Local party to re-organize

The Popular Democratic Party will have a new organizational structure behind its presumed nominee for governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla.

In announcing the changes, Rep. Jaime Perelló, Chairman of the PDP Special Rules Committee, gave his first profound endorsement of García Padilla as his party’s next gubernatorial candidate.

Among the changes in the new platform are the creation of 12 new regional directorates and the introduction of a women-only vice-presidency.

Other institutions created by Perelló’s proposal are the Auxiliary Theme Secretaries which would concentrate the resources of health, security issues, economic and education in separate organizations.

The Committee also called for the introduction of an Auxiliary Professional Youth Secretary as well as the development of 16 sectoral organizations to include experts in the fields of the environment, agriculture, labor issues, sports, and handicapped persons.

“We started this work more than a year ago with visits to the base of the party. In fact, this new proposal placed the organization structure of the party closer to the base, which included the special communities, among other sectors,” Perello said.

According to the freshman lawmaker, the new organizational model would fundamentally alter the structure of the island’s oldest political institution.

The proposal now has to be approved by the PDP Governmental Board, which seems like a "slam dunk."

After their approval, the platform would need to be ratified by the Program and Rules Assembly.

Once approved, the party would begin its re-organization effort at a General Assembly, which should be convoked no later than May.

“It’s my understanding that by April or March, the majority of the organization of the party should be completed and that includes the selection of the party’s president,” Perelló said.

The PDP lawmaker made no secret who should occupy that post in light of the 2012 elections.

“I believed that Alejandro García Padilla, who has my support, is the person who would be sitting in that position. He has done the work with the base and has been involved in the reorganization effort since the start,” Perelló said.

In an effort to provide continuity in case of a transition, the PDP would make the post of secretary general a permanent one with a term limit of four years.

The party president will nominate the person, who will then have to be confirmed by the governing board.

The Committee’s proposal calls for the nomination to be made no later than two years prior to the electoral process. In order to shield the position from political influences, the person occupying the post can not be a candidate until the second election cycle following his or her separation from the post. Aiding the Secretary will be three regional coordinating offices, that of finance and innovation and new media strategy organizers.

Each new coordinator will report directly to the secretary, who will then pass on the information to the PDP Governing Board for action.

The base of the decisional structure is composed of the party’s serving mayors, municipal committee presidents, the regional youth organization leader, the president of the women’s group, municipal legislators, electoral coordinators, sitting state legislators and the coordinator of public workers.

Both the public workers and the regional youth coordinator are new posts. The proposed organization will have representatives from all 78 island’s municipalities.
Each new municipal coordinator will report to one of 12 regional presidencies, who, in turn, will report to the national president for the organization.

To provide a solid financing foundation, the party is restructuring the financing director office. The plan calls for a complete coordination between each candidate’s campaign finance officer and the party’s financial officer.

The creation of the women-only vice-presidency is another novel concept by the seven-decade old party.

It is believed that Reps. Carmen "Yulín" Cruz and Brenda López de Arrarás are vying for the spot.

Cruz confirmed her aspirations.

“Since 2005 when the Popular Women Organization presented the concept of a party’s vice-presidency to be occupied by a woman, we have supported it. When the proposal is ratified we will be viewing for that position,” Cruz said.

Meanwhile, the PDP’s most thorny issue, — the enhancement of the current commonwealth status — is under discussion.

There’s a veil of secrecy surrounding the meetings of the status Committee, but Cruz, who is part of the group, confirmed that a final report on their discussions should be available by January.

The new definition of enhancement would be centered on the basis of three premises, argued Cruz.

One is that the commonwealth should not be considered a colonial or territorial status, as is currently is. The other is that it maintains a viable political association with the United States and that the U.S. citizenship would be guaranteed for further generations.

“We are in the process of finalizing the details. There’s already a preliminary document ready on the basis of enhancement that included the development of the economy and political powers under the commonwealth,” Cruz said.