Gael RodrÃguez has imbibed in Casa David, the family bar that his great-grandparents founded in the middle of the post-war period in Portbou and that his parents now run, of the virtues that he considers basic and essential to be a good mayor: listening and serving. “Being a waiter is not just bringing a coffee to the table, sometimes we are also psychologists, other times comedians; at the bar I actually learned to know how to listen and to serve, qualities that anyone who wants to run for public office must have”, explains a plethoric, who at the age of 19 will become the youngest mayor on June 17 from Spain, and assures that also from Europe. It is enough to see him in action at the business where, at just 10 years old, he was already helping his grandmother in the kitchen, to realize the connection he has with the clientele, both regulars and passers-by , which in the border and railway town there are quite a few.
Gael has broken several barriers in these elections to be early in many aspects: it was the first time he could vote, also the first time he led a candidacy, that of Sumem for Portbou, linked to the PSC, a party in which he has been active since November of 2020, and against all odds he became the youngest municipal winner. The candidacy, which began to forge a year and a half ago – when he was still a minor – obtained six councilors, compared to the three from the list of Ara Portbou (Together), which repeated with the current mayor Xavier Barranco . So, he will govern with an absolute majority “It was a surprise for me”, explains the Law student at the UOC, a distance modality that gives him freedom to help the family business when his parents need him and, now, exercise ‘mayor of a town of just over 1,000 inhabitants.
He is not the only member of the family who has made inroads into politics, but he is the one who has gone the farthest. He explains that in 1991 the father presented himself “with a list of friends”; the grandfather stood for Entesa dels Portbouencs in the first democratic elections and was about to enter the plenum, and the great-grandfather, who was a sergeant in the republican carabinieri, was a socialist militant in the underground. “At home there has always been a politicized atmosphere”, he explains.
The youth, who at first thought it would be “a handicap”, has become an ally. He says he has the energy of forty and, although he still has a lot to learn about day-to-day management, he is convinced that with the team and the advice he has already started to receive from other politicians who have an advantage, the landing in the Administration will be more placid. The historian, mayor of Torroella de Fluvià for 44 years, also from the PSC, was one of the first to congratulate him and made himself available. His advice, from veteran to novice: “Humility, generosity and determination.”
