“I’m more Canarian than gofio”, clarifies Emilio Lentini to clear up the doubts that his last name can generate. Born in La Cuesta and resident in Arona for 42 years, his life has been linked to neighborhood associations and participatory movements. He is one of the founding members of the Plataforma Pro Hospital Público del Sur, which was created more than three decades ago. Now, at 73 years of age, this athlete, who continues to train every day, is preparing for a long-distance race on the tartan of politics, which he has not trodden until now: he will be Fuerza Canaria’s candidate for Mayor of Arona .
-Why did you decide, at this point in your life, to take the plunge and enter politics?
“We have been with the Grupasca neighborhood and business association for nine years, in Playa de Las Américas and Los Cristianos, and we have no response to the demands that we have raised with the City Council. We have presented projects and only received a few pats on the back and appointments for long-term meetings. In June we came to the conclusion that if we are not in the system, things will not change. That is why we are trying now through political means. We held meetings with the dissidents of the PSOE and also with the PP and CC, but we told them that Grupasca was not there to fill in. At that moment, the idea of creating Fuerza Canaria arose, and I set three conditions: there must be no distinction between colors, races or genders”.
-Where is Fuerza Canaria located from the ideological point of view? Is it a party of the left, of the right, of the center, nationalist…?
“We do not have a specific ideology, although I assure you that we are neither extreme left nor extreme right. We come from associations, our base is popular and the only thing we want is to improve the situation of the municipality. None of those who will appear with me on the electoral board has ever held a political office. We are not more of the same and our objective is to reach the City Council and have the possibility of governing. We think that an absolute majority is not within the reach of any political force, so we will talk to all the parties that want to improve Arona, forgetting about the initials”.
-He assures in his campaign slogan that he will give up his salary if he is elected mayor. Because?
“I am retired, I have a pension and that gives me enough to eat, play sports and travel. In the first budget that we prepare, the item of 73,000 euros for the mayor’s salary will no longer appear and we will allocate that amount to social activities. This is how we will sign it next Friday with the associations and before a notary”.
-What projects do you propose to improve the quality of the residents of Arona?
“In terms of housing we have a plan for workers, we want to develop environmental projects such as a promenade between Ten-Bel, Las Galletas and El Palm-Mar or Los Tarajales, as well as protect marine fauna from Las Galletas to the Scratch tip. Regarding traffic, we propose a bus service from population centers to work centers with different routes. But we also have to improve primary care, they have been asking for a new center in Los Cristianos and another in Las Galletas for 12 years. We want to promote a socio-cultural and sports center in the open air, a hospitality school that can be public or subsidized and promote daytime leisure on the beaches so that bathers enjoy more time in these spaces”.
-With the reactivation of tourism after the pandemic, traffic problems have returned in the South. Where does the solution go?
“That is one of the great concerns of the party and we work to provide solutions in areas such as Guaza or Los Cristianos. We have contacted several architects and one of them, Chus del Real, has made us a pre-project for the entrance to Los Cristianos from the motorway, which is one of the critical points that will also get worse when El Mojón goes ahead with the squares hotels to be built.
-What do the people on the street and the social groups with whom you have met transmit to you?
“They complain about lack of cleanliness, insecurity, they demand better public transport, more social and health places for the elderly, more effective social services and a more complete leisure offer for youth. We are also criticized for the situation of paralysis of the City Council and the attitude of the councilors who have left the government group and who have stopped beneficial projects for Arona”.
-What reading do you make of the rupture of the government group, practically before reaching the equator of the mandate?
“A wonderful opportunity has been wasted and it has not been a positive for Arona. It is a council that works poorly, with procedures that take years to resolve, which affects the economy of the municipality. This mini-government tries to promote projects that are not going to be carried out and the citizens must be told: listen, I have these projects, but I do not have a majority to carry them out even though they are good for the municipality”.
-You were one of the founders of the Platform for the Southern Public Hospital. How do you assess the announcement by the Government of the Canary Islands to invest 40 million euros and expand its surface?
“We knew that this announcement would come before the elections, but to me it sounds like another hoax. We want the Hospital del Sur to be third level, but independent from La Candelaria in terms of budgets and financial resources. That line was already marked by the former Minister of Health Teresa Cruz and we always support her ”.
