The changes in the Coin Chamber

Analysis.

At the end of last year, Carlos Moedas reorganized his part of the municipal executive, making an important change that, due to the Christmas festivities, may have gone unnoticed: Ângelo Pereira, who used to have almost half the City Council in his portfolio, being a true "super-councillor", has lost some of these portfolios. Among them is Mobility.

In the corridors one could hear that Angelo did not have time for so many responsibilities and Mobility needs time. Alongside Housing, is one of the great structuring themes of today's cities, not only of Lisbon. It is common knowledge that cities will undergo one of the greatest transformations ever: the transition from a car-centric paradigm to a people-centric urban development model, with fewer cars, more public transportation, more public pedestrian space, more bicycles.

This transition will be a huge challenge also politically and needs a clear leadership, someone with time and who is not overloaded with other portfolios. Mobility is not just another portfolio - and, just as in the City Council there is a councilwoman almost exclusively dedicated to Housing issues, there has to be the same for Mobility. Moedas was right to lighten the load of Ângelo Pereira (PSD) and to pass Mobility to the Vice President, Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS).

Anacoreta Correia adds Mobility to the other major portfolio that had already been delegated to him: Finance. The vice-president is also responsible for Human Resources, for the general coordination of the City Council's activities, for the relationship with the Municipal Assembly, for the great event World Youth Day 2023 and, of course, for the supervision of EMEL and Carris, the two municipal companies in the area of Mobility.

Ângelo Pereira keeps the Green Structure, Urban Hygiene, Civil Protection and Sports. Pedestrian Accessibility is still his competence, despite the change of the Mobility portfolio. In total, Angelo is left with 12 portfolios - he had 18.

There was further amendments in the Currency executive: Education went from Diogo Moura (CDS), who is in charge of Culture and Economy, to newcomer Sofia Athayde (CDS), responsible for Human and Social Rights, and Joana Almeida (Indep.) took on the Information Systems portfolio, which includes, for example, the Lisbon Intelligent Management Platform (PGIL). Only Filipa Roseta (PSD) was left without new portfolios, keeping Housing and Municipal Works.

Carlos Moedas justified in the dispatch where he formalizes the redistribution of portfolios with the entry of Sofia Athayde in the executive, after the exit of Laurinda Alves, and with more than one year of mandate. You can see the document in detail below.

As to whether the Mobility strategy will change with Filipe Anacoreta Correia or whether it will simply be clarified, it is not yet known because the position is new, but the discourse of Moedas' executive has been around finding a balance between the different modes, planning a smooth and participated transition between the current paradigm and the one of the future. Anacoreta Correia will "developing mobility policy" of the city, "ensure the development of the Municipal Road Safety Plan", do the "urban road network planning" and the "transport, traffic and parking networks", "develop and implement the Cycling Network Plan" and yet "prepare the municipal strategy for the implementation of policies in the field of increasing bicycle use"among other functions described in the Coins ordinance.

Filipe Anacoreta Correia succeeds Ângelo Pereira as Councilman for Mobility in this executive. The two were preceded by socialists Miguel Gaspar (2017-2021) and Manuel Salgado (2013-2017) and independent Fernando Nunes da Silva (2009-2013), elected by the movement Citizens For Lisbon on the PS list.

There have been more changes in the municipal executive recently. The definitive departure of João Paulo Saraiva (PS) and the resignation of Miguel Gaspar (PS) weakened the socialist opposition, now led by Inês Drummondwith Pedro Anastácio, Cátia Rosas and also the independent Rodrigo Lino Gasparelected from the PS list. Floresbela Pinto, of the Citizens for Lisbon movement, was also elected to the PS list - a new face in the opposition that joins Paula Marquesalso independent, from Citizens For Lisbon.

All in all, the opposition to Moedas has four socialist councilmen from the PS (one of whom is independent), two councilmen from the PCP (João Ferreira e Ana Jara), a BE councilwoman (Beatriz Gomes Dias) and a councilman from the Free (Rui Tavares). O Citizens For Lisbon now has two voices.

These are new times in Lisbon's City Government; and time will serve to evaluate the changes and the new protagonists.

Updated at 9:14 AM on 17/01/2023: made some corrections.