Macario Correia has started his new job at the Algarve’s waste company Algar and announces the company goal of ‘zero waste.’
The controversial former Mayor of Faro wants to start an educational programme in the region’s schools and “in collaboration with every family, school and local authority, starting with the schools so that the children can educate their parents."
The Algarve councils are shareholders in Algar and also are its main customers, Correia sees them as having an important role in recycling. In fact the councils own 44% of Algar and many council mayors will be well known to Correia. The remaining 56% of Algar is owned by EGF, Empresa Geral do Fomento SA which, is a subsidiary of the Águas de Portugal Group.
As for his new job, Correia says he was once Secretary of State for the Environment and has link to environmental protection associations as he was a founder of GEOTA (Grupo de Estudos de Ordenamento do Território e Ambiente) and other associations.
'I think I have the personal qualities to perform well in this position," he said, displaying his trademark shyness.
Meanwhile many mayors and former mayors across the country are under government investigation as to their financial behaviour when in office.
Other mayors that have conveniently moved to public service jobs where their erstwhile colleagues have huge influence through council shareholdings or seats on the board are Isabel Soares who left Silves council to become CEO of Águas do Algarve, Desidério Silva who left Albufeira council to head up the Algarve Tourist Board and Macario Correia who left Faro council to head his new job with Algar. It is not known how many candidates there were for each job and whether these posts were advertised.
Correia has replaced José Manuel Perdigao at Algar. Perdiago has moved back to Águas do Algarve but not as Director as that post is taken by Isabel Soares.
In the recent 'jobs for the boys' study that analysed over 11,000 appointments in Portugal’s public administration the conclusion was that that it is still a case of 'jobs for the boys' for the ruling classes with posts being handed out in order to control public administration, and as rewards - but we couldn't possibley comment.
