He is facing elections for the third time and a possible third term at the hands of a stable team. He defends that Sí se puede has never been a candidacy for transfers or revolutionary changes. Rather, she bets on continuity and that is also a guarantee that the style is maintained and that everyone contributes. She is aware that obtaining an absolute majority is difficult, especially in Buenavista del Norte. For this reason, the current mayor, Antonio González Fortes, makes it clear that the people who decide to bet on Sí Se Puede are going to have a municipal group that represents them in the City Council, and whether from the Government or from the opposition, they will do a job “serious and rigorous”, he stresses.
-They have just finished the assemblies for the different neighborhoods to review the government’s attack. What do the neighbors tell you?
“First of all, they appreciate the closeness, because it is not done in a rally format and, therefore, that essence that Sí se puede has always had, governing or not, is not lost, of transmitting what has been fulfilled and what has not of the electoral program. They also tell us that they missed it, since COVID forced them to be interrupted, and that it is not “normal” for a government to tell in such a direct and straightforward way the aspects in which it has been successful and what remains earring. It has also helped us to listen to some demands and to explain the reasons why some of them are still not a reality”.
-What percentage of the electoral program has been fulfilled?
“I dare not give a figure, but, as a result of a campaign based on hoaxes by the PSOE, we have reviewed that good governance guide with which we attended in 2019 and we have worked on practically all the points. We have complied with those included in that pact with CC. And I say that it is based on hoaxes because many times these breaches ignore data that they themselves know to justify an approach that is not real, as with the works of the municipal cinema, which we have denied with public documents to which the PSOE has access ”.
-Would you repeat the pact with CC?
“Yes, I think it has worked correctly. Sí se puede has always been accused of not being able to reach agreements with other parties, that we were intransigent and have shown that we are capable of fulfilling our agreements and betting on the development of the municipality in a satisfactory manner. And, in this sense, both CC and Sí Se Puede have fulfilled the loyalty that we promised to the people of Buenavista. The PSOE cannot say the same”.
-During this mandate, there has been a record of subsidies from different administrations. Was it hard to get them?
“If we can boast of something, it is that a very high percentage of these subsidies are due to competitive bidding, which means that our management projects are liked. Many times when we talk about subsidies it is done in a political key and not a management one, and in our case, it is the opposite. And we have also been able to reach agreements with both the Cabildo and the regional government”.
-Does the neighbor perceive that turnaround that has taken place in the services, especially in the social ones?
“Yes, obviously he perceives that there is a much greater offer of services. We have stated that social services cannot only be assistance in the event of a social emergency, but rather they have to be proactive and improve people’s quality of life. The pandemic showed the tougher face of loneliness, especially for the elderly, and precipitated all that work. Now we not only have an accompaniment service, but psychological assistance for them, physiotherapy at home, the number of workers and revitalization have been increased. As for childhood, we have opened the nursery school and it is linked to the rest of the services for the little ones that allow conciliation”.
-In terms of heritage, is there also a before and after with Sí se puede?
“Of course. There the work of Esteban Lorenzo is revolutionary, because he has known how to take all the initiatives and give them visibility. It is a work that was developed in the 90s, but had been left there. In 2011, when we came to the Government, we began to loosen up that work that was interrupted in the previous term, when we did not govern. So we took all the base we had and built on it. This recovery is already a reality, the culmination of which is the old cemetery, the only part that remains of the old convent”.
