Mario Alberto Peniche Cárdenas: Municipal President of Valladolid

Every once in a while, the world produces a superior human being. Eastern Yucatan seems to produce more than its share of not only superior - but magical - human beings. In this state, there is a municipal president who has loved and served his municipality from childhood. It seems simply to be his nature. This past year, I worked on a documentary about Felipe Carrillo Puerto, another magical human being with roots in Eastern Yucatan and, the more I read about this man, the more similarities I find between the two public servants.

During Hurricane Dean, there were almost 700 people in shelters in Valladolid. The municipal president visited the largest shelter first and made certain they all had everything they needed to be comfortable. In another shelter, there were 230 foreign tourists, brought there from Quintana Roo. He also visited that shelter and saw to it that the tourists were given updates in English so they would know what was happening, as well as how and when they would be able to get home. When these two large shelters were secure, the municipal president made the rounds of the smaller shelters, making certain that all of the people had food, water, and medicine. But he is an humble man and gives credit where credit has been earned, especially to the Mexican Army, to the City Council of Valladolid, to the local Boy Scouts, to Jurisdiction Number 2 of the Secretary of Health, to the Department of Civil Protection, and to the Secretary of Security and Roads, along with many other organizations and institutions. Yet, it is obvious that things ran smoothly because they were under the control of an individual whose sole purpose was the safety and security of everyone in his municipality.

When Hurricane Dean was over, there were 1,500 food pantries ready and waiting to take to homes with marginal incomes that had sustained damage during the storm. This man could have sent any number of municipal workers to do the job of delivering the food pantries. Instead, as has always been his way, he picked up the list, went to his truck, and began his rounds. Every food pantry went from his hand to the hand of the person for whom it was intended - in their own home. You see, he believes it is his place, as an elected official, to serve the people who elected him. In reality, he has no need to explain himself. The people of his municipality do that for him. They say: "He is a man of simplicity and we are content when we see him coming."

Lest you think that this must be some elderly man - a moral and political relic left over from a bygone era, you need to know that this municipal president was born in 1967. He is only 40 years old, a young man with a wife and children to care for. He has been successful in his career and has no need to suffer in the rough and tumble of politics if he does not want to. Yet, he keeps coming back - and has taken one job after the other, all of his life, that serves the best interests of the place where he was born and the people of that place.

And does this young man now have the resources available to take him on a meteoric rise to the top of Mexican politics? We suspect so. After all, his municipality is the gateway to one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. His name is Mario Alberto Peniche Cárdenas, and he is the Municipal President of Valladolid. His wife, Maria Teresa Moisés de Peniche, is President of the Municipal DIF and is active in providing opportunities that go beyond the norm for all age groups, including organizing a very active community group for the elderly in their municipality. While the rest of the world is touring Chichen Itza, Maria Teresa Moisés de Peniche is making certain that the quality of life for Valladolid's elderly is constantly improving, including providing them with extra food pantries. She even works with the Rotary Club to see to it that those who need wheelchairs, but cannot afford them, have their mobility needs met. Her inspiration and mentor is Malena Sosa Bojórquez, Director of our own DIF in Merida.

I am a foreigner, an extranjero, in Yucatan, so I am not familiar with all of the ins and outs of Mexican politics. I do not even know to which political party this man and his wife belong, nor is it important that I should know. What I do know is that this is an example of local politics as it should be anywhere in the world. I am old enough to remember local American politicians who were as conscientious about caring for their constituency as this man is, but I cannot remember how long ago that ended in the U.S. Perhaps this man seems magical to me because it has been so long since I have actually seen a politician who cares about his people. Perhaps, for Yucatan, Mario Alberto Peniche Cárdenas is just a normal person. When people ask me why I moved to this specific place, this is the sort of thing I try to tell them. But, I guess you would have to live here to understand it.