The debate of candidates for mayor of Mataró (Maresme) broadcast on municipal television focused a large part of the interventions on the lack of security and electoral promises to achieve a decrease in criminal activity, as well as on the measures to adopt to prevent illegal occupations of housing. Six mayors participated: David Bote (PSC), Pim Camprubà (ERC), Sergi Morales (En Comú Podem), Cristina Sancho (Ciutadans), Alfons Canela (Junts) and Joaquim Fernández (Mataró Ens Mou) with the quota of electoral rights from PDeCat.
The format of the debate, which most of the time was directed with questions arising from the electoral programs themselves, which the moderator addressed to the mayors, did not give rise to excessive confrontations between the political formations. Hence, the issue of occupations and crime occupied a large part of the broadcast. In this sense, the only one who defended the work carried out so far was the socialist candidate, David Bote, who noted the decrease in the number of illegal home occupations and the increase in arrests.
Bote proposed a second police station in the old Menéndez y Pelayo school, which earned him criticism from the rest of the parties. Alfons Canela blurted out that “it is a fantastic proposal without foundation, without having spoken with the Generalitat.” Morales, his government partner, told him to sign up for “the race to release the biggest proposal (…) the thing about the police station is to frivolize with security.” Pim Camprubà accused him of masking “the absolute failure of security policies” when there is “a 26% increase in crimes.” Fernández attributed the proposal to an attempt to “pass the security problem to another administration, more police stations are not needed, just more agents” and Cristina Sancho criticized “for throwing balls outside, knowing that the Generalitat will say no to a new police station”. .
To questions from the moderator, there was also an impact on the occupations, a problem for which the representative of Ciutadans blamed the ERC, PSC and Podem “for refusing to modify the law” in Congress and the Republicans for “influencing the socialists so that they avoid the hardening†of judicial actions. From Junts, Alfons Canela advocated modifying the legislation and regretted the “lack of agreement in Parliament to provide communities of owners with legal tools” but recalled that, however, “city councils are empowered for evictions.”
Mayor Bote disgraced ERC, which while in Mataró is critical of security policies in “the Generalitat does not make any effort to help” and recalled that since 2016 “we are fighting alone against the occupations.” Hence, Mataró led the project to propose a new law against occupations, to legislate against criminal recidivism. The current mayor proposed expanding the number of agents with joint operations with the Mossos d’Esquadra.
“We can’t go quietly down the street in Mataró†affirmed Pim CamprubÃ, while Alfons Canela softened the Republican’s affirmation, assuring that “there is no security, but Mataró is not the Bronxâ€. The mayor of Ciutadans held the government directly responsible for insecurity and the extreme left parties for making proposals to prevent without tackling the problemâ€. Thus, Sergi Morales, from En Comú Podem, analyzed that crime and occupations are a consequence “of poverty and vulnerability” and stated that “it has been shown that occupations would be reduced if people had housing and “if the unemployment, so would the crimesâ€.
In the other blocks of the debate, the current mayor opted to avoid the concentration of nightclubs in Pla d’en Boet, solve the inconvenience to the neighbours, diversify leisure with new initiatives and promote festivals. “We must generate new spaces for nightlife and propose new offers.” The Ciutadans candidate, Cristina Sancho, lamented that the government “has a loser’s mentality” and that it is not committed to dialogue with nightlife businessmen “who are willing to regulate the situation.”
All the mayors agreed on the need to promote the seafront as an attraction. “We are the only big city between Marseille and Barcelona with a sea and we just can’t believe it†snapped Quim Fernández. “We don’t know how to sell Mataró†criticized Alfons Canela, who proposed the creation of a “powerful†Yacht Club, to revitalize coastal activity. Sergi Morales was in favor of promoting the port and the nautical industry.
In other aspects, the mayor of the PSC, asserted with the commitment to build 1,000 apartments in the next term, with 30% of subsidized housing in the large lots under development. The Ciutadans candidate criticized the proposal, “if in eight years they have only achieved 40 floors, they are fooling us with the thousand.”
The PSC’s government partner, Sergi Morales, did not welcome the proposal either and accused Bote of “cheating” when calculating that the public affordable rental housing stock could be expanded by 300 floors. Fernández, for his part, claimed “municipal property apartments for homeless people†who, after going through social services, do not have a roof. Camprubà accused the government of “inaction†when four years ago they asked to negotiate with Sareb to recover 260 flats. Sancho returned to disbelief: “In four years of meetings to promote the new general plan, the mandate ends without deciding anything.” If, on the other hand, it existed, there was political unanimity in the need to reach a great consensus with the Pla de l’Habitatge and the Urban Plan, “fleeing from expansive urbanism” as the candidate from Mataró ens Mou pointed out.
Regarding possible agreements between political forces to guarantee governability, ERC insisted that “we are going to replace David Bote” and asserted that “we can hardly agree with the Socialists, no, we will not agree with the PSC”. From Mataró Ens Mou, Joaquim Fernandez once again showed his predisposition to govern, which means that they do not close to any pact.
Municipal television also gave voice to parties without municipal representation. Thus, Mercè Casas, from the Front Nacional, proposed “more police and more resources†to fight against incivility. AlÃcia MartÃnez, from Valents, criticized “their management for 40 years” and called for more security and fewer occupations. Mónica Lora, from Vox, clamored to eradicate home invasions and reduce crime and degradation. Carlos GarcÃa, from the CUP, asked for the vote for “a dignified future and not be slaves to precariousness” and Cristian Escribano “to put an end to a black stage” of crime, dirt and chaos.
