Lucas Scaramussa, a lawyer and university professor for over 15 years, has a career marked by a commitment to knowledge and social transformation. 

Elected mayor of Linhares, a city known as the ““Agribusiness Capital” and holder of the largest coastline in Espírito Santo, Scaramussa built his career based on education, efficient governance and dialogue with the population.

“My motivation to enter politics came from my personal story. I am the son of a family farmer who sold our property to pay for my college education. My father wanted me to be a lawyer, and it was through law that I became closer to fundamental rights and the needs of society,” he recalls.

From this experience, Scaramussa became a professor of Constitutional Law and spent 15 years teaching, during which time he developed a deep relationship with his students and the community. “My students motivated me to enter politics. I don’t govern just for those who applaud me, but I am inspired by them to govern for everyone,” he says.

Education as a priority

According to Scaramussa, despite Linhares being the fifth largest economy in Espírito Santo and the city with the largest territorial extension in the state, the quality of education has fallen drastically in recent years. “We were once the eighth best city in education when we had a budget of R$1.4T300 million. Today, with R$1.5 billion, we are in 74th position among 78 municipalities. This is unacceptable and needs to change,” he says.

The goal of Scaramussa's government is to recover these rates by investing in literacy, valuing public servants and expanding full-time schools, especially in peripheral regions. "We are organizing the reassignment of teachers to expand full-time education, including daycare centers and preschools. Education is the pillar of our government and a fundamental path to transform Linhares," he explains.

Health and infrastructure to keep up with economic growth

The municipality of Linhares stands out for its strong agribusiness and industry, and is home to large companies. Despite its booming economy, the city faces challenges in infrastructure and healthcare. “We have disastrous healthcare numbers, the worst in Espírito Santo. Our city is growing rapidly, but this creates structural problems that need to be resolved urgently,” he explains.

Among the actions planned for the sector are the creation of two 24-hour Emergency Care Units (UPAs) in the industrial zones – UPA Norte and UPA Sul – to serve the high volume of workers in the region. “Linhares is a city that works hard, and we need to guarantee quality of life for those who drive our economy.”

Dialogue with the productive sector and combating inequalities

One of the hallmarks of Scaramussa’s management is the dialogue with the production sector to solve structural and social problems. “In the past, businesspeople asked for tax and logistical incentives. Today, they understand that the biggest challenge is to guarantee quality of life for workers, whether through affordable healthcare, housing or full-time schools for their children.”

The high cost of living is also a challenge, directly affecting the population’s perception of well-being. “The salary may be good, but the rent and high costs end up impacting the quality of life. We need housing policies to balance this equation and ensure that Linhares continues to grow in a sustainable way.”

Furthermore, he does not define himself by party labels and believes that politics should be focused on results. “My goal is not to transform the world or change people, but to improve their lives. I want to leave Linhares better than I found it, governing with efficiency, dialogue and commitment.”

With a management focused on education, health and infrastructure, Scaramussa seeks to consolidate a new governance model, in which economic development and quality of life go hand in hand. “Linhares has enormous potential, and our challenge is to ensure that this growth translates into well-being for the entire population,” he concludes.

RenovaBR: learning and innovation in public management

Scaramussa credits RenovaBR for part of his political preparation. “Even though I come from an academic background and am a professor of Constitutional Law, RenovaBR taught me steps that I didn’t see in books. It gave me resilience, technique, knowledge and innovation to apply in public management,” he says.

The political training program helped him better understand the challenges of public administration and the importance of strategic planning. “It’s not enough to be resilient; you need to innovate and find efficient solutions. Renova prepared me for this.”