Orihuela Mayor Sacks Cultural Councillors

The councillors of the PSOE, Cs and Cambiemos Orihuela, Aynara Navarro, Mar Ezcurra and Leticia Pertegal, respectively, have harshly criticised the mayor of Orihuela, Pepe Vegara, for dismissing the independent councillors of Orihuela Cultural at the Local Government Board, María Espinosa, Aitor Larrabide and Juan José Sánchez Balaguer, who have been replaced by Joaquín Marzá, Pilar Fabregat and Maria Pilar Cases.

This dismissal, which opposition groups reject, comes after the resignation of the company’s Manager, Ramón Gabín, and after several controversies within the board of directors of Orihuela Cultural.

For the spokesperson of Cambiemos Orihuela, Leticia Pertegal, “this arbitrary and unfair decision fuels the chaos of this society and once again makes the government team look ridiculous, since they are not capable of recognising their own mistakes and the disastrous management that is being carried out in the commercial sector”. The councillor also expresses her utmost respect to the dismissed councillors and thanks them for their management and good judgment in these months that they have been members of the municipal company. For Pertegal, three new councillors have been sought who will only see, hear and remain silent, in order to please the government team.

Mar Ezcurra, councillor for Ciudadanos, has regretted that the mayor, Pepe Vegara, “has carried out the threat made by the Councillor of Culture, Gonzalo Montoya, to a councillor, thus coming to recognise that the councillors vote for what PP and Vox want, or they revoke them.” In Ezcurra’s opinion, “it is embarrassing that the independent councillors are replaced by two people who were part of the PP and Vox lists and who are willing to replace those who have been dismissed for not lowering their heads and obeying the orders of Mayor, in a classic dictatorial fashion.

On behalf of the Socialist Group, councillor Aynara Navarro has pointed out “in no case can we share the idea that the directors who have been revoked have acted in a lax manner or have infringed the duties of loyalty to society. Rather, the contrary, they have worked in pursuit of the culture of this municipality, which has become increasingly decadent since this Department fell into the hands of Mr. Montoya and now they are trying to be held responsible in a tortuous way for their mismanagement.”

It must be remembered that, as stated by the government team “since the beginning of the activity in this legislature of Orihuela Cultural, episodes of disagreements have been continuously occurring, absolutely valid in the exercise of the power that corresponds to the councillors, more are coming producing limitations in the daily functioning of said municipal society that is affecting in these last moments the very essence of the ultimate goal of the same, that is, to carry out the cultural programming that both the society has the obligation to offer and the city of Orihuela requires.