Four years ago, ERC surpassed Junts by only 312 votes in an election in which up to 13 candidates participated and in which the Republican Aurora Carbonell took over the mayoralty. She has been the first mayoress of Sitges. They ended up agreeing on ERC, PSC, Sitges Grup Independent, Guanyem Sitges and El Margalló. The mayoress assures that “the five parties have gotten along very well”, although she does not want to advance what her priorities would be when it comes to agreeing in June. On 28-M, 13 candidacies compete again.
In the balance of these four years, Carbonell recalls the difficulties endured by storm Gloria, the pandemic or the war in Ukraine. Sitges has welcomed some 350 refugees, and more than thirty children have been educated. It has been one of the Spanish municipalities that has welcomed the most Ukrainians. They have also highlighted policies to minimize the difficulties in finding affordable housing in this tourist municipality. Three subsidized rental housing developments have been developed, with a total of 175 apartments. The keys for 105 have already been delivered and the rest are planned for before the end of the year. Procedures have also begun to build the new football field and the music school building, and to convert the old Board of Trustees into a public bookstore and literary center.
Building more affordable housing, maintaining public roads and promoting new economic sectors such as audiovisuals are Carbonell’s priorities for the future. The controversial government action in the face of the lack of sand on the beaches, the cleanliness, the renewal of concessions for beach services, illegal accommodation or the top blanket have irritated local economic associations.
The head of the opposition, Mònica Gallardo (Junts), assures that this mandate has been characterized by “misgovernance, inaction and loss of opportunities.” She considers it essential to “order the public thoroughfare (cleanliness, mobility and security) and address courageous public housing policies.” Gallardo is willing to agree “with whomever she commits to recover Sitges following the strategic lines of our program.”
