Ignacio Rodríguez Jorge is 64 years old, 40 of them dedicated to politics without interruption, to which he arrived at the hands of the PSOE in 1983. At only 24 years old, he became the youngest mayor in the Canary Islands and is currently the one who It has been in management for more years throughout the Archipelago. And everything indicates, given the local political situation, that in 2023 he will break a double record: he will become the politician with the longest time in office -40 years- and absolute majorities.
Since democracy, no candidate has been able to beat the unbeatable Ignacio Rodríguez at the polls, although he does not like that description.
In 1983, the PSOE beat ATI, 7 councilors against 6. In 1987, the difference became greater, 12 against 1, a distance that was maintained in the following elections; in 1991, 11 against 2; in 1995, 11 against 1 for the PP and 1 for the CC; in 1999, 11 against 2 of CC; in 2003 and 2007, 10 against one from the PP, which entered the Matanzas political scene, and 2 from CC; in 2011, 10 against 2 of the PP and one of the CC; in 2015, 11 against 2 for the PP, the same result as in the last elections of 2019.
The efforts of the rest of the political forces have been useless, and they have even managed to annul, leaving the nationalists without representation since 2015.
The truth is that the socialist councilor has reasons to boast of his management: La Matanza was the first small municipality that had a free childcare center; promoted free transportation for students, and textbooks for primary, secondary and high school, opened the second North Farmer’s Market, which is a benchmark in the primary sector, municipal coffers have always been healthy and with surplus and it has the largest natural park in the region, El Montillo, a space of 57,547 square meters for the use and enjoyment of citizens.
His beginnings in politics were clandestine. “At that time you were risking to defend things like equality, the rights of workers, an accessible education or freedom. We debated about it in university environments, with great enthusiasm, wanting to promote and be part of a change that would transform society. It was clear that we were living in a key moment, in which we had to step forward and commit ourselves, although this could be expensive in this scenario of instability ”, she says.
That step forward was given by the hand of the PSOE. The party led by Felipe González at the time convinced him “because he was, within the left, the one with the most real projects to change society at that time.”
At the age of 24, he became the youngest mayor in Spain but he never thought that he would stay in politics for all this time. “I wanted my people to live happily and I think that little by little I have been achieving it”, he affirms.
You think that you are a couple of mandates and then you dedicate yourself to your profession, in my case, EGB teacher -although he only practiced for a couple of years-. But time goes by and most people show you their support, encourage you to keep going and in the end you dedicate your whole life to improving the conditions of the town where you were born ”, he maintains.
Withdrawal
When asked when he is going to retire, he confesses that it is very difficult to answer. The truth is that until now she has not crossed his mind. “As long as I have the support and affection of the people and the strength and enthusiasm to continue with the project, I will continue. It is true that new challenges arise every year and right now we are at an important moment, with many projects for the transformation of society.
He never wanted to leave the municipality. “I didn’t want to, I don’t want to or I won’t,” she certifies. “One must fight for what he wants, his people and his family, to which you cannot dedicate little time because politics takes you a lot. I am more pragmatic and I like to see how changes take place, ”he confesses.
At an organic level, he held positions with Juan Carlos Alemán but for a short time. He feels more comfortable in day-to-day management than in “outright politics.”
His secret to remain unbeatable is that “there is no secret, simply a dedication in body and soul to improve La Matanza, exploring any path that can bring progress and benefit. I have not stopped dreaming, setting challenges and broadening the horizon of the municipality, but always sensibly and with my feet on the ground”.
That’s why he doesn’t like the word unbeatable. It is not considered so in any way. Ignacio Rodríguez is convinced that permanent work and absolute and full dedication with so much love to what he does, “always trying to improve”, has his reward. “The people have known how to choose and have chosen what they have deemed convenient to continue advancing more and better. I also believe that with the work that has been done in these troubled years and with such difficulty, we have lived up to it and the public will value it, ”he underlines. However, we will have to wait until May 2023 to find out if the people of Matanzas give him their support to continue his project “which is none other than to achieve a better town and with the best social benefits.”
