Merengue singer now the mayor

             SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- (AP) -- Moving from flash to trash,
             merengue singer Johnny Ventura began his job as mayor of the Dominican capital
             with a promise of better garbage collection.

             Ventura also pledged to keep the streets of downtown Santo Domingo cleaner in
             order to attract more tourists.

             Santo Domingo is the Caribbean country's largest city, with more than 2 million
             residents.

             Ventura said he would cut back on merengue concerts because of his new duties,
             but would continue to appear on a daily television variety show.

             Merengue is a form of dance music.