“There are characters like Echedey Eugenio who think they can come to a radio station, tailor a suit for me, and walk away unscathed while discussing management. Many of us are still waiting for an explanation regarding that theft of 80,000 euros from when he was the top representative at Jameos del Agua.”
“I don’t understand why people are surprised that I would like Alfredo Mendoza to be the mayor.”
“There are some gentlemen setting up a circus on the Ginory site, and I wonder if no local police have come to ask what that is.”
“Who would have thought it? But thank God Pedro San Ginés has come in to bring some order to that organisation.”
Cabildo Commerce Councillor Armando Santana’s Controversial Interview
The Commerce Councillor of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Armando Santana, did not come to make friends during his interview on the “Crónicas Radio” programme this Wednesday. Well, he did express support for the current General Secretary of Coalición Canaria (CC) in Lanzarote, Pedro San Ginés, from whom he thanked for taking the reins of the party, ensuring that the electoral list in Arrecife did not consist of just four councillors in the recent elections. However, it was the current Deputy Mayor of the capital, Echedey Eugenio, who was on the receiving end of his criticism. Santana stated that Eugenio should not be giving lessons when he turns a blind eye to irregularities like the circus now being set up at the Ginory site. He also pointed out that Eugenio was kicked out of Teguise and has dragged down Coalición Canaria. Santana also noted that, although he is loyal to the government pact formed by CC and the Partido Popular (PP), he believes it is not strange to consider the Socialist Alfredo Mendoza as the ideal mayor for his city.
Protagonism and Public Concerns
– This week you were mentioned frequently; initially by Echedey Eugenio, who claims you are seeking attention with your articles. Is this true?
– Not at all. I am a citizen of Arrecife; I have always expressed my views freely and will continue to do so. I do not live in Los Valles, nor am I from San Bartolomé, and I do not currently have my house in Costa Teguise. I am from Arrecife; I have always lived in Arrecife, and I care about what happens there, especially after last week’s devastating report released by the city council’s auditor. I expressed my opinion in an opinion piece, as I usually do when I have the time.
Criticism of the Mayor’s Failures
– You have criticised the over 1,000 objections that the Mayor of Arrecife had to address. Why?
– Because I believe it is an abnormal situation. We see that control exists, but some do as they please. The most blatant example, aside from the controversial Alejandro Fernández concert, is what is currently happening at the Ginory site. I do not know how they will label this latest activity.
– It’s a circus, and Echedey Eugenio commented on Monday that there is no contract for it.
– Exactly. And that seems normal to the Councillor of Finance and Deputy Mayor of the City Council. To him, it seems acceptable as one of the main officials of that council to appear on Crónicas Radio and say he is unaware of the circus being set up at the Ginory site without a contract, and he remains calm. He turns a blind eye as if nothing is happening. These are the issues that need to be reported. Citizens can no longer endure this, and some have approached my area of Citizen Participation asking for a sound level meter and an engineer to certify the noise they are enduring day after day. It is a huge shame that residents have to come to the Cabildo, which is another administration, to seek help because they can no longer tolerate the noise. The San Ginés festivities finish, and then they set up another celebration at the Ginory site, while the despotic Echedey Eugenio asserts he knows nothing about the contract. He is not just anyone; he is a member of that governing group. By the way, he passionately defends the Mayor of Arrecife in response to my opinion piece, even though I did not mention him at all. Then he comes on Crónicas and tries to tailor a suit for me. This event is being mounted without any documentation. It is a private event, and there is no request for administrative authorisation; as of today, the technicians are unaware of the technical project, there’s no civil liability insurance, and it is unclear whether there’s an occupancy licence for a public space that belongs to all the residents of Arrecife; no safety report is available…
Concerns Over Public Funds
– It seems the Cabildo could fund this event through Promotur, which would affect your institution with no budget.
– The worst part, in addition to the absence of any documentation, is the manner in which this is being handled, and that is what I am denouncing. If a governing body wishes to spend its entire budget on festivities, that is its responsibility, and then the electorate can decide if they approve of a mayor who throws parties. By the way, I have never insulted anyone or gone after anyone. The Mayor of Arrecife is my mayor. I do not meddle in whether they are spending more or less on celebrations. I am entirely against it, but I have not denounced it. What I am addressing is the manner of handling this situation. When a critical report from such an important technical officer, a public servant like the auditor, has shouted out that they are being stifled, we cannot normalise the situation. The most poignant example is this, where the pattern is the same. A company comes in, nobody knows anything, they set up, we allow them to because they are already considered acceptable, and therein lies the seriousness of the matter: it will happen regardless.
