The mayor of Guía de Isora, Ana Dorta (CC), took to her social media to express her frustration yesterday, claiming that the opposition from the PSOE “rejected the proposal to strengthen the cleaning service in the town”. During a Facebook live session, Dorta addressed the recent ordinary council meeting where an urgent motion to hire additional staff for waste collection was discussed.
Guía de Isora has been facing a political turmoil in the past month, escalating after the ruling coalition of Coalición Canaria and Partido Popular lost its majority following councillor David Agustín Reyes’ (former CC) shift to the non-affiliated group. Prior to this, tensions between the government and opposition had already surfaced in May when the PSOE accused the government of failing to utilise a subsidy for social housing, which was defended by the ruling coalition as an unjustified attack. This ongoing situation lays bare the deep-seated political divide in Guía de Isora.
MAYOR’S REMARKS
“We put forth a request to declare a state of emergency for the reinforcement of waste collection. To our surprise, the Socialist Party – who had previously hired this company – along with non-affiliated councillor David Agustín Reyes, voted against this emergency declaration that aimed to facilitate the hiring of extra workforce for waste management,” explained Dorta in her video statement.
“The arithmetic – with the PSOE holding 10 seats and, in tandem with the non-affiliated councillor, reaching a total of 11, could not see eye to eye on this matter,” lamented Dorta. She hinted at a “political deadlock” that she believes “runs counter to the interests of Guía de Isora” and expressed her bewilderment towards the opposition’s stance. Despite technical and legal reports supporting the state of emergency being made available, the socialists claimed ignorance of the dossier.
“WE WERE GOING TO VOTE BLINDLY”
In response to Dorta’s accusations, former mayor and PSOE leader, Josefa Mesa, defended her party’s stance. Mesa acknowledged the need for a new waste collection contract in Guía de Isora but argued that rushing a decision would not be prudent. She criticised the handling of the situation, saying, “They presented the proposal as an urgent matter during the council meeting, although the issue could have been addressed earlier as the contract expired in February and was overdue.” Mesa highlighted that the non-affiliated councillor responsible for the area also opposed the proposal, claiming that he was the most informed on the matter. She called for transparency and a dedicated session to discuss such critical issues instead of a rushed decision-making process.
