He assures that he has not taken a single day off on vacation for three years due to a meteoric career that has gone upwards, supported by citizens “who have seen work and dedication” and that is why, he says, his party, the PSOE, has won the elections in May. However, the support at the polls has not been enough and to govern she has had to make an agreement with the Canarian Coalition (CC) and the Popular Party (PP). The history of Tacoronte is doomed to repeat itself and in this mandate, once again, a tripartite is in charge of the City Council, only this time, it is a woman who is in charge and who has become the first mayor of the municipality .
-In the first three months of government, he has had to pass his first major test with the forest fire that devastated the Island and in which Tacoronte was one of the most affected municipalities. How did you experience it?
“I never thought I would live an experience like this, managing human lives, with mixed feelings and decisions that had to be made almost on the fly to guarantee the protection of the neighbors, especially Agua García and Barranco Las Lajas. There were very hard moments, like when we received the order at dawn to evict the families. All of us from the government group went out into the street and knocked door to door, evicting them and quickly setting up shelters in the sports hall and then at the María Rosa Alonso CEIP, and we went to the center of El Sauzal at more disabled people, prioritizing the safety of our people and implementing the Municipal Emergency Plan”
-Did you feel supported by the rest of the political forces?
“In these types of situations there is no political color, we must all be on one side looking after people’s health. I have to highlight the outstanding support of colleague Noemí Campillo, from Vox, who dedicated herself body and soul to the volunteer work, a thank you that is recorded in the plenary minutes. I also felt the support of my colleagues Benito Regalado and José Luis Almenara. I felt like crying on many occasions, but I gathered courage because I knew that my neighbors needed a strong mayor, up to the task.”
-What is your assessment of the first hundred days of government?
“The balance is very positive, especially after passing this first litmus test and doing it as a team. We have set up a cohesive working group, which has been facing without complexes, and from the first minute, all the economic and structural problems of this City Council. The first thing we did when we arrived at the Government was to contact the groups and entities of the municipality to inform them of the new Government structure and show them the roadmap for the years ahead. We have managed to launch a project that had been announced since the last mandate but that could not materialize, such as the plan to pave almost a hundred streets in the city and in these last months of the year and during 2024 we will witness some much-needed and long-awaited improvements. The Plaza de San Jerónimo was also inaugurated, after a comprehensive remodeling started in the previous mandate, and we have cleaned up and put into operation a parking esplanade with 200 spaces on Teobaldo Power Street, next to the Hoya Machado Park. In terms of employment, an amount of 1.5 million was recently approved to guarantee a new Social Employment Plan that will allow the hiring of a hundred unemployed people. In addition, the Canary Islands Employment Service (SCE) has granted us a subsidy of 330,000 euros to hire another 31 long-term unemployed through the ‘Tacoronte in Training’ project, and we are immersed in the ‘Tacoronte, boost to Sustainable Development’ project. ‘, with 15 other people working. Our objective is to continue betting on employment as the leading axis of our political action.”
-Is it difficult to work in three?
“No, because when we negotiated the pact we made it clear that the interests that prevailed were those of Tacoronte and everything we manage was discussed and agreed upon. Today it is like that and I want to maintain this objective and ensure that the three parties that are in government form a team.”
-And the relationship with opposition groups?
“I can’t say that it is 100% good because I would lie. Many do not internalize that they have lost the elections and when they go to a plenary hall the opposition has to be constructive. In the plenary sessions that I have had to lead I have gone through very ugly episodes and I have even had to call the police and expel two people from Nueva Canarias (NC). There has been disrespect to the point that people who were on the NC list and who were in the audience have called me a shit-eating fascist. While I am in the plenary hall I will not tolerate any disrespect. Citizens demand that we understand each other and if I am at home watching the plenary session and I see these types of situations, the first thing I think is that they do not represent me. And for me it is important that the citizens receive equipment and management, no disrespect. I also notice full machismo and classism in the living room. I am the first female mayor in Tacoronte but I do not have a glass ceiling, but a concrete one. Unfortunately, we women have in our backpack that we have been raised as caregivers and we have always had that family priority, but we have to have the courage and take a step forward, because we have a lot to talk and demonstrate as women and we also have to be heard.”