Local Inconsistencies
– If a resident begins to construct a pergola without permission, it is standard for the local police to open an investigation, yet here a large construction is happening without any licence.
– And with public money. I have the experience of four years in the Arrecife City Council and now in the Cabildo, and the technicians tell me that I should not dare to say or advance anything about what I have in mind because there is a process.
– Sometimes they are indeed cumbersome, but they are mandatory.
– But here are some gentlemen setting things up, and I wonder if local police have not stopped by to ask what it is. Has no local police officer, who do an excellent job, come to inquire about the certificates or permits? Because I have not seen any.
Counterarguments
– Echedey Eugenio claims that when you were a councillor during Astrid Pérez’s mayorship, objections were raised continuously.
– His claim of continuous objections is false, and the concept of objection exists to the extent that almost every month the objections to employee payrolls are lifted. Echedey Eugenio is accustomed to lying consistently. I do not criticise the lifting of one or two objections; what I am saying is that it is abnormal—and does not happen anywhere in the world—for 1,100 objections to be lifted over two years of legislature, many like this one because the objection concerning the circus will indeed be a reality.
– It is still unclear if there will be an objection since there is no documentation.
– As of today, the documentation has not arrived.
– You wrote another article stating you would like Alfredo Mendoza to be the Mayor of Arrecife. Many people find it surprising that you govern alongside CC and PP while expressing a desire for a PSOE mayor.
– I do not understand why people find this surprising. I joined the Cabildo because I was invited to be part of the governing group, and I am a person immensely loyal to the governing group, the president, and both parties, CC and PP. However, I am a person detached from those political organisations. Alfredo Mendoza is a socialist, but I speak of him from a personal standpoint, and that opinion piece was written as a resident of Arrecife.
– However, one cannot overlook that he is one of the prominent figures in the local PSOE.
– Yes, he is, but what I seek is something different. In the very article, I mention governing styles exemplified by Oswaldo Betancort or Astrid Pérez. I mention Alfredo Mendoza because he is the only opposition in Arrecife and received support from 9 councillors; because I know him and believe he is an honest, hardworking, and committed person, I think he could be a great mayor regardless of the interests of his party or mine. I also stated in that article that I would never run on an electoral list with the PSOE.
– Are you clearly stating that you will not join the PSOE in the upcoming elections?
– I am making that quite clear. I am an active person in politics. I am currently serving as councillor, but I have always had interests and initiatives and have demonstrated this on many occasions, voicing my opinion about a city I love which I believe is being destroyed.
– It seems there is always an ulterior motive. When someone who is part of a CC and PP government speaks positively of someone from the PSOE, they know it will have consequences.
– But I believe the situation is quite clear. I can express what I like while being the most loyal person to the governing group and, above all, to the political party. There are characters like Echedey Eugenio who think they can come to a radio station, tailor a suit for me, and remain unbothered while they talk about management. Many of us are still waiting for answers regarding that theft of 80,000 euros from when he was the top representative at Jameos del Agua. Do you know anything about that money? The security system that he had in place was to leave the vault key under a stone. Let’s also remember his whim for the bus for the Montañas del Fuego, which cost us a million euros. Where is that bus now? And a host of other issues. Then he tries to lecture me on the internal workings of a political party when he destroyed CC. This gentleman was expelled from Teguise and ruined CC. Who would have thought it? Thank God Pedro San Ginés has come in to restore a bit of order to that organisation. My chief request to this man is to have respect for people. You could ask him why he targets a government partner whom he has not even named. We have a discussion on this station every Friday, and I have never targeted him personally. I can criticise his political actions, but I do not attack him personally. He alleges that I, having been ousted from Arrecife by a handful of votes, should not voice my opinion. He should direct that comment to Leticia Padilla, who went from 3 to 0 councillors and garnered far fewer votes than I did. This is a man who, had it not been for Pedro San Ginés, would have ended up with just 4 councillors in the recent elections. He should not come here to talk to me about management or capability. I find it remarkable how he aggressively defends the Mayor of Arrecife.
– Well, he claims that the coalition in Arrecife is stronger than ever.
– Yes, apparently so.
