By The Star Staff
Sen. Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz, the minority leader for the Popular Democratic Party in the upper chamber, on Thursday disputed public remarks by La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Francisco Domenech that the government is doing well, arguing that 40% of key positions have yet to be appointed.
“There is no way to deceive the citizens by claiming that the government of Jenniffer González is doing well,” Hernández Ortiz said. “The reality is that 40% of key positions remain unappointed. Everyone knows that when there is no leadership in a government agency, instability and delays in decision-making prevail.”
The first-term senator specifically noted that more than a month after her swearing-in, Gov. González Colón still has not appointed heads for crucial agencies, such as the Planning Board and the Permit Management Office.
“These two agencies significantly influence permit procedures,” he said. “The governor claims this is one of her priorities. Thank goodness.”
Hernández Ortiz, the former president of the Puerto Rico Mayors Association, added that the “issue of security is in limbo, as the designated secretary of the Department of Public Safety, a military officer, will not begin his position full-time until April, when he completes his prior commitments in Kosovo, which is 5,257 miles away from Puerto Rico.”
Additionally, it remains unclear who will lead the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority.
“This is particularly serious, as this public corporation receives the second-largest allocation of available federal funds,” the former mayor of Villalba said. “It is the agency that wastes 60% of the water it produces. What is the government’s plan to address that?”
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