In the early morning of November 14, 2002, the last breath was taken, in this world, of a great woman, a formidable wife, wonderful mother and, above all, an example of cordiality and simplicity worthy of admiration. It is an indelible date for the memory of the ramblero town that she loved so much and where she made many friends.
Twenty years have passed since that damn date on which her death occurred and, today, her friends, her ramblera people, continue to mourn her loss and feel the same appreciation and nostalgia for the figure of María Concepción Pérez Santo-Tomás, first mayoress of the Villa de San Juan de la Rambla and of Tenerife, in the current democracy; in addition to having received posthumously the recognition of Adoptive Daughter, granted by the municipal Corporation in the ordinary plenary session of October 28, 2011.
Conchita, as she liked to be called, was a woman ahead of her time and her commitment, dedication and desire to contribute her knowledge, together with her enormous value, was reflected in her blessed profession as a teacher, which she exercised with dedication and affection. But her desire to collaborate with so many neighbors who adored her led her to join the PSOE list in the municipal elections of the legislative period from 1983 to 1987, being elected councilor and taking charge of the Women’s area.
And fate would have it that, after the resignation of his position, the until then mayor José Hernández Rodríguez, was proclaimed by his colleagues from the Corporation as the first councilor of this historic Villa. This was the case with a plenary hall packed with the public on October 16, 1985, feeling supported not only by her neighbors, but also by mayors of neighboring municipalities such as Jesús Manuel Hernández (Los Realejos), Carmelo Méndez (Icod), Aurelio Abreu ( Buenavista), José Grillo (La Guancha), Félix Real (Puerto de la Cruz), Ignacio Rodríguez (La Matanza) and even the civil governor Antonio Martinón, promising his position at 7:20 p.m. that same afternoon.
In her first words as mayoress of the Villa de San Juan de la Rambla, honoring her great humility, she said that “she was not prepared for these things and promised work, enthusiasm and desire”.
Twenty months in office were more than enough to record his talent, his intelligence and his great heart and dedication to service to others. A server, at that time a municipal employee, lived on the front line his concern to achieve progress for the municipality. One day in and another, he ordered us to write petitions and demands before the Administration, demanding aid for the Villa he represented. It was a difficult time, but her enthusiasm and her physical strength made Conchita a great lady of the politics who always sought the best for his neighbors.
The anecdote of Las Aguitas
I tell an anecdote –incredible to demonstrate– about what Conchita was like. It was the inauguration of the asphalting and repair of Las Agüitas street, in the Las Rosas neighborhood. As always everything was planned, down to the smallest detail. But the weather was not good: it was raining heavily and the public event could not be held. But there was Conchita and she was done. She made sure that a bus from Titsa, one of the ones she served the area, was the protagonist. We put the bus on that steep street and inside it she spoke a few words and even cut the inaugural ribbon. The street was inaugurated. This defines the greatness and tenacity of this woman. Despite her general recognition and the affection of her neighbors, she did not attend the 1987 electoral appointment. Without noise and in silence she resumed her teaching activity, even returning to her native Logroño, where she worked as councilor in the last years of her life.
These brief lines serve to keep alive the memory of a great woman, not only for having been the first mayor of Tenerife and San Juan de la Rambla in our democracy, but also for her professional spirit. A woman of integrity, defender of social rights, equality between men and women and the most disadvantaged. All of this meant that her hometown dedicated a square to her in the middle of Calle Mayor, where she lived.
But his memory will remain forever among all the rambleros and ramblers of this hundred-year-old Villa, where together with the Teide and the sea that he loved so much his ashes were scattered. Concha Pérez Santo-Tomás, always eternal.
