It was during last year’s transit strike that Cesar Bello realized he had to run for mayor. The apathy from citizens in the face of city council’s bungling drove him to it, he said.
A PhD in social anthropology, Bello paints himself as the populist candidate.
If he is elected, he said he would use the mayor’s office to reach out to the people.
It is a long shot for Bello to get elected. He is currently lumped in with a group of candidates who don’t even appear on most opinion polls.
He dismisses those polls. Almost half of eligible voters didn’t take part in the last election. It’s those people Bello hopes to reach.
“The most important thing for me is to speak from the heart,” he said.
Bello said he wants to focus on providing better public services that are more affordable for the average citizen. Transit fares, he said, are too high.
