Antanas Mockus might just be another costumed freak, but no. He was responsible for managing the city of Bogota, the Colombian capital, from 1995 to 1997, in his first term, and from 2001 to 2004, when he took charge of the city for the second time.

And it was wearing a superhero outfit that the candidate made his entire campaign and won the election. The mayor also ran for president of Colombia, but finished second at the polls. Either way, he was stamped in the city's history with one of the most entertaining (and successful) terms of all time.

Spectacular attractions

Image source: Reproduction / Mi Blogotá

One of the mayor's most original attitudes to tackling city traffic problems was to hire 400 street mimes to handle the flow of cars, and to make fun of drivers who drove badly and committed infractions. In addition, he created a kind of army of taxi drivers who understood behind the wheel and titled them “Strip Soldiers, ” in a reference to the crosswalk.

Another program developed by Mockus included the distribution of 350, 000 cards with positive and negative thumb images that served as a means for residents to kindly point each other out when the other was doing a good or bad attitude. The cards did not pick up among Colombians, but the city believes that the habit of signaling actions with their own hands has become more frequent among the inhabitants.

Another curiosity of his government was the creation of the "Women's Night", when free shows were promoted for the 700, 000 women in the city, making men stay at home so they could have an exclusive night of fun. .

Solutions that work

Image Source: Reproduction / La Voz Libre

As comic or strange as Antanas Mockus's attitudes seem to be in Bogota City Hall, the locals enjoyed his work. But more than that, the city numbers showed that these and other actions had a very positive result.

In his government, the murder rate fell to 75% of the rates recorded so far. Alcohol-related violence has also dropped dramatically and traffic accidents have halved. Armed robberies were reported less frequently during his two terms, not to mention that he was responsible for bringing clean water to the homes of all the city's inhabitants, who were known for their poor hygiene. Mockus also created a system in which fees were paid voluntarily, which made the city triple its revenue.