He harboured the political dream of guiding the future of his beloved municipality, yet he never anticipated that this opportunity would arise so swiftly. Indeed, Leopoldo Afonso was not even the lead candidate on the PP list during the most recent elections, as it was number two, Ángel Montañés, who stepped down from his role as councillor upon being appointed as director of Ecological Transition and Fight against Climate Change by the Government of the Canary Islands. The motion of censure he presented alongside the ACP and CC hastened his political ambitions, and he has now been occupying the Mayor’s chair for two weeks. He accepted the role without hesitation, fully aware of the City Council’s challenges in addressing citizens’ concerns and advancing urgent matters.
-How did you find the City Hall?
“Worse than I anticipated. Over the past 14 months whilst in opposition, I had the opportunity to observe various aspects of the situation in certain areas, revealing a severe lack of personnel, inadequate staffing levels, and a failure to adhere to the necessary contracting protocols and other legally required processes within public administration. We are actively working to rectify this issue, although it will not be straightforward or immediate due to five years of poor management. We are laying the groundwork to streamline operations and ensure the City Council complies with current legislation.”
-The PP has consistently criticised excessive expenditure on Fiestas. Is this the sector in the most dire state?
“Primarily, yes, although there are additional areas facing significant challenges. We have always condemned the disproportionate administrative and financial resources allocated to Fiestas, yet that does not imply we oppose celebrating them; I wish to clarify this. Any resident familiar with us knows we have consistently engaged in Carnivals, Christmas festivities, the July Fiestas, and any event held in the municipality. However, we cannot direct all our efforts towards this sector. Puerto de la Cruz has other vital needs for its tourism, economic, and commercial advancement that have been neglected in recent years.”
-What is the situation with the municipal finances? When in opposition, the PP warned of potential risks, though the Treasury Plan presented during the last plenary session indicates no debts and a surplus of 26 million for the upcoming year…
“We are faced with a rather unusual situation, as the previous administration maintained two parallel budgets: budget A, which still has funds remaining because they failed to execute enough in the first eight months of the year to carry out significant projects for the municipality, and budget B, which is the treasury surplus that was used as a secondary budget, allegedly playing with these two pools of funds. We are currently working to ascertain the specific amounts within both budgets. We are aware there are unspent funds due to a lack of investment, but we must reorganise this year’s approved account, as many budget line items are allocated to areas that may not require as much funding while others are underfunded. Thus, we need to pursue some form of budget modification to ensure this government team can execute projects before the year concludes.”
-What are the priorities?
“Tourism development. Enhancing tourist infrastructure is paramount, and we must provide citizens and visitors with what they require and deserve, such as an auditorium. We continue to advocate for this project that the PSOE has kept on hold for five years. We must also focus on street renovations, pavements, areas like Taoro Park or La Paz, and other residential zones requiring significant renovations such as the La Vera neighbourhood, along with children’s parks that do not ensure the safety of our youth, and numerous other requests that have accumulated over the years as administrative and financial resources have been diverted to Fiestas. The highest priority for this administration is Playa Jardín, whose current situation greatly concerns us and is very complex to resolve. Reports from 2020 and 2021 already indicated issues, yet no action was taken. Even when it could have been simpler in terms of investment for Marco González, as the PSOE governed in the Cabildo, the Government of the Canary Islands, and in Spain at that time.”
-The former mayor commissioned a report and a video to demonstrate that the spills resulted from the broken outfall. Were you able to view the video?
“I did, and we all knew that these discharges were entering the sea via the outfall. However, we believe this may not be the only cause, which is why we are initiating proceedings to address the spillovers under municipal responsibility, as well as the pumping stations. Moreover, we recognise this work is urgent, and the Island Water Council (Ciatfe) will act directly on the outfall as soon as tidal conditions permit, carrying out a larger project to ascertain the exact source of these waste discharges entering the sea. Following that, repairs will be executed based on the recommendations of our technicians, while concurrently, the City Council will address those matters within its jurisdiction. The third avenue to explore is the expansion of the treatment plant, which has become outdated relative to its capacity.”
-However, this latest project has been discussed for decades; why has no prior government taken action?
“This issue has indeed been on the table for many years. Even during the 2015-2019 term, there was a proposal to initiate work, but at that time, progress was hindered due to a lack of funds in the public treasury. The City Council was under a financial adjustment plan, from which it emerged at the end of 2017 after settling a significant debt and generating necessary resources for investment in vital municipal projects. A change in government took place in 2019, leading to the shelving of this urgency, whilst prioritising other less essential matters.”
-Do you support completing the auditorium at the San Francisco Park site, or relocating it to the old bus station lot?
“The three governing political entities believe these are not mutually exclusive options, as Puerto de la Cruz must offer a robust cultural experience for both residents and visitors. All facilities currently available are insufficient for the activities that we intend to promote. Therefore, we do not see any incompatibility in proceeding with the third phase of San Francisco park while simultaneously working towards a fairground at the old bus station site, which could also include a large parking facility. This matter requires clarification regarding technical feasibility, as the land has designated uses that need adjusting, but it is a topic under consideration. The immediate priority for this administration also includes the demolition of the building on El Pozo street, which has fallen into disuse and provides no benefit to the city centre; rather, it negatively affects it.”
-The lack of parking is yet another significant challenge in Puerto de la Cruz. Will the policy regarding this issue change?Are there any upcoming plans or will it be a continuation?
“There will indeed be changes, as there has been little progress over the past five years. However, the key focus is to implement a comprehensive reform of the Plaza de Europa car park. A project was commissioned during 2015-2019, which was finally received in 2020 but remained idle without any commitment. Consequently, it was necessary to close it around six months ago, negatively impacting the city. We will also need to identify and repurpose land within the municipality, which is admittedly limited, but we must expand and strengthen our offerings to support commerce that is currently suffering due to this scarcity. Furthermore, our attention will be directed towards the neighbourhoods, as numerous areas face similar challenges, and we must seek viable solutions.”
-The plan introduced by the three political parties mentions the establishment of two social housing pools. Is there adequate land for this?
“We are currently assessing this matter. While it is true that these housing units would not be located in the centre, due to the lack of available land, they would instead be developed on the outskirts. This is essential as there is a growing demand for housing in a municipality that cannot expand horizontally, though it can build vertically, provided urban planning allows for the identification of these plots of land for housing development. These projects are quite complex, requiring extensive legal and administrative processes, as well as investment from other authorities.”
-Did you indeed request the opposition to abstain from attending the committees last Monday?
“This is completely untrue. The information committees were scheduled for the first working day after the motion of censure. I had a conversation with Councillor Marco González to clarify the situation. He acknowledged that holding the meetings was pointless as there wasn’t any material for the new government to provide feedback on. I presented him with alternative options and expressed my disagreement with their absence, but stated we needed to consult with technicians to determine whether it would be appropriate to postpone them for further content, or to suspend and agree on a new date if it was legally possible. At no stage did I state that we wouldn’t attend or request the opposition to refrain. In fact, I communicated to him that it seemed unethical for the municipality.”
-Was it challenging to negotiate the agreement among the three political forces?
“Not particularly, as the ACP had already pointed out the PSOE’s failure to adhere to the agreement. Ideologically, the three parties understand that we operate in a municipality where the average citizen generally cares little for political affiliations but rather desires well-maintained streets, attractive gardens, a clean city, and proper cultural, sporting events, and facilities for sports activities. At a local level, politicians must respond to the needs of the public, which is where the three parties found common ground. We recognise that the emergency situation faced by Puerto de la Cruz necessitated a unified vision, political adaptability, and consensus on the key issues that we need to address in the remaining time of our mandate for the benefit of the municipality.”
