I am writing to you, solely and exclusively as a resident of the municipality of Yaiza, to reiterate once again my absolute rejection and condemnation of the democratic perversion into which you have plunged municipal life.
To be fair, I must emphasize that your responsibility, among other aspects due to your training, extensive experience, and personal leadership, is much greater than that of the other participating councilors, who, with the exception of your second-in-command with more than 20 years of political experience, have been led to commit an error of dimensions that they probably do not yet understand today.
Your political strategy aimed at securing the mayoralty in the next legislature has crossed all tolerable limits in politics, which are not few. Using a football analogy, I would describe it as a "direct red card". I would venture to suggest that it may even be the subject of a thesis in Political Science in the future regarding defection at the local level.
I must clarify that both you and the other councilors involved are free to leave their respective formations and form a new party. We all know that familiarity breeds fondness, and that is perfectly understandable. I do not dispute or doubt it. However, what is not legitimate is to adulterate the rules of the game with the consequent damage to the already deteriorated image of the democratic system at the municipal level that others are striving to reinforce.
In this sense, what is most striking about everything that has happened is that in our municipality we intend to go against the current. Now that there is finally some unanimity among all political forces about the need for greater transparency at all levels, you justify your conduct by claiming that "they do not want to be accountable to anyone". They will have their reasons.
When you claim that you want to govern Yaiza "above party lines", I want to remind you that your governing group has not suffered any interference from the group of political forces that have left. On the contrary, they have been given excessive room for action, in our case to benefit municipal stability. The framework that has been cooked up during the legislature casts serious doubts on the work of mutual control that governing in coalition entails. And, in light of the facts, it is evident that this has not been the case.
Another empty argument alleged by you is that you are only interested in Yaiza and its residents but nothing else. Unfortunately, as you know perfectly well, we are part of a composite State, where different administrations and a complex framework of competences overlap. In the particular case of Yaiza, it is not even in a position to individually satisfy many of the competences assigned to it by the Law on the Bases of Local Government. As for the issue of financing and other infrastructures that the municipality has to undertake, the same applies.
Finally, I would like to remind you of something so important that anyone who wants to participate in public life, regardless of their ideology or ideas, should always bear in mind: no one is indispensable and institutions must be above individuals. Obviously, we are all irreplaceable for our family, friends, and neighbors. You too, but do not think that you are the only one capable of running the City Council in conditions.
Another problem will be that all those well-qualified residents of our municipality do not want to know anything about active participation in public life because of behaviors like yours, which do so much damage to the credibility of democracy.
I simply ask you to reflect and act accordingly.
Sincerely,
Salvador Martínez, resident and head of the Popular Party in Yaiza.