Introduction to the Issue
At the beginning of Delfina Gómez’s administration in September 2023, Almoloya de Juárez was included in a list of high-priority municipalities in the Mexico State region. The town’s economic or demographic significance did not determine its inclusion; instead, it was the location at the top of the list of 15 most insecure municipios in the country that mattered. After seven quarters, this locality in western Mexico State—home to a maximum-security penitentiary and a state prison—has seen a slight decrease in perceived insecurity. However, other high-priority municipios (Atizapán de Zaragoza, Chimalhuacán, Cuautitlán Izcalli, Ecatepec de Morelos, and Lerma) have not shown improvements. Meanwhile, “emerging municipios,” the next priority category for the ruling party, have experienced “alarming increases” in insecurity.
Insecurity and Infrastructure Concerns
Insecurity is the primary source of public disagreement with the Fourth Transformation governments in Mexico State. Potholes on roads and avenues remain the most reported issue throughout the first seven trimesters of Delfina Gómez’s and Claudia Sheinbaum’s administrations.
The poor results in urban infrastructure, specifically roads and public lighting, have been noted by the central government. The presidential reprimand was based on the National Urban Security Survey, which shows that over 88% of citizens in municipios like Toluca, Ecatepec, and Mexicaltzingo identify potholes as one of the main urban problems. The already precarious infrastructure has further deteriorated in recent months.
Since the start of her administration, Delfina has left road and pothole issues to former Morena deputy Mario Ariel Juárez, who heads the State Roads Board. The board manages an annual budget exceeding 1,000 million pesos through Project Provision of Services schemes, with virtually no results in road maintenance or intermunicipal coordination for secondary road network attention.
Following the presidential reprimand, President Sheinbaum reportedly instructed Governor Gómez to reconsider the management model. Now, municipalities—especially those in eastern Mexico State—can directly receive federal funds to address roads and public lighting. Recently, the president announced that the federal government would provide municipalities with equipment for these tasks.
Federal Intervention in Municipal Roadworks
The federal government will directly intervene in municipal public works, bypassing governor involvement, whether they are morenistas or not. In the first phase, Bacheton’s resources—designed by the Secretariat of Finance and transferred to SICT—were distributed across 16 states. By the end of 2025, 817 kilometers of toll-free roads will be restored.
The Secretariat of Finance recovered 11,000 million pesos, with 55% allocated to the Secretariat of Defense for repairing road segments affected by Tren Maya construction. There is no public information on the use of these resources or progress in the south-southeastern states. No complaints have been filed against military engineers.
