MAYOR OF GAUCÍN DISAPPEARS THEN RESIGNSBy David Eade - Costa del Sol News
The Partido Popular mayor of Gaucín, Francisco Ruiz, has reacted angrily to PSOE claims that he has disappeared. He says he has gone on holiday with his wife to a Spanish coast and would return to the town hall this week.
He had bitter words for the spokesperson of PSOE at the town hall and his predecessor as mayor, Teodoro de Molina. Ruiz added he was considering taking legal action against him for insults and injury.
PSOE claimed in the middle of last week that Ruiz had disappeared. However the mayor says he simply had gone on holiday, was in contact with his first and second deputies by phone adding that they had now paid the municipal workers for January. He insisted he had a right to enjoy his holidays and PSOE had no right to doubt his honour or how he worked.
The surprise then came when Ruiz announced he was standing down as mayor and leaving the council. This prompted the secretary general of the Partido Popular in Málaga, Francisco Salado, to seek an urgent meeting with Ruiz to see why he had resigned although the party respected his right to do so.
After the last election PSOE and the PP formed an unlikely coalition to keep the Partido Andalucista from maintaining power. The PA was then led by former mayor Francisco Corbacho who has since been barred from office by the courts over misappropriating town hall funds. Teodoro de Molina led the PSOE-PP administration but first the PP withdrew and then the PA took back control by making Ruiz mayor.
De Molina is not backing down insisting that Ruiz had fled because of the chaos he had created at the town hall. The deputy mayor, Francisco Macias, last week said he did not know where the mayor was although they had spoken by phone.
CASA DEL REY MORO FACES EXPROPRIATION
The Casa del Rey Moro in Ronda that dates back to the 13 th century to the times of the Moors faces expropriation by the town hall. Mayor Antonio Marín announced the move after the German businessman who owns the property displayed banners from the dilapidated property’s roof on the Saturday before Easter.
The businessman’s posters demanded to know why the town hall had not given him permission to convert the building in to a five star hotel. However Marín countered that the problem was the deteriorated state of the property which is in the BIC listing of protected buildings. Various demands had been sent to the company that owns the historic site ordering urgent repairs to be carried out but they had not been complied with.
The mayor says that expropriating the building was the only way to prevent its eventual collapse adding: "We cannot permit this happening to a monument."
The mayor says he was not personally involved in the scenes at the Casa del Rey Moro on the Saturday when Jhoen Knie was arrested by local police and the offending posters removed. However he gave his full backing to the councillor for security, Rafael Lara, along with the local police. Marín insisted: "The businessman resisted arrest with sticks and with threats and the police took the necessary action."
On the delays in giving permission for the building to be converted in to a five star hotel – the first in the municipality – Marín stated that Knie was solely to blame. He likened his proposals for the conversion to a UFO and said they did not meet the requirement of the cultural authorities.
The row over Knie’s arrest will now pass to the courts. He has accused the police of illegal detention whilst the town hall is alleging he disobeyed police authority.
TWO MISSING
Ronda was pleased to welcome back the crowds who flocked to the town to see its celebrated Semana Santa processions with an estimated 18,000 lining the streets. This year there were two noticeable absences – the Gitanos brotherhood did not taken part as they are still in mourning for their senior brother murdered last year and the Legion who are currently stationed in Afghanistan.
ROAD WORKