By The Star Staff
Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón, the apparent governor-elect of Puerto Rico, outlined her work agenda late Tuesday focused on inclusion, respect and economic development, after vote tallies showed her winning the race for La Fortaleza in the general elections.
At a press conference, González Colón thanked the people of Puerto Rico for the trust placed in her and expressed her commitment to be the governor of all Puerto Ricans, regardless of whether they voted for her or not.
“Today begins a new page of respect for all those who think differently, because I am going to be the governor of all Puerto Ricans, of those who voted, of those who did not vote, and of those who did not support me,” she said.
The presumptive governor-elect stressed that her administration will focus on addressing the needs of people with functional diversity, pointing out that in Puerto Rico there are more than 784,000 people who are deaf, have autism, Down syndrome, special conditions, use wheelchairs or canes, or are blind.
“The government will treat all of them with justice, attention, and a sense of urgency,” she said.
González Colón also pledged to improve care for the hundreds of thousands of seniors who live alone on the island.
“The government will move to change public policy to care for the fastest-growing population in Puerto Rico: our elderly,” she said.
In the educational field, she highlighted her origins in public schools and emphasized that any public school student can achieve his or her goals with discipline and effort.
“This victory is not mine, it is a victory of the people of Puerto Rico against those who sought to impose their styles or their visions,” González Colón said, emphasizing her commitment to comply with the approved New Progressive Party government program.
González Colón announced that she will begin working on several key initiatives, including seeking a second operator for LUMA Energy, the private consortium contracted to manage the island’s electric power transmission and distribution system, to resolve the entrenched problems with the grid.
She also plans to promote the construction of new generation plants and their conversion to natural gas.
In the coming days, González Colón will meet with members of the House of Representatives and Senate caucus to select the new legislative leadership and advance the agenda that will begin in January. Among the priorities mentioned are the approval of a new permitting law, the establishment of bilingual schools in Puerto Rico and the review of federal funds for reconstruction projects that are expected to be completed during the coming four-year term.
“The work agenda is there, it is outlined and we are going to give special attention to it,” González Colón said.
She added that she will name the group of people who will make up the transition committee of the incoming government to facilitate the process of change of administration.
The soon-to-be governor-elect emphasized her desire to overcome hate speech and intolerance, promoting an inclusive and respectful government.
“The hate speech is over, the intolerance is over in the government that I want for all Puerto Ricans,” González Colón said. “There will be respect, there will be uplift, there will be inclusion, there will be space for this island to move forward, to develop; our people will not have to move away and they can prosper here.”
González Colón thanked the outgoing governor, Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia, Rep. Jesús Manuel Ortiz, her Popular Democratic Party rival in the governor’s race, and former governor Alejandro García Padilla, as well as many lawmakers for their congratulatory calls.
With emotion, she dedicated her victory to her two children and her family, acknowledging the unconditional support they gave her during the campaign.
“They won’t understand this now, but when years pass they will see everything that was said in this campaign and I want them to know that it was worth it,” she said.
González Colón went on to express her optimism about the future of Puerto Rico.
“For me, a new path begins, a new story, which is not my story, it is the story of the people of Puerto Rico who overcome, who rise, who fight and who achieve what they set out to do,” she said. “Puerto Rico can do anything. We are great. Now we will be even greater.”
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"A New Page" says the logo displayed by the Star, as emblematic of Mrs. González Colón governing plan for PR for the four years. This brings to mind several questions from the ridiculous to the serious ones; think about the pages she had turned since she started her career as NPP politician in 2002, how many of these plans better the living conditions of the same people listed on the article, was there a plan to address issues like LUMA and Genera, was there a sketch of a plan in one of the turned pages to deal with the exodus of Puerto Ricans leaving the country due to economic hardships or perhaps another one to sop the government rampant corruption.