The mayor of Panama City is fired up.
His team, too.
I was welcomed to the mayor’s office last week for a behind-the-curtain look at where this young maverick is leading his city.
“We all keep sneakers at our desks,” his Director Of Tourism told me, “so we’re ready when the mayor says it’s time to hit the streets.”
Mayor Mayer Mizrachi has built himself a wooden desk. He and his team transport it to points around town. The mayor positions himself behind his portable desk and welcomes all comers.
“People travel from all around for the chance to speak with the mayor directly,” Karla said.
Mayor Mayer is all about connecting with his constituents. He wants to hear firsthand what they have to say.
Two years into his five-year term, Mayor Mizrachi’s driving agenda is the next-level evolution of Panama City. He’s committed to expanding his city’s tourist appeal and elevating its position on the world stage.
His efforts are paying off. International arrivals surged by 17.3% in the first quarter of this year. Nearly 1 million visitors made their way to Panama City January through March, generating more than $2 billion for the country’s economy.
Panama City’s enthusiastic mayor thinks grandly but operates locally. Before taking office, to shine a light on residents’ collective frustration with the potholes around town, he filled some with big potted plants.
I avoid politics if I can, but, spending time in the mayor’s office in the company of his likewise young and motivated team, I was inspired.
And I wanted to know more.
I’ve watched the rebirth of Panama City over three decades. Our apartment overlooks Avenida Balboa. When we took up full-time residence in 2008, work on Phase One of the Cinta Costera was under way in earnest. Crews operated 24 hours a day seven days a week.
We’d look out our living room window before going to sleep then pull open the blinds first thing next morning to see what had changed overnight. It was like watching time-lapse photography.
That first stretch of the Cinta Costera was completed on schedule then followed by Phase Two, which extended this coastal roadway and parkland to the city’s historic district, Casco Viejo. Phase Three features a 2.5-kilometer flyover highway that wraps around UNESCO World Heritage site Casco Viejo and connects it to the Amador Causeway.
As a result of this ambitious undertaking, Panama City’s waterfront is unrecognizable today compared with when I first appeared on this scene.
Now the city’s mayor has me wondering… what’s next?
I’ve asked if he’d share his answer to that question as a guest on my new podcast—Living and Investing Overseas with Kathleen Peddicord—premiering in June.
I’ll let you know when the first episode goes live.
Until next time,
Kathleen Peddicord
Founding Publisher, Overseas Opportunity Letter
