The vice mayor of Godella City Council (Valencia), the ‘popular’ Vicente Estellés, apologized this Thursday for an “out of place and unfortunate” comment he made in a municipal commission, during which he snapped at the Cuidem councilor Godella Irene Ferré: “You are so open, whenever you want we can have a threesome.”
Estellés apologized this Thursday during the ordinary plenary session held at City Hall for this “unfortunate” comment, which he assured was “out of place” and that he “should never” have “made”, and has insisted that “under no circumstances” “was directed toward some member of this corporation.”
The councilor has reiterated his apologies “to everyone present” in the commission for this “inappropriate comment that was not intended to be aggressive or humiliating,” according to the City Council in a statement.
Furthermore, during the plenary session this Thursday, the mayor, José María Musoles, announced the activation of the protocol against sexual and gender-based harassment that was approved by the City Council in February 2018 so that the facts can be investigated and ” responsibilities are cleared.”
The opposition groups -PSPV, Compromís per Godella and Cuidem Godella- demanded last Wednesday, after learning of the facts, the dismissal or resignation of the vice mayor and also councilor for Agriculture, Municipal Services and Festivals, after having made the aforementioned comment on September 21 in the Urban Planning and Municipal and Social Affairs commission, while discussing the suitability of an activity carried out in the municipality aimed at adolescents.
According to the opposition, some council members of the commission considered that this activity was not appropriate, something that Irene Ferré stated, after which the president of the session, Cristina Sarasqueta (PP), told her that we had to have “a more open mind.” “. The councilor of Cuidem Godella answered that she has “a more open mind than many members of the room.” It was then when, according to the story of these groups, the vice mayor said to the councilor the phrase: “You are so open, whenever you want we will have a threesome.”
The affected councilor, in statements to Europa Press, assured that she “expected more empathy” from the mayor and showed her “surprise” and “pity” because “she believes her councilor’s version” that the comment was not directed towards her. . That is, she stressed, this shows that the vice mayor “recognized that he said it.”
For its part, the PP of Godella denied the accusations made by the opposition towards Vicente Estellés, ensuring that “in a generic but never personalized tone, as can be seen from the statement issued by Cuidem Godella, he made an unfortunate comment that was in no way directed at towards Irene Ferré nor any other member of the consistory who was on the commission”.
