PSOE's Delgado to Hand Arico Mayoralty to PP's Martínez in Stability Pact

In a few days, likely on December 22nd (though the exact date is still unconfirmed), Olivia Delgado of the PSOE party will pass on her role as Mayor of Arico to Andrés Martínez of the PP party. This change is part of a stability agreement made after the 2023 local elections, where the PSOE won six council seats and the PP won two.

Mayor Delgado explains that the agreement was made to give the town a "solid direction" and shows a shared commitment to change. She stresses that Arico's stability is more important than party politics, and that the town's plans, management areas, and goals will stay the same. After 30 months as mayor, she will become the first deputy mayor, keeping her responsibilities for Finance, Treasury, Heritage, Security, and Institutional Relations.

Olivia Delgado highlights that over the past two and a half years, Arico has gone "from doing nothing to being financially sound." She calls this period an "unprecedented transformation," pointing to how the town's finances have been cleaned up and important projects, like the Plaza de la Villa, have finally moved forward.

She told this newspaper that "strict management has been our priority" because they inherited "hundreds of thousands of euros in unpaid bills." This debt means half a million euros from the almost 14-million-euro 2025 budget has to be used to pay it off. Despite this, she notes a 22.5% increase in the town's ability to invest, saying Arico "looks to the future with confidence, not with broken promises."

The outgoing mayor also criticized the "ridiculous" amount of money Arico receives for hosting the island's landfill, which causes "unbearable odors and pests." She reminded everyone that the City Council has asked the Cabildo (island government) for a "plan of action" to improve waste management and provide "fair" compensation.

Additionally, the City Council has publicly opposed making Arico a "Renewable Acceleration Zone." This would allow more wind and solar farms in a town Delgado believes is already "saturated" with them. She states, "The shift to green energy is needed, but not if it means destroying our farmland."

Speaking about the Plaza de la Villa project, which has been stalled since 2019, Mayor Delgado sees its restart as an act of "institutional responsibility." The cost to get it moving again, including debt and contract termination fees, is over 400,000 euros. She believes "doing nothing only made residents more frustrated." Now that the contract is sorted, work is being done to restart construction and open the plaza "as soon as possible."

Looking back at her 30 months in office, the former socialist senator lists several achievements. These include the "largest asphalt paving plan in recent times," costing three million euros, and the "first historic contract" for maintaining public spaces. This contract is for 725,000 euros annually over five years, aiming to ensure "every corner of Arico gets the care it deserves."

She also calls water management an "absolute priority." "We've put over four million euros into upgrading the water networks to fix problems that have lasted decades," she explains. "This means that, at last, more than 1,000 families in different parts of the town will have a proper water supply, and we're making good progress on essential sanitation projects in El Porís and Las Maretas."

The mayor is also pleased with the investment of over 500,000 euros to renovate 13 playgrounds, making them "safer and more modern." She also highlights the commitment to helping families balance work and life through programs like ConciliArico, early school drop-off and late pick-up options, and summer and Christmas camps.

Delgado points out that these family programs are "free, which is a major achievement, as Arico families have never had these services before." She describes this effort as "making politics with heart, easing financial strain, and making working life easier."

Looking ahead to future challenges, Mayor Delgado admits "there's still work to do." She sees the main task as keeping up the pace of investment and strengthening major projects, especially getting large construction works completed. As she finishes her time as Mayor of Arico, she is confident that the town is "much better" than it was two and a half years ago, and she assures that its direction is "firm and clear."