Vila do Bispo Council has confirmed that deputy mayor Rute Silva has taken over from Adelino Soares as the new mayor of Vila do Bispo in a surprise announcement this afternoon that saw Silva criticise her predecessor for failing to give any notice or prepare his colleagues for his departure in any way.
Adelino Soares has left his role to take up the position of executive member of the administration board at Algar, the region’s waste management company, the council added.
Rute Silva said it was a “great honour” to step into the role of mayor and stressed how she has become the first woman to serve as mayor in Vila do Bispo.
“I feel added responsibility and defend the priceless values of equality and humanity,” said Silva.
New deputy mayor is Armindo Vicente.
While wishing Soares well, the new mayor criticised the way he decided to step down.
“I cannot refrain from manifesting my surprise and deep displeasure over the way he stepped down, with no notice or any kind of ‘passing of the torch’ (read documentation!) for his deputy mayor and councillors, a situation which I believe is very serious,” she said.
As Rute Silva is well-aware, local elections are just around the corner and “there is not much time left to make a mark”.
“In the months we have left until the end of our mandate, I aim to continue the many projects that are underway, correct some of the problems we have identified, unlock pending situations and contribute to the constant improvement of services provided by the council to its population,” the new mayor said.
Adelino Soares had been mayor of Vila do Bispo since 2009, having been re-elected in 2013 and 2017. Having reached the maximum number of mandates allowed in one borough, he was ineligible to run again in this year’s local elections.
Meanwhile, Rute Silva is due to run as the Socialist Party’s (PS) candidate in the upcoming local elections.
