Monday, May 15, 2023, 00:07
Said of a person or thing that is considered uncommon or for having some characteristic that differentiates them from others of the same species. This is how the RAE defines the concept ‘rare bird’. A concept of Latin origin that, of course, jumps from the world of zoology and escapes a multitude of areas. Also the politician. Who would have thought that a region like Vega Baja, traditionally conservative and where detachment from Valencia is preached, was going to win Compromís? Or who would say that today, after Albert Rivera’s electoral crash in 2019, there are still Ciudadanos mayors in office? Well yes, there are and they have names. José Vicente Fernández is the first mayor of Daya Vieja for the coalition headed today by the vice president of the Generalitat, Aitana Más, and Rosa García, in Benejúzar, is the only cane held by the oranges in the extreme south of the Community.
With the difficult mission of repeating the dream, both share for THE TRUTH what they have learned in these years in office. “They have been very intense with a DANA, the covid and a war with inflation that has put investments such as paddle tennis courts at risk.” Now, says Fernández, what has hindered him the most, he assures, is the inheritance. “We found ourselves with a debt of 4 million in a City Hall with a budget of 680,000, which led us to the intervention of the Treasury.” A situation that he blames, without a doubt, on his new rival on 28-M, Rafa Vives, former PP mayor of this town, the smallest in population in Vega Baja. “He has gone through all the parties, from the PP he went to Ciudadanos, he has been a non-attached councilor and now he returns to the PP after they did not accept him in Vox.”
Now, he has cut the debt in half and undone, he says, some ‘gifts’ from his predecessor. «We have converted the two-story building that was left for only two local police officers into a medical office; We have renewed the sewage system, put LED lighting on rural roads, promoted the first energy community and rescued sports facilities destroyed by DANA”.
«We find ourselves with a debt of four million for a budget of 600,000 euros and we have reduced it in half»
Jose Vincent Fernandez
Mayor of Daya Vieja
Of ideology, ditch, “progressive”, “non-believer”, but staunch defender of the culture -also religious- of his people, he came to know Compromís “with mistrust”, but after four years he does not regret it at all. What’s more, he says he distances himself from the “most radical wing” of his party and that, thanks to him, his people have a voice in Valencia. In fact, he boasts of a “direct thread” with Aitana Más and Ximo Puig. “Without that relationship, it would have been impossible for such an indebted municipality to have been able to move things forward.” In his portfolio, thus, after 28-M he has two clear things: to make a “sustainable” expansion of the town and to improve the water network and make it more resilient against floods. In particular, he points to the drinking water network, “which in the 21st century is still made of lead,” he remarks.
Objectives at the scale of small municipalities that are not far from those set by the mayoress of Benejúzar, Rosa María García. Large mother and lawyer by profession, her objective if she consolidates her municipality as an orange bastion is the construction of a new nursery school and the remodeling of the Plaza de España. “It is also necessary to beautify its roundabouts and for the Radio Museum to become a reality that allows Benejúzar to have a differentiating element as a cultural and tourist destination in the Valencian Community,” she shares excitedly.
promotion of trade
García agreed to the Consistory eight years ago and recognizes that holding the command staff in these last two (the result of a pact with the PSOE) has not been easy. Especially due to challenges such as the pandemic that have forced more economic effort into local businesses. “I think we have given it a strong boost as a result of continuous work with the merchants’ association that has resulted in a strong economic impact.”
«We have given an enormous tourist projection to the pilgrimage of El Pilar with the declaration of regional interest»
Rosa Maria Garcia
Mayor of Benejuzar
However, she places her great achievements as first mayor in the cultural area. «We have developed many and varied activities for all sectors of the population. Much-needed works have also been carried out, such as the comprehensive remodeling and expansion of the Plaza de España playground, or the reconstruction of the municipal slaughterhouse as a cultural interpretation center, the creation of a playroom or the comprehensive reform of the camp changing rooms. soccer,” he lists.
However, the achievement of which he boasts the most is the resonance that the patron saint festivities have acquired. “We have given them a huge tourist projection after cataloging our festivals and the Pilar pilgrimage as festivals of regional tourist interest,” recalls the councilor. And that adds to other recognitions such as the quality seal of ‘L’exquisit Mediterrani’ to the Benejúzar Experience, the creation of the local gastronomic brand, the Benejúzar ball, or the creation of the prestigious book of the Camino del Pilar.
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