WITH 16 years’ experience running Oeiras as Câmara President, Isaltino Morais, standing as an independent candidate in the local council elections, charged to victory last Sunday. When The Resident’s Bob Hughes caught up with him, shortly after the final figures were in, he looked every bit the victor.
Obviously, many of the voters had remembered more of what their former mayor had done for Oeiras, rather than his alleged non declared bank account in Switzerland, which lost him his governmental position as Minister for the Environment and Territories.
Oeiras, coming in a close third to Lisbon and Porto in purchasing power, had been run, since Isaltino’s departure from government, by Teresa Zambujo, who many thought had continued Isaltino’s good work, but, on Sunday, Oeiras citizens voted him back.
The married 55-year-old father of three, back in his old job, faces a worse economic climate, Oeiras’ future development will be closely monitored by his opposition.
With Isaltino’s past history of attracting companies to Oeiras, his slogan ‘Oeiras in Front’ may be hard for others to follow as he goes forward in search of new projects and goals in the areas of economic and social balance.