-Did you think that being the first female mayor would have it easier?
“No, I’m a realist. We live in a sexist world and we must recognize it. We women still have a lot to work on, and above all, unite more. Many men have internalized that because they belong to the male gender, positions of power are for them and they demonstrate it. In any case, it is a challenge for me and for many women, for them to know that they can arrive and demonstrate it.”
-Is it necessary for there to be a police presence in the plenary sessions?
“For what was mentioned above, yes. On occasions the sessions have been interrupted by people from the public, with insults, annoying applause and disqualifications towards me that I cannot tolerate in any way nor can the people of Tacoronte. Coincidentally, all of them accompanied the NC spokesperson, José Daniel Díaz, in his 2023 electoral candidacy. In my opinion, it is an orchestrated scam to dirty our work as a Government, but I am not going to consent to it.”
-Did it catch your attention when the NC spokesperson announced that he was going to file a complaint with the Common Deputy about his attitude in the plenary sessions?
“No, let him do it, there are the minutes. I am waiting for him to keep his word and convey his complaint to the Common Deputy to defend myself and show the truth of what happens in the plenary sessions, because surely he will defend that there is order and respect in the plenary sessions. I think that he still has not internalized that he has not won the elections and is looking for prominence elsewhere.
-What are the priorities of this government?
“We have many challenges ahead that are not the direct responsibility of the City Council but of other administrations, but for which we must fight to make them happen, such as the completion of the work to expand the Health Center, or the readjustment of the aforementioned plans. to the third lane of the TF-5. The affected neighbors continue to have this City Council in their hands. “We are going to do everything possible to find viable alternatives, with less impact for the city.”
-What is your government’s proposal for the third rail of the TF-5?
“Our bet is to prevent the initial project from going ahead. There are allegations that are presented in the Technical Office with burial in the areas that we mark as possible. We have not received the response to those allegations that we transmitted in the previous mandate as a government group. We are very attentive to the evolution of this project and we are going to do everything in our power so that the improvements on this main northern road do not cause an incurable wound as it passes through Tacoronte.”
-When will the bus station remodeling take place?
“It is another of our objectives because we know that it is disused, but we have other priorities set, such as the Santa Catalina funeral home. But we are not going to leave it on deaf ears. There are projects in the technical office and we have to promote and update them.”
-And the plaza and the La Estación market?
“When I entered the City Council, in February 2022, I moved the areas that influence the market. There are three files in this action: the waterproofing of the plaza, which has already been carried out, the fixing of leaks and humidity, and a comprehensive plan for the installation. There are several processes with several files underway. It will also be another priority because it is important to manage this space and regulate it, because there are merchants who want to rent premises there, but until these works are completed the bidding cannot begin.”
-Many neighbors complain about the insecurity situation, especially due to thefts. Is Tacoronte a safe municipality?
“The problem we have right now is with the City Council staff. The List of Jobs (RPT) and the stabilization of the workforce must be ordered and until we address this issue it will be difficult to carry out files, because the staff cannot continue to be burdened. Months ago, oppositions were called to provide the police headquarters with seven new positions and we were left with only one, the rest went to other municipalities because the salary is higher. A few weeks ago we sent a letter to the Government Subdelegation to ask for more police because there were several robberies and they told us that they were going to send troops until the RPT is a reality and the service is equipped with the necessary human resources.
-Are subterranean termites controlled?
“No, limited, yes. It is a very difficult situation that the municipality has experienced and, fortunately, it is already being overcome with the help of the Government of the Canary Islands, but more resources are needed.”
-Why did the government team’s salary increase as soon as it arrived at City Hall?
“Tacoronte has almost 25,000 inhabitants and other municipalities that have much less population have the same or even more. It is in management where it is demonstrated whether the salary is adequate or not, and ours is from Monday to Monday. I don’t think our salaries are a problem for citizens, we could raise them to the maximum and we didn’t, they are adapted. Even so, in 2027 citizens will have the opportunity to assess, based on the decisions we have made, whether this salary increase has been worth it.”
