Georgetown Americas Institute

Salomón Chertorivski is an economist and public administrator with a long career in Mexican public service. From his tenure as health secretary under President Felipe Calderón to leading Mexico City’s Economic Development Secretariat during Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera's administration, Chertorivski's trajectory has been defined by a commitment to evidence-based decision making. Since September 2021, he has served in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies with the MC party, and in late 2023 he announced his intention to run in Mexico City’s mayoral election.  

Chertorivski's Path into Politics

Prior to his political career, Chertorivski worked in academia. While pursuing his master’s degree at the Harvard Kennedy School, Chertorivski decided to venture into the private sector, convinced of the potential of private solutions to solve social problems. Simultaneously, he made a name for himself in the Mexican public sector, working at the local and national levels until 2018. Due to profound differences with the newly elected Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador government, Chertorivski decided to step aside and return to academia and business. 

Three years later, disheartened by the dismantling of vital government initiatives such as the Seguro Popular (Popular Insurance) health program and a perceived erosion of “good policy” illustrated by changes to the Mexico City airport plan, Chertorivski  decided to re-enter public life. Running under the umbrella of the Movimiento Ciudadano party, he was elected to the Mexican Chamber of Deputies. Today he brings his vision of evidence-based decision making as the cornerstone of his plan for Mexico City.

“In a democracy you can make changes, but the changes you make must be good, and should be evidence-based.” - Salomón Chertorivski

Mexico City’s Challenges 

Chertorivski argued that the challenges facing Mexico City mirror those of other global metropolises. From water scarcity to security concerns, heoutlined a technical diagnosis of the city’s main issues and potential solutions in his book Una ciudad mejor que ésta: 12 rutas para poner la capital en movimiento (A Better City Than This: 12 Routes to Get the Capital Moving, 2023). In the book he discusses the structural causes of crime and gender violence and embraces technological solutions for surveillance and mobility, calling for a multifaceted approach to local governance.

“The development of Mexico City is fundamental for the development of Mexico itself and for the development of the region as a whole.”- Salomón Chertorivski

To achieve this, Chertorivski highlighted his commitment to resolving tensions through dialogue and negotiation and positioning himself as a pragmatic leader capable of navigating complex political landscapes. The ability to navigate disagreement with the national government while retaining political maneuverability is, in his opinion, a defining quality of Mexico City’s identity. Chertorivski is a strong critic of the current city administration's performance in this area, pointing to a lack of autonomy and disastrous management under Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who is politically close to Lopez Obrador and currently leads the polls in Mexico’s presidential election. 

Building Momentum for Change 

The event concluded with a Q&A session where participants raised questions about Chertorivski’s role in the MC party, his specific proposals to address security concerns, challenges faced by the construction sector in Mexico City, and the city’s role in the international stage. He spoke candidly, outlining solutions rooted in technical expertise and revealing his personal stance on hot-button issues in contemporary Mexican politics, such as crime and migration. 

Despite recent polls placing him third in the mayoral race, Chertorivski remained confident in his ability to engage voters and promote his political project once the campaign period officially starts in March. He emphasized that nothing is written in stone, and that there is ample time to build momentum and turn the electoral tide in his favor.