Leading the destinies of a people is not an easy task, I would be lying if I trivialized the dedication and trajectory of any public manager on an island like Lanzarote, whose population centers are dispersed over the geography permanently battered by the wind and thirst, eternal companions of the landscape burned by the volcanoes.
Leading the municipality of the Historic City of Yaiza has been a challenge for me, a project in which my entire team - regardless of ideologies - has come together to achieve a common goal: to improve the quality of life of the residents. For this we have dedicated our daily effort to invest in new infrastructures, improve existing ones, create niches in the tourist market, promote employability and training, contribute to culture, contribute to the provision of educational centers, offer alternatives to the leisure of our elders, respect traditions, enhance our natural resources, take care of the environment, promote the enhancement of our people and involve everyone - residents and visitors - in sports, in short, "add" in the present tense so that Yaiza is a town with personality and future.
This has been possible thanks to the implementation of an economic and social model that has yielded optimal results, always from the principle of rigor in the administration of economic resources, in the containment of superfluous spending, in the definition and achievement of the objectives that the higher bodies demanded of the municipality, assuming our most elementary commitments. Yaiza has gone from having a considerable debt - in 2012 it was close to 33 million euros - to not owing a single euro in 2018, which denotes the effort made not only from the Mayor's Office, but also from the workers themselves, whose dedication in times of budget restrictions was more than commendable.
We have focused on achieving the common goal described above, sometimes leaving aside the "demanded closeness with the neighbors, the constant presence in public events" to work for Yaiza. The success has been contributed by the independence of the political group that I lead in the City Council, not entering into partisan wars, not fighting in political disputes that lead to the instability of the municipal government and having as a final goal the well-being of the neighbors, providing the tranquility and security they demand from their closest Administration.
I have the satisfaction of a duty fulfilled, of having known how to join efforts, of efficiently managing resources for the benefit of the majority of the residents and the interests of Yaiza, seeking the prosperity that the municipality deserves and counting - always - on the "strength that the people themselves give us".
We have done nothing more than fulfill our obligation when applying to manage the municipality, so I hope that, in the next elections, the residents of Yaiza will once again bet on Unidos por Yaiza, UPY, because we still have a way to go to improve the system of social coexistence based on the principles of freedom, justice, solidarity, equity, respect and equality that our current Constitution advocates. Together, with that strength that the trust of the residents gives us, we will pursue greater efficiency of services, an improvement of endowments and infrastructures, the consequent fair distribution of employment and resources, in addition to a horizon plagued with the riches that Yaiza generates, for the benefit of the majorities.
The most difficult thing is already done. Let no one confuse you with those discourses referring to humanism, to the deification of man as the center of the universe, because what now prevails is to vindicate social values, contribute to improving the whole of society overwhelmed by materialism and anti-values.
We must assert our character as a people, our identity as an open, hardworking and united people. In this lies the strength of a politician, the same strength that has motivated the joint work of the councilors, the strength that the trust of the voters gives us, and I hope that, among all of us, "united and with strength" we will continue to be a management model for the rest of the municipalities of the Canary Islands.
Óscar Noda González, Mayor-President of the Historic City of Yaiza
