It seems the regular get-togethers between the five Town Halls and the Island Council are now a thing of the past, after the three Partido Popular mayors walked out of the last meeting on Thursday, claiming they were a waste of time.
One of the first announcements of new Island President, Xico Tarres, after sweeping to power in 2007, was to create a regular trimester meeting with all of the Town Halls on the island to discuss further the key issues affecting the general public. However, as the ninth such meeting got underway, the mayors of San Antonio, Santa Eulalia and San Juan walked out after just fifteen minutes, leaving President Tarres with the Socialist mayors of Ibiza Town, – Lurdes Costa, and San Jose, – Josep Mari Ribas Agustinet.
In a hastily organised press conference the mayor of Santa Eulalia, Vicent Mari, explained they were no longer willing to partake in the charade any longer until they began to deal with the more serious problems which genuinely affected the island, including the modification of the Island Land Use Plan, the future of sa Coma, the marketing of Ibiza and the financing of the Town Halls. He said the issues which had so far been discussed were only of interest to the Island Council, claiming the idea was not to create some kind of show, have a photo taken and then leave with their pockets empty.
For his part the mayor of San Antonio, Jose Sala, said the subjects proposed by the PP mayors were never broached, and that their opinions were not taken into account. He said the whole spectacle was part of a plan by the Island Council to avoid criticism, as the “mayor’s meetings” were seen as a rubber stamp by the general public. However, he continued that whilst they had voiced their views on a number of subjects, their opinions were never taken into account.
Similarly, the mayor of San Juan, Antoni Mari Mari Carraca, said the proposed cycle lane on the San Juan-Santa Eulalia road, which he considered a top priority to most residents, had never been discussed, with the president choosing instead to talk about Consell related matters.
All of the mayors said they would be happy to continue the two-way dialogue, but only on the condition that their voices were heard and “real” issues started to be discussed.
President Xico Tarres revealed he had expected the reaction of the three PP-mayors, claiming their conduct was a giant step backwards for the island. He counteracted claiming that since the start of the meetings the three had only wanted to discuss what was important to them, excluding all other matters. He continued that in today’s political climate dialogue was even more important than ever, and that had been his intention when creating the forum.
