PSOE criticise Estepona mayor

A PRESS release from the PSOE office in Estepona has criticised Mayor Jose Maria Garcia Urbano, for apparently commissioning a statue by Madrid sculptor Santiago de Santiago to place on the roundabout at the junction of Avenida Juan Carlos 1 and Calle Cristobal Ruiz Mendez, at a cost of €48,279.

It is said that the mayor signed the contract in his capacity as ‘Mayor President’, a position which enables him to dispose of sums of money without the need for consultation with the council members.

“This is in our opinion a perfect example of the autocratic style of the current leader,” said Councillor Manuela Benitez, Leader of the PSOE Group of Estepona Council. 

“It seems as if the mayor was imagining himself already as an MP in Madrid when he signed off such a large sum of public money.”

Councillor Benitez stated the PSOE was in no way opposed to augmenting the cultural patrimony of the town, but added that spending money on culture as with anything else should be subject to public knowledge and democratic approval.

The mayor was elected to the Cortes in Madrid in December’s elections, and the opposition group questions whether he will be able to serve adequately in both positions, although he may have to campaign again, if no national government is formed.