When I hear Aquiles Alvarez, I immediately think of Guayaquil, because the career of your grandfather, especially at the head of Barcelona, ​​of which you were also the leader, certainly places an important responsibility on whoever carries that name on the streets of this city.

Your arrival at the Olmedo Chair was not based on political calculations. However, the mistakes in the management and campaign of the now former mayor, and your good image, well used by a simple but effective digital campaign that managed to position you as a leader of change, accompanied by the weight of new generations in the electoral roll, have set you up as the protagonist of Guayaquil’s history.

You have been the mayor of Guayaquil since last Sunday; successor to Olmeda, Villamil, Roca, Carbo, Urbina Jado, Baquerizo Moreno, Arroyo del Río, Izquieta Pérez, Tamayo, Estrada, Mendoza Avilés, Don Buca, Plaza Dañín, Febres -Lamb and Nebot.

You are not just any mayor (with all the respect that other cities in the country deserve); You are the representative of what was the independent state of Guayaquil, the first free territory of Spain, that of the act of October 9, 1820; the one who, with his military and economic support, made it possible for Pichincha and for Ecuador to exist today.

The city that was saved from the dump in 1992 and raised to what you receive today.

You are the voice of the first and last bastion of democracy in the country, which survived the earthquakes and only bows before God.

Today – after the Presidency of the Republic – you hold the most important and most powerful publicly elected position in the country.

The challenge before you is great, dear Achilles. From this column, we wish you success, good wind and good sea.

Therefore, your executions will have an impact not only in Guayaquil, but throughout the national territory.

Having said this, I must warn you that Guayaquil is a kind of “City of Fury”, to paraphrase the immortal Gustavo Cerati.

The lofty honor of mayor of Guayaquil comes with a unique degree of complexity in the country, as governing Guayaquil is far from easy.

First of all, as the days go by, you will realize that from the elite to the most ordinary citizens, almost everyone has a bad habit of wanting to do what they want. It is probably in the indomitable spirit of us who were born in this warm terroir; For this reason, whoever wants to take over as mayor of Guayaquil must show a strong hand.

Second, Guayaquil is almost a state, since in addition to the traditional powers of the municipality, it is in charge of the civil registry, transit and public transport, and the airport, in addition to resolutely cooperating in the powers of the central government, such as health, education and security. Therefore, you should surround yourself not only with trustworthy people, but above all with experienced people with technical knowledge in every discipline.

The challenge before you is great, dear Achilles. From this column, we wish you success, good wind and good sea.

Long live Guayaquil! (OR)