Icod de los Vinos: The mayor reports on the first two years in power

The Alternativa Icodense party was a real surprise in the last elections. It was their first time running, and they immediately gained the support of the majority of people. Javier Sierra, their leader, says that these two years in power have been "good, a time of change and renewal for the city, although it hasn't been easy." Their team has tried to lay a solid foundation for the future, review the budget, and make it more efficient. This has already borne fruit, but, as he himself admits, there is still much work to be done. He also emphasizes that he has been able to reach agreements with other major parties on important issues. And most importantly, he has ensured stability in the government thanks to the agreement with the Socialists, which was signed in January 2024, and the support of three independent deputies who help in resolving key issues, such as the budget.

- Do people feel these changes?

"Honestly, I'm satisfied because we are constantly communicating with people and feeling their support. It seems that in recent years, the city hasn't received as much investment as it does now. People see new recreation areas, playgrounds in Santa Bárbara, San Antonio, in the Plaza Andrés de Lorenzo Cáceres, in the La Florida, Las Abiertas, and La Candelaria areas. There are also ongoing works that will soon be completed, such as in the Youth Center, which is in the former house of the poet Emeterio Gutiérrez Albelo. We actively support local businesses, social, sports, and cultural organizations. We have provided the most funding in the history of the city council to help them in their activities."

- Have you managed to deal with the debt of 10 million euros that you discovered at the beginning of your work?

"We had debts to suppliers, banks, and unpaid bills amounting to about 10 million. We have been able to rectify the situation, although not everything has been done yet. We have tendered many contracts that expired 2, 3, 4 years ago, for the supply of goods, fuel, accident insurance, etc. This has helped us reduce debt and increase supplier confidence, which is very important. We did this through proper planning, and this gives us stability because it allows us to pay on time, demand that companies comply with the terms of contracts, and work calmly."

- When will the San Marcos beach be ready?

"We have been trying to speed up the restoration of San Marcos beach from the very beginning. Back in August 2023, we agreed to the project of the Government of the Canary Islands, which was lying on the table. The previous mayor, Francis González, blocked it back in 2021 due to disputes over which sand is better: crushed or natural. Those public discussions only led to the loss of public money. We unblocked this agreement at the city level and are constantly in contact with the governments of the Canary Islands and Spain to resolve this issue. Now everything depends on the Government of the Canary Islands, which must provide a report on the environmental impact assessment of the project so that the tender for the works can be announced and the beach can finally be restored. But there are obstacles along the way, and I want to believe that this is a coincidence, not political games, to harm the project and prevent us from restoring San Marcos beach. We have seen that Francis González traveled to Madrid on his own, without consulting the city council, to propose using ash from the La Palma volcano. This idea was previously proposed by José María Polegre when he was in opposition, but González, as mayor, rejected it. We do not understand this move, which only creates additional problems."

- With so many projects, what kind of beach will Icod de los Vinos eventually have?

"The beach that all residents of Icod dream of: with sand, where you can swim safely. This is exactly the beach provided for in the project approved by the Government of the Canary Islands. We are defending this project, which involves moving the pier so that water can once again freely leave the sand, as it once did. Now we are only waiting for permission for the environmental impact assessment report. We are also waiting for permission from Puertos Canarios, which depends on the Vice-Ministry of Infrastructure, and from the Consejo Insular de Aguas. Therefore, now is not the time to come up with new ideas that only delay the process, but the time to join forces and support the project that is almost completed, so that work can begin as soon as possible."

- Why is the Drago Visitor Center still not open?

"When we came to power, it was closed due to the lack of sewerage. In a few months, these works were completed, and now the building has its own sewerage network. We have even held some events there. But in order to open the Center as an exhibition hall, receive visitors, and tell them about the history of the city, we must wait for a court decision regarding the precautionary measure by the architect who designed the building, Fernando Martín Menis. He considers himself the author of the building, and therefore we cannot make changes to make it more accessible to people with disabilities, although this contradicts Spanish law. Until this issue is resolved in court, we cannot fill the building with exhibits and make it fully accessible, although this does not prevent us from using it from time to time."

- What will happen to the weekend market?

"Immediately after coming to power, we discovered some violations in its operation. For example, the market did not have civil liability insurance, we did not know how the places for the kiosks were distributed, and the food vendors did not have sanitary permits. In addition, we recently received a letter from the Commissioner for Transparency requesting information on the future of the market. Therefore, I requested a report from the state-owned company Icodtesa, which managed the market under the previous government. From this report, we learned that many bills were paid without permission, and the kiosks were chosen randomly. All documents have been handed over to the lawyers of the city council, who are deciding what to do next. The market will be restored when we develop new rules that will allow such events to be held transparently and legally."

- When you became mayor, you said that your main goal was to restore Icod de los Vinos to its status as an important city in the north of Tenerife. Do you think you are succeeding?

"I am very optimistic and believe that we are succeeding. We are improving relations with other cities in the region and with the Cabildo (local authority), to whom I offered land for the construction of the Titsa transport interchange. We must solve many issues together, regardless of our political views. I believe that I am succeeding in making Icod a model for others. People are talking about us because we support local businesses, hold interesting festive events, preserve our traditions, such as the San Andrés boards, and organize Christmas fairs. I am confident that our government is laying a solid foundation for Icod de los Vinos to once again become an important city not only in the northwest, but throughout the island. All this is thanks to proper planning, which is reflected in economic indicators, reduced unemployment, and the number of companies that continue to operate. Therefore, the answer is clear: Icod is on the map of Tenerife, and we will continue to work in this direction."

- What are your priorities now?

"We plan to repair roads in all areas for more than a million euros, because our road infrastructure is outdated and has not been invested in for more than twenty years. It is also necessary to repair the water supply. Our priority is to ensure that people suffer as little as possible from water interruptions, which have been going on for years and are becoming more frequent in the summer. We are making every effort and receiving support from the Cabildo of Tenerife. The main thing is to improve the basic infrastructure of Icod de los Vinos so that people can live here comfortably."

- Did you expect more support from the People's Party (PP), with which your party even negotiated a possible coalition?

"I want to separate the PP of Icod from the island PP and the regional government, because we have received great support from the councilors of these two administrations, with decisions and funding for various issues. But at the local level, the party stays away, does not express its position on our proposals, although we involved it in the development of the budget. It can be said that in almost 90% of cases they abstain or vote against. We don't like this, because we are trying to establish cooperation. I hope that the situation will change, because I have always been open to dialogue, as with CC (Canarian Coalition), which was not the case before."

- A few months ago, you reported insults because of your sexual orientation. Is there still homophobia in the city?

"I cannot say whether there is homophobia in the city as a whole. There are isolated cases, I myself have suffered from this. Probably, many people suffer from this anonymously, and this worries me. We must completely stop such actions in institutions and workplaces. Therefore, we have developed programs to ensure that respect for diversity is always a priority. Such behavior is unacceptable in any society, especially in a city that has always been an example of respect, tolerance, and coexistence."