Jose Blandon has only been in office for a little over a month, but the mayor of Panama’s capital city has already found common ground with his counterpart in Atlanta.
When Mayor Kasim Reed traveled to the Central American nation in July for the inauguration of new President Juan Carlos Varela, the two mayors had a chance to talk shop.
The conversation with Mr. Reed, who has taken to vocally touting the ascendance of cities on the national stage, inspired the newly elected leader of the city that one-third of 3.5 million Panamanians call home.
Simply known as “Panama” within the country, Mr. Blandon’s city is often left out of what most cities see as standard municipal functions. In Panama, property taxes, transportation and some public safety functions are handled at the national level.
He wants to change that, not by completely decoupling from the national government, but simply by getting the city a seat at the table.
“We have a very good working relationship with the national government; the president and I are from the same party. But one of my commitments is to empower the mayor’s office, because Panama is a very centralized country.,” he said. “Some of the tasks that mayors do all over the world, here in Panama they don’t do them.”
One project under way is an effort to create a separate metropolitan transportation authority, an idea Mr. Blandon said that Mr. Varela brought back from a visit to Atlanta two years ago.
Panama earlier this year launched Line 1 of a metro system that the government hopes to expand in the coming years. While some praise Central America’s first subway, others question why it carried a $2 billion price tag.
Infrastructure development was the hallmark of former President Ricardo Martinelly’s five-year term. The pro-business supermarket magnate left office having built the Cinta Costera (a coastal expressway interwoven with green space), expanded the airport and opened new traffic tunnels. Many have accused him, however, of cronyism in granting concessions for the projects.
Mr. Varela, the new president, served as vice president under Mr. Martinelly until switching parties before the elections this year. He has made transparency one of his top priorities and recently installed a new head at the Tocumen International Airport.
Mr. Blandon hopes the city will get a say at the airport. Already, he said, strides are being made to decentralize property taxes, which are now a national responsibility.
Top Priority
But the mayor’s top priority has little to do with infrastructure or the bolstering the theoretical role of the city within the small country. During 100 town hall meetings during his campaign, citizens gave the former activist his marching orders: improve security.
“The statistics show that our economy has grown significantly, but by the same token, property crimes and violent crimes are growing as well,” he said.
Atlanta’s Mr. Reed credits his reform of the city’s pension program early in his first term with freeing up budget to higher more police officers and deploy new technologies, bringing crime down to historic lows. He also reopened shuttered recreational centers around the city.
Similarly, Mr. Blandon will use sports and cultural programs to keep kids off the streets. Some locals say Chorillo, a rough neighborhood once frequented by drug traders, has already improved significantly thanks to new public parks. A pilot community-policing program by the national police has worked well, and the city’s forces work well with the higher authority, he said.
To fill other gaps, though, Mr. Blandon is to focus on technology more than manpower, deploying video surveillance around the city.
His example in this regard is the Colombian city of Medellin, which until a few years ago was racked by drug traffickers but has cleaned up its act over the last 15 years.
“We want to bring here some of the best practices they’ve applied in Medellin, because it’s a very close experience to ours,” Mr. Blandon said.
Partnerships Between Hubs
Along with Medellin, Mr. Blandon sees openness to the world as key for Panama City in its quest to build a modern, well-managed metropolis.
Sister-city alliances will be forged and collaboration on urban planning issues welcomed, he said.
“We are a hub. We have one of the major airports of the area here in Panama, the region’s major ports, the Panama Canal, the banking system,” he said. “We are a country open to the world, and one-third of the population lives in the city, so for us the international aspect is very important.”
Atlanta could be a natural partner. If Mr. Reed is to see Atlanta become the logistics hub of the hemisphere, he will need to learn from and work with the Panama Canal. And if Panama is aiming to build up its air hub, there’s no larger partner than Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The Georgia Institute of Technology already operates a logistics campus in Panama, but university leaders plan to expand the relationship by focusing on issues like urban planning and civil engineering, disciplines where the university’s strengths and Panama’s aspirations intersect.
At least in Mr. Blandon’s eyes, Atlanta won’t be hindered by Panama’s ties with Miami, its rival for the affections of many other Latin American cities.
While strong ties exist between the cities, Panama is also competing with Miami.
“We are hoping to bring to Panama most of the investment that is in Miami,” Mr. Blandon said. “Because of the immigration restrictions, Panama has gained a lot in the last years.”
He added something that would be music to the ears of Atlanta leaders who have trying to position the Georgia capital better in Latin America.
“Immigration is better in Atlanta than Miami. I don’t want to go through Miami; it’s very complicated.”
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