg
 

JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
Jan 7, 2016
11,697
8,129
113
Santiago's City Hall is making public its intention to enforce the anti-litter laws with severe fines and even prison. This warning is intented for individuals and companies.

DDpMWATVwAA8xY_.jpg

It's a start.
 

USA DOC

Bronze
Feb 20, 2016
3,162
757
113
....Has anybody else seen the police(pn) in Santiago patroling the neighborhoods alot?.....you know driving slow and looking around, with their lights flashing, they seem to also have new trucks... also military guys doing the same on motorcycles......Doc.......
 

Kip

New member
Aug 21, 2015
66
0
0
51
Yep. I see them throughout Los Alamos and Monte Verde a lot recently at all hours.

Sent from my SM-G610M using Tapatalk
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
HB? Why the dickins did you vote "bad? You know that the streets are clearner; that work has been carried out to collect garbage more efficiently, and"that the Police really are patrolling more areas. At least according to them, crime is down.

Okay, Little Dove, I will explain my negative vote. In the first place, I did not vote "horrible" because of the above-mentioned good things he is doing. In fact, he is working to bring awareness of the need to clean up the city. All to the good.

HOWEVER, my child, he is also spending RD$70 millions on a major boondoggle project in the median of the Duarte Highway entrance to Santiago/Monumental Avenue. From in front of the Fortaleza Fernando Valerio (Just past the HOMS clinic) all the way to the bridge before La Sirena of El Embrujo, they are building walking paths. Yess Little Dove, walking paths in the middle of a four lane highway filled with axxhole driver who give a big sh!t for human life. Questions from persons with some common sense abound.

1. How to get to the walking paths?

2. Will there be fencing along the entire way to avoid frisky children from running into traffic that is streaming along at 40 or 50 mph??

3. Will they build pedestrian crossings? You know, those metallic and concrete monstrosities that force you to go up three stories to get across a street?

4. Did anyone really think about this project? After all, you could "Make Santiago Beautiful" with some intelligent (oh sh!t, I am sorry, I forgot we are talking about politicians) planning of gardens....and a whole lot cheaper.

So there, Morning Dove, that is why I gave this kid, who studied with my daughter in law, so I know the fellow, I know who he is and where he came from....and what his grades were (!)...a vote of "bad"

Cordially,

An incensed HB
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
About 3 weeks ago the Bulevar de Las Tres Cruces was reinaugurated by Abel Martínez. I think that space was never touched by anyone since it was built back in the 1960s or 1970s.

[video=youtube;AlQVpB6rZyQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlQVpB6rZyQ[/video]
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
2 weeks ago the Parque Lineal 14 de Junio was also reinaugurated. Looks nice.

[video=youtube;sj7UwPDGx_0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj7UwPDGx_0[/video]
 

Juan Bosch

Active member
Dec 8, 2015
441
119
43
High five to the contrarian......sometimes much needed especially when the cheer leading is frankly over the top...
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
Santiago's City Hall reminds everyone of the 2016 ordinance that prohibits illegal immigrants from owning and operating informal businesses in the city.

 
IMG_1308.jpg
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
936
113
2 weeks ago the Parque Lineal 14 de Junio was also reinaugurated. Looks nice.

[video=youtube;sj7UwPDGx_0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj7UwPDGx_0[/video]
Nice!

Santiago continues to make an amazing transformation!
 

SKing

Silver
Nov 22, 2007
3,750
183
63
Our Santiago is beautiful. Abel is also enforcing respect for the city by everyone. Since I bought my house and became a very active part of my Junta de Vecinos I have seen the changes that he has made and continues to make. In an effort to help my community and in knowing how things are "run" in DR....I have placed myself in the path of many in the Ayuntamiento and the Policía Nacional. They are doing an outstanding job. The policia on motores are rounding our neighborhood frequently and the assaults that we were having a problem with stopped. There is a park in my neighborhood that had been abandoned for over 10 years, overgrown with shrubbery and trees and grass....after 1 call and a couple of text messages they came and cut all of the grass and trimmed the trees in our very LARGE park. Now in the mornings and evenings there are many walkers and runners out enjoying it. They also came and put in all of the street lights at our entrada where we were having problems with petty robberies (I did have to buy the bulbs lol) but the point is that they came and did it. I have never seen Santiago so clean and organized and being respected in a way that it should.
He has also gotten rid of all of the unhygienic food stands and those businesses running from the sidewalks making pedestrians have to walk in the street. I am proud of Abel and proud of Santiago.
#EsTiempoDeVivirEnOrden
 

Eyes

Member
Apr 30, 2012
44
0
16
Been living in santiago for years Abel is making efforts to solve problems, that's what he was elected for to eradicate garbage on so many street corners, and a police presence that can try to ease opportunist crimes in such a beautiful city with so much potential to thrive. Good on him the world over people are sick of slick talking politicians promising the world and delivering nothing! Actions speak louder than words if you live in santiago you will know he's trying.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
Our Santiago is beautiful. Abel is also enforcing respect for the city by everyone. Since I bought my house and became a very active part of my Junta de Vecinos I have seen the changes that he has made and continues to make. In an effort to help my community and in knowing how things are "run" in DR....I have placed myself in the path of many in the Ayuntamiento and the Policía Nacional. They are doing an outstanding job. The policia on motores are rounding our neighborhood frequently and the assaults that we were having a problem with stopped. There is a park in my neighborhood that had been abandoned for over 10 years, overgrown with shrubbery and trees and grass....after 1 call and a couple of text messages they came and cut all of the grass and trimmed the trees in our very LARGE park. Now in the mornings and evenings there are many walkers and runners out enjoying it. They also came and put in all of the street lights at our entrada where we were having problems with petty robberies (I did have to buy the bulbs lol) but the point is that they came and did it. I have never seen Santiago so clean and organized and being respected in a way that it should.
He has also gotten rid of all of the unhygienic food stands and those businesses running from the sidewalks making pedestrians have to walk in the street. I am proud of Abel and proud of Santiago.
#EsTiempoDeVivirEnOrden


That's what the DR needs. People that make the country much more pleasant with both, their beauty and their actions! 

Shalena should be given Dominican nationality on the spot. 
 

SKing

Silver
Nov 22, 2007
3,750
183
63
That's what the DR needs. People that make the country much more pleasant with both, their beauty and their actions! 

Shalena should be given Dominican nationality on the spot. 
 

Thanks NALs. That's sweet. I love my adopted country and especially my city and therefore I will do what is needed. I have reanimated our Junta de Vecinos, which was dead and in name only existed. I walked my neighborhood of almost 300 house introducing myself and handing out flyers for the neighborhood Facebook page and Instagram that I created (with permission from the Presidenta de la Junta). I had a logo made for our neighborhood and we are entertaining cortizaciónes for a new sign at our entrance.

My biggest thing is that Abel is one person and if you knew the amount of projects that the Ayuntamiento is dealing with then you would know that everyone should do their part. For example, now that Abel has cleaned up our park, it is our duty to maintain it. I am trying to build a sense of community in my neighborhood and it's working slowly but surely. 

I've heard a lot about Abel being a thug, but he has done an amazing transformation in this city since he became alcalde. There is more to be done and there is to be an education given to the people who are used to filthiness and chaos, but it's a start.

SHALENA