Mayor of Pichilemu

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The Mayor of Pichilemu is an elected politician who is the head of the executive branch of government of the commune of Pichilemu, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region, Chile. The mayor presides over the local city council, composed of six members, and serves as the civic representative of the commune. The mayor is popularly elected in a municipal election, by simple majority. The office is held for a four-year term without term limits.

StyleNo courtesy, title or style
AppointerElectorate of the commune of Pichilemu
Term lengthFour years[1]
Inaugural holderJosé María Caro Martínez
6 May 1894[2]
Quick facts of Pichilemu, Style ...
Mayor of Pichilemu
Coat of arms
Roberto Córdova, current incumbent
Incumbent
Roberto Córdova Carreño
since 6 December 2024
StyleNo courtesy, title or style
AppointerElectorate of the commune of Pichilemu
Term lengthFour years[1]
Inaugural holderJosé María Caro Martínez
6 May 1894[2]
SuccessionEvery 6 December
SalaryCLP3,304,089 (USD7,054)[3]
(as of February 2013)
Websitepichilemu.cl
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Forty different individuals, including acting mayors, have held the office of mayor since the commune of Pichilemu was created in December 1891. José María Caro Martínez, elected in 1894, was the inaugural mayor of the commune, and served for almost four consecutive terms, interrupted by his resignation in 1905. The current mayor is independent Roberto Córdova Carreño, formerly a Socialist, who was elected in October 2024 and took office on that 6 December.

Some mayors are particularly notable, for example: Conservative José María Caro Martínez (1830–1916), father of José María Caro Rodríguez, the first Chilean Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church;[4][5] Radical Carlos Rojas Pavez, the founder of Pichilemu, a newspaper which counted with collaborations of local journalist and historian José Arraño Acevedo and municipal worker Miguel Larravide Blanco;[6] and Christian Democrat Jorge Vargas González (b. 1967), a politician who was forced out of office in two different times, under charges of bribery.[7]

Background, organisation, and elections

On 22 December 1891, President Jorge Montt and his Minister of the Interior Manuel Irarrázabal Larraín promulgated the Autonomous Commune Law (Ley de Comuna Autónoma), creating 195 communes, including that of Pichilemu. At the time, the territory of Pichilemu comprised the former subdelegations of Cáhuil, Peñablanca, and Cocauquén. Three years later, on 6 May 1894, Pichileminians formed the first local government. José María Caro Martínez was elected the first mayor of the commune on that day.[8]

Organisationally, the commune of Pichilemu has a mayor–council form of government.[9] This provides for a commune-wide elected mayor serving in an executive role, as well as a city council serving in a legislative role.[10] The mayor, as the highest authority of the commune of Pichilemu, has the responsibility to direct, manage and supervise the work of the municipality, and legally represents the commune. The mayor is also responsible for administrating the commune's financial resources, and municipal and national goods of public use, presides the local city council, and has the power to delegate his work to other functionaries of the local government, which he may appoint. Additionally, the mayor may give a public account of his gesture to the city council every year, usually in April; an extract of his account may be published to the community.[11] If the mayor dies in office, resigns, or is unable to carry out his/her duties, a councilor may be elected by the city council to replace the former mayor. In the meantime, the municipal secretary may take office as acting mayor. This has happened several times in Pichilemu: following the resignation of René Maturana Maldonado in April 1992, municipal secretary Gustavo Parraguez Galarce took over his office since, at the time, there were no councilors; in November 1998, mayor Jorge Vargas González was convicted of illegally giving a driver's license,[12] and the city council chose councilor Carlos Leyton Labarca until Vargas González resumed his duties in November 1999.

A red two-story building
The former Pichilemu City Hall, demolished in 2011–12

Municipal elections, during which mayors are elected, take place every four years; they take place one year before presidential elections (since 2008) in the last Sunday of October. A notable exception was the 2021 municipal election, as it was postponed from October 2020 to April 2021, and then to May 2021, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the 2016-2020 term was extended until 28 June 2021, while the 2020-2024 term was shortened by nearly seven months. Candidates must comply a number of requisites in order to run for mayor of Pichilemu; those include: to have completed secondary education (Enseñanza Media), to be a citizen, literate, to have resided in the Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region for at least two years before the election, and to have their military status regularized.[11] The mayor is usually sworn in on 6 December following the election. The next election for the mayor will be in 2024. Municipal elections originally elected three mayors, called primer, segundo, and tercer alcalde, and a number of regidores. For example, the results of the first elections in Pichilemu, for the term between 1894 and 1897, showed José María Caro Martínez, Pedro Nolasco de Mira, and Francisco Reyes elected as the first primer, segundo, and tercer alcalde of Pichilemu, respectively.[13] The role of the primer alcalde equals that of the current mayor of Pichilemu. However, voting was not popular: only taxpayers and landowners could vote. According to the Decree #5655 of 4 December 1945, regidores were popularly elected, and they had the faculty to vote for the mayor that would rule for the local government three-year term.[14] The 1973 Chilean coup d'état interrupted Washington Saldías Fuentealba's mayoral term, hence terminating possibilities of new elections. The military regime of Augusto Pinochet appointed seven mayors, who held the office in a period of nineteen years. Following the Chilean transition to democracy, the D'Hondt method of proportional representation was used in the municipal elections of 1992, 1996, and 2000: all candidates run in a single list, the most voted candidate becomes the mayor and other five/six become councilors, according to the aforementioned method. For the municipal elections beginning in 2004, candidates for mayor and councilor run in separate lists, and mayors are elected by simple majority of votes.[15]

Mayors

To date, forty-two different individuals have served as mayor of the commune of Pichilemu. There have been 44 mayoralties, excluding those of acting mayors. Francisco Javier Asalgado, Sergio Morales Retamal, and Carlos Echazarreta Iñiguez have served two non-consecutive terms, while Felipe Iturriaga Esquivel served for three. Roberto Córdova Carreño served three consecutive terms, then another non-consecutive term. Córdova has also served the longest term, between December 2008 and June 2021, over twelve years; and then again, since December 2024. Before Córdova, the longest term was that of José María Caro Martínez, who served eleven years until his resignation one year before his fourth term expired. The shortest term was that of Gustavo Parraguez Galarce, an acting mayor who served only six days between 6 December and 12 December 2008, before the city council elected Roberto Córdova Carreño as the successor of Marcelo Cabrera Martínez, who was under trial at the time.[16] Excluding Parraguez Galarce, the shortest term of a mayor of Pichilemu was that of Osvaldo Sotomayor Ilabaca, which lasted a span of nine days, between 25 February and 6 March 1935. Only one mayor has died in office: Serafín López Lizana died after serving five months as mayor of the commune. Olga Maturana Espinosa is the only woman to have served as mayor.

More information No., Portrait ...
No. Portrait Name Took office Left office Political party Council
1 Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit José María Caro Martínez[n 1] 6 May 1894 7 May 1905 Conservative[4][17]
1894–97 term
1897–1900 term
1900–03 term
1903–06 term
2 Black and white photo of a bearded man Francisco Javier Asalgado 7 May 1905 3 September 1909 Conservative[18]
1905–06 term
1906–09 term
3 Carlos Ignacio Salas Salas[n 2] 2 May 1909 3 May 1912 Liberal[19]
1909–12 term
4 Black and white photo of a bearded man Francisco Javier Asalgado[n 3] 5 May 1912 22 September 1912 Conservative[18]
1912 term
5 José Santos Becerra 22 September 1912 2 May 1915 Conservative[20]
1912–15 term
6 Gustavo Silva Pizarro[n 4] 4 May 1915 4 May 1924 Conservative[21]
1915–18 term
1918–21 term
1921–24 term
7 Luis Antonio Barahona Fornés[n 5] 4 May 1924 24 December 1925 Conservative[22]
1924–25 term
8 Francisco Adriano Caro Rodríguez 24 December 1925 22 May 1927 Conservative[21]
1925–27 term
9 Black and white photo of a smiling man wearing a suit and a tie Evaristo Merino Canales de la Cerda[n 6] 22 May 1927 14 May 1928 Liberal[23]
1927–28 term
10 Manuel Camilo Silva 14 May 1928 10 July 1928 Liberal[24]
1928 term
11 José Ramón Araneda y Araneda 10 July 1928 12 July 1930 Liberal[25] None
12 Pastor Castro Rojas[n 7] 12 July 1930 27 November 1930 Liberal[25]
13 Fernando Maturana Barahona 27 November 1930 16 October 1932 Liberal[25]
1930–32 term
14 Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit and a hat Felipe Iturriaga Esquivel 16 October 1932 25 February 1935 Liberal[26]
1932–35 term
15 Osvaldo Sotomayor Ilabaca 25 February 1935 4 May 1935 Liberal[27]
1935 term
— Alberto Morales Moraga 4 May 1935 9 May 1935 Liberal[28] Unknown
16 Serafín López Lizana[n 8] 25 May 1935 October 1935 Conservative[29]
1935 term
17 Alberto Morales Moraga[n 9] 14 October 1935 1 December 1935 Liberal[29]
1935 term
18 Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit and a tie Humberto Llanos Martínez[n 10] 1 December 1935 18 May 1941 Conservative[30]
1935–38 term
1938–41 term
19 Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit and a hat Felipe Iturriaga Esquivel 18 May 1941 21 May 1944 Conservative[30]
1941–44 term
20 Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit Armando Caroca Rojas 21 May 1944 18 May 1947 Liberal[31]
1944–47 term
21 Black and white photo of a bald man looking straight wearing a suit and a tie Carlos Echazarreta Larraín 18 May 1947 21 May 1950 Social Christian Conservative[32]
1947–50 term
22 Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit and a tie Sergio Morales Retamal[n 11] 21 May 1950 23 May 1951 Liberal[32]
1950–51 term
23 Black and white photo of a woman Olga Maturana Espinosa 28 May 1951 17 May 1953 Social Christian Conservative[32]
1951–53 term
24 Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit and a tie Sergio Morales Retamal 17 May 1953 20 May 1956 Liberal[33]
1953–56 term
25 Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit and a hat Felipe Iturriaga Esquivel 20 May 1956 15 May 1960 United Conservative[30]
1956–60 term
26 Basilio Sánchez Beguiristáin 19 May 1960 19 May 1963 United Conservative[34]
1960–63 term
27 A smiling bald man wearing a blue jacket Carlos Echazarreta Iñiguez 19 May 1963 21 May 1967 United Conservative[35][36]
1963–67 term
28 Carlos Rojas Pavez 21 May 1967 21 May 1971 Radical[37]
1967–71 term
29 Washington Saldías Fuentealba[n 12] 21 May 1971 11 September 1973
(coup d'état)		 Socialist[36]
1971–75 term
30 A smiling bald man wearing a blue jacket Carlos Echazarreta Iñiguez 29 September 1973 10 November 1973 Christian Democratic[36] None
31 Mario Urrutia Carrasco 7 December 1973 1975 Independent[n 13]
32 Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit, with his mouth opened Eduardo Parraguez Galarce 1975 23 May 1979 Independent[n 13]
33 Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit José Lino Vargas Jorquera 23 May 1979 20 April 1981 Independent[n 13]
34 Julio Waidele Wolff 20 April 1981 16 March 1982 Independent[n 13]
35 Emilio Merino Lacoste 16 March 1982 30 August 1984 Independent[n 13]
36 René Maturana Maldonado[n 14] 31 August 1984 April 1992 Unknown[n 15]
— Gustavo Parraguez Galarce April 1992 26 September 1992 Unknown[n 15]
37 Orlando Cornejo Bustamante 26 September 1992 6 December 1996 Union of the Centrist Center[40]
1992–96 term
38 A crestfallen man wearing a blue jacket Jorge Vargas González[n 16] 6 December 1996 9 November 1998 Christian Democratic[41]
1996–98 term
— Man in traditional huaso dressing, wearing a hat and a white jacket, holding a microphone Carlos Leyton Labarca 21 December 1998 4 November 1999 Independent Democratic Union[41]
1998–99 term
— A crestfallen man wearing a blue jacket Jorge Vargas González[n 17] 4 November 1999 20 July 2007 Christian Democratic[41]
1999–2000 term
2000–04 term
2004–07 term
39 A dark-skinned man wearing a white shirt holding a hot dog in his right hand Víctor Rojas González[n 18] 27 July 2007 12 September 2007 Christian Democratic[41]
2007 term
— Gustavo Parraguez Galarce[n 19] 12 September 2007 23 November 2007 Unknown[n 15]
40 A bearded white man wearing a suit and a tie looking straight Marcelo Cabrera Martínez[n 20] 23 November 2007 April 2008 Independent
2007–08 term
— A woman wearing a suit Marcia González González[n 21] 16 May 2008 4 June 2008 Unknown[n 15]
— A bearded white man wearing a suit and a tie looking straight Marcelo Cabrera Martínez 4 June 2008 26 September 2008 Independent
— Luis Calderón Gómez[n 22] 29 September 2008 12 November 2008 Unknown[n 15]
41 Dark-skinned man with his eyes partially closed rests his head with his hands Hernán Garrido Salas[n 23] 12 November 2008 6 December 2008 Party for Democracy[41]
2008 term
— Gustavo Parraguez Galarce[n 24] 6 December 2008 12 December 2008 Unknown[n 15]
2008 term[59]
— A brunette-skinned man looking straight to the camera Roberto Córdova Carreño[n 25] 12 December 2008 18 May 2009 Socialist[41]
2008–09 term[61]
— A bearded white man wearing a suit and a tie looking straight Marcelo Cabrera Martínez[n 26] 18 May 2009 19 August 2009 Independent
2009 term
42 A brunette-skinned man looking straight to the camera Roberto Córdova Carreño[n 27] 1 September 2009 28 June 2021 Socialist[41]
2009–12 term
2012–16 term[66]
2016–21 term[67]
43 A white man wearing a suit, with a beach background Cristian Pozo Parraguez 28 June 2021 6 December 2024 Independent[n 28]
2021–24 term
44 A brunette-skinned man looking straight to the camera Roberto Córdova Carreño 6 December 2024 incumbent Independent
2021–24 term
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Timeline

The timeline shows changes of the head of the executive branch of the municipality of Pichilemu from its creation in May 1894 until today.

1894–1950
Carlos Echazarreta LarraínArmando Caroca RojasFelipe Iturriaga EsquivelHumberto Llanos MartínezAlberto Morales MoragaSerafín López LizanaAlberto Morales MoragaOsvaldo Sotomayor IlabacaFelipe Iturriaga EsquivelFernando Maturana MaturanaPastor Castro RojasJosé Ramón AranedaManuel Camilo SilvaEvaristo Merino CanalesFrancisco Adriano Caro RodríguezLuis Barahona FornésGustavo Silva PizarroJosé Santos BecerraFrancisco Javier AsalgadoCarlos Salas SalasFrancisco Javier AsalgadoJosé María Caro Martínez
1950–2000
Carlos Leyton LabarcaOrlando Cornejo BustamanteGustavo Parraguez GalarceRené Maturana MaldonadoEmilio Merino LacosteJulio Waidele WolffJosé Lino Vargas JorqueraEduardo Parraguez GalarceMario Urrutia CarrascoCarlos Echazarreta IñiguezWashington Saldías FuentealbaCarlos Rojas PavezCarlos Echazarreta IñiguezBasilio Sánchez BerguiristainFelipe Iturriaga EsquivelSergio Morales RetamalOlga Maturana EspinosaSergio Morales RetamalCarlos Echazarreta Larraín
2000–2020
Marcelo Cabrera MartínezGustavo Parraguez GalarceHernán Garrido SalasLuis Calderón GómezMarcelo Cabrera MartínezGustavo Parraguez Galarce
2021–present

Latest election

More information Candidate, Party ...
Candidate Party Votes %
Cristian Pozo ParraguezSocialist Party of Chile/Contigo Chile Mejor4,00825.35
Tobías Acuña CsillagIndependent (Independent Democrat Union)/Chile Vamos3,12419.76
Roberto del Carmen Córdova CarreñoIndependent5,93737.55
Jorge Urzúa GarcíaIndependent2,74217.34
Valid votes15,811
Invalid/blank votes702
Total16.513100
Registered voters/turnout19,12686.34
Source: El Mercurio[69]
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See also

Notes

  1. [1]
    Caro Martínez retired one year before his fourth term expired. The City Council named Francisco Javier Asalgado as acting primer alcalde. Asalgado served the remainder of Caro Martínez's term and was subsequently re-elected once.
  2. [2]
    The results of the March 1909 municipal election were controversial, with Francisco Javier Asalgado and Carlos Salas Salas disputing the primer alcalde office. However, an appeals court ruled in favor of Salas in September of that year.
  3. [3]
    Asalgado decided to retire in June 1912, just one month after he began his second non-consecutive term as primer alcalde of Pichilemu. His resignation became effective on 22 September 1912. José Santos Becerra, segundo alcalde was named as acting primer alcalde.
  4. [4]
    Silva Pizarro was elected for three consecutive terms.
  5. [5]
    Barahona Fornés resigned on 24 December 1925 to run for deputy. He was elected deputy for the 1926–30 term representing the 10th Departmental Constituency of Caupolicán, San Vicente, and San Fernando.[22] Following Barahona's resignation, Francisco Adriano Caro, son of the first primer alcalde José María Caro Martínez, was named acting primer alcalde.
  6. [6]
    Merino Canales de la Cerda was appointed as the first mayor of the Pichilemu neighborhood council (alcalde de la junta de vecinos) by the government of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. All mayors until 1935 (government of Arturo Alessandri Palma) were appointed by the president in office.
  7. [7]
    A resident of Rancagua, Castro Rojas resigned as mayor because of poor health.
  8. [8]
    López Lizana died in office, just four months after he was sworn in as mayor of Pichilemu.
  9. [9]
    Following López Lizana's death, Morales Moraga took over his role as mayor of the commune until elections were held later in 1935.
  10. [10]
    Llanos Martínez was elected regidor of Pichilemu in November 1935, and was elected mayor of the commune by his peers in December 1935. He held the position for two consecutive terms.
  11. [11]
    According to Antonio Saldías, Morales Retamal reached a "gentleman's agreement" and divided his term with Olga Maturana Espinosa, the first and to date, the only woman mayor of Pichilemu. Morales Retamal was re-elected after Maturana Espinosa's departure.
  12. [12]
    Saldías Fuentealba's term was interrupted by the Augusto Pinochet military regime, who came to power following a coup d'état on 11 September 1973. The military regime appointed a number of like-minded politicians as mayors of Pichilemu until 1984.
  13. [13]
    Between 1973 and 1987 there were no legalised political parties as they were banned.
  14. [14]
    Maturana Maldonado was the last mayor to be appointed by the Pinochet military regime, which remained in power until 1990. His appointment took place on 31 August 1984.[38] In 1989, the Region of O'Higgins Development Council decided that Maturana would stay in office for "good service" reasons, and began a second term on 16 October 1989.[39] Maturana Maldonado resigned in April 1992, and Gustavo Parraguez Galarce, municipal secretary was named acting mayor of Pichilemu. The first municipal election since the return to democracy were held that year.
  15. [15]
    No source has been found to verify a party affiliation.
  16. [16]
    Vargas González was temporarily removed from his office in November 1998 after he was found to have been abusing his position as judge of the Local Police Court (Juzgado de Policía Local), by illegally giving a driver's license to a local businessman.[12] Councilor Carlos Leyton Labarca was named acting mayor for the time he was being tried in court. Vargas returned to his office in November 1999, and was subsequently re-elected twice.
  17. [17]
    A process against Vargas was started in March 2003. On 28 March 2006, he was found guilty for the crime of bribery by the Crime Court of Pichilemu.[42] Following the sentence, the mayor office was held by Francisco Vidal Arraño, municipal administrator.[43] Vargas was additionally found guilty bringing witnesses who deliberately lied to the court. The sentence against Vargas marked the beginning of a number of controversies which ended with several mayors being prosecuted under charges of corruption.[44] However, Vargas officially resigned as mayor in July 2007, an action which was unanimously approved by the members of the city council.[45]
  18. [18]
    In July 2007, Rojas González was elected by the city council as acting mayor, to complete Jorge Vargas González's term.[46] However, Rojas González's tenure as mayor was interrupted by accusations of bribery. He was a fugitive from justice for several days until 12 September 2007, when he was detained by the Carabineros police.[47] In an audience which lasted for seven hours, he was jailed with former mayor Jorge Vargas González in the prison of Santa Cruz.[48]
  19. [19]
    Parraguez Galarce, municipal secretary, became the Interim (Subrogant) Mayor,[49] until the city council could elect a new mayor. There were several unsuccessful attempts to choose a mayor,[50] until 23 November 2007, when the councilors elected Marcelo Cabrera Martínez as the successor of Rojas González.[51]
  20. [20]
    Marcelo Cabrera Martínez was elected mayor of Pichilemu after a series of unsuccessful attempts by the city council to elect one.[51] Only three days after he took office as mayor, an investigation was started against him for "adulterating receipts".[44] On 26 September 2008, he resigned as mayor for him to be legally able to run as candidate in the 2008 municipal election. However, in October of that year, and some days before the elections took place, he was accused by the Public Prosecutor Jorge Mena,[52] leaving him unable to take office after the elections, which he won.[53]
  21. [21]
    González was chosen by the city council to take over Cabrera's vacant,[54] until the "Boletas adulteradas" case ended, or the appeals court of Rancagua allowed Cabrera to return to his post, which eventually occurred.[55]
  22. [22]
    Following Cabrera Martínez's resignation as mayor to be legally able to be a candidate for the office, he appointed Luis Calderón Gómez as the interim mayor, on 29 September 2008.[56] Since Cabrera was prohibited from using public offices in October of that year, Calderón held the mayoralty until 12 November 2008, when the city council elected Hernán Garrido Salas to complete Cabrera's term, which would last until 6 December.[57]
  23. [23]
    As Marcelo Cabrera was disabled from taking public offices, the city council was forced to elect a new mayor to complete his term. On 12 November 2008, Hernán Garrido Salas was elected mayor of Pichilemu in a city council meeting, to complete Cabrera's term. A group of forty supporters of Cabrera attempted to spoil the voting, but they were not successful and ended up with their leader Jorge Ganora Arratia, a local businessman, arrested.[57] Garrido Salas was, like Cabrera, being prosecuted on charges of bribery, but he could finish the term.[58]
  24. [24]
    Parraguez Galarce was sworn in as mayor of Pichilemu on 6 December 2008 in a public ceremony,[59] and handed over his position to Roberto Córdova six days later,[16] making his tenure the shortest for a mayor of the commune.
  25. [25]
    The city council elected Roberto Córdova Carreño as the new mayor of the commune in an "extraordinary meeting". Córdova, who was the most voted councilor in the election of October 2008,[16] stayed in the mayor office until Cabrera's return in May 2009.[60]
  26. [26]
    On 26 March 2009, Cabrera was sentenced on charges of tax fraud to 61 days of pena remitida and was banned for seven years from occupying the position of councilor. The pena remitida lasted until 17 May, and Cabrera resumed his duties as mayor on the following day, with celebrations of his supporters outside the Pichilemu City Hall.[60] In August of that year, however, the Regional Electoral Court determined, following a reclamation by councilors Viviana Parraguez, Andrea Aranda, Marta Urzúa, Juan Cornejo, and Roberto Córdova, that Cabrera lost his citizenship by being banned from being a councilor, and thus he had to resign his position as mayor.[62] The mayorship of Pichilemu was left vacant until 1 September 2009, when the city council once again elected Roberto Córdova as the new mayor.[63]
  27. [27]
    The city council of Pichilemu, in an "extraordinary meeting", elected Roberto Córdova as the new mayor of the commune, for the rest of Cabrera's term.[63] Córdova was popularly elected mayor for the first time in the municipal election of October 2012, obtaining 3,507 votes (49.13%).[64] He was sworn in for his second term on 6 December 2012 in a ceremony held at the Municipal Hall (Pista Municipal), which expired on 6 December 2016.[65] He was re-elected to a third term, lasting between 6 December 2016 until 6 December 2020, whose end was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic until 28 June 2021.
  28. [28]
    In May 2023, he became a member of the Socialist Party of Chile.[68]

References

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