União Brasil candidate gave an exclusive interview to the newspaper CORREIO

Candidate for mayor of Camaçari, in the Metropolitan Region of Salvador, councilor Flávio Matos (União Brasil) gave an interview to CORREIO this Tuesday (22). He will contest the second round against former mayor Luiz Caetano (PT) next Sunday (27). The PT member was also invited to give an interview to the newspaper, but he claimed to have a full schedule. The space remains open until this Wednesday (23), at 5pm.

1. Of all your projects, which do you believe is the main one for the future of Camaçari?

I treat all projects like children and each one has its specific theme, which afflicts the population. For example, regarding public transport, we need a new, more complete modal, above all, a mayor who takes good care of public resources to find sources of subsidies for the necessary lines and, thus, make public transport work with quality. We also need to address the health process, the challenges we have in health. We have made progress in some areas, but we also dream of our municipal hospital, which is a great piece of equipment that the people of Camaçari have been talking about for a long time. I talk a lot about generating jobs and income, about a new economic matrix for the city, about strengthening tourism, about a great technological hub so that we can truly attract jobs and income and economic strengthening.

2. What initiatives does your administration intend to adopt to improve the quality of municipal education?

We made progress regarding the school structure, the lunch, we introduced breakfast, we managed to place nutritionists at the school, we have real school meals, with the menu defined on Mondays and with food containing four types of proteins. We have also improved the structure of the kits. We have already improved in these aspects. Now, we need to redefine the models. We have lost our youth because of visibility. We want to seek this visibility within education. We want to expand the provision of full-time teaching and comprehensive education, with activities in finance, entrepreneurship, culture, leisure, sport and arts after school. I want to do this in a progressive way for all schools, so that we form the character of our young people until they are 14/15 years old and that we do not lose them to other paths.

3. What will be done to strengthen tourism infrastructure and promote sustainable development in the sector?

We deliver to the Barra do Pojuca shopping mall. We are in the terminal phase of requalification of Itacimirim. We will deliver Guarajuba in the next few days. Jacuípe underwent intervention. Jauá is already new. So, the infrastructure works have already taken place. Now, we have also reformed our Urban Development Master Plan (PDDU), allowing new investments, in the search to attract new investments, especially those related to tourism. We have 42 km of beautiful beaches, in fact the most beautiful beaches on the North Coast, let the neighboring municipalities forgive me. Tourism is a priority for our government. We will strengthen qualifications, especially tourism alternatives, whether gastronomic, cultural or religious. We are now going, in a good way, to present Camaçari to the world. Camaçari needs to become a major global tourist destination.

4. What measures will be taken to reduce the impacts of climate change and promote environmental sustainability in the city?

We strengthened the PDDU, defined some areas and will take government actions always in search of sustainability. Create a strong environmental sector so that it is not only punitive, but also deliberative about actions that are related to the environment. We will have this strong in our government. For example, my intention is to extinguish fossil fuel contracts, to try to electrify our (public transport) fleet, so that we can, with city hall actions, always aim for this sustainability and show Camaçari, not only with the green IPTU , but with the defense of the environment, with the protection of our dunes, our springs, rivers, reforestation of the banks, in short, a replanting of trees throughout the city. We will pay attention and, above all, point to the new future, always in search of sustainability, with respect for the environment.

5. What are your plans to attract investment and create jobs?

The intention is to bring new hubs, be it a technology hub or a textile hub. We need to look for new alternatives because Camaçari is privileged when it comes to logistics, moving goods and, above all, more privileged when it comes to labor. Camaçari has hard-working, warrior people, capable of producing and this makes investments closer. Other than that, let’s reduce bureaucracy, try to attract investments faster and faster. I already said that I will unify two major departments, Economic Development and Urban Development. It will be a great portfolio for the investor, the businessman (in the city), to create jobs in Camaçari faster and faster. We have already presented the project for our HUB Camaçari, which is a space for technology, innovation and professional qualification.

6. What are your main proposals for improving Camaçari’s public transport system?

We need to find sources of subsidies. We have to have responsible fiscal management, we have to balance public accounts and, above all, look for alternatives to subsidize loss-making lines, those lines that have fewer passengers. We need to talk about the entire modal. Transport remains a challenge, we need to improve it, and it will only improve with a responsible mayor, who knows how to make good use of public resources and who finds a source of subsidy to keep the line active, to keep the system working and, above all, , transporting people who need it most, in the most remote regions, where transport via app, motorcycle taxis, light cars and other modes are not available. Therefore, I am focused on finding sources of subsidies so that transport becomes a reference in our city.

7. How does your management plan to include accessibility policies for people with disabilities?

I’m a physiotherapist. One of my first recommendations was to replace the Portuguese stones for the sidewalks, all regulated by ABNT, with tactile flooring, with accessible ramps. Wheelchair users or people with any mobility difficulties walked on the streets, or ran the risk of falling and breaking their legs. We need to pay more and more attention to this sensitivity and treatment. For example, atypical mothers still suffer. The intention is to be able to register and build a CER IV (Specialized Rehabilitation Center), which is for neurodivergent people, so that we can expand this treatment. May we be able to have playful activities, such as sensory activities, in schools, in all of them, to bring them closer together. May we be able to expand these offers.

Flávio Matos is 44 years old and is a physiotherapist and occupational therapist by training. He was elected councilor of Camaçari in 2016, by DEM (now União Brasil), and re-elected in 2020.

CORREIO requested interviews with candidates for mayor of Camaçari last Thursday (17). Candidate Luiz Caetano was invited, but informed, through his advisor, that the agenda is “completely filled”. The space remains open until 5pm this Wednesday (23).

*With guidance from editor Rodrigo Daniel Silva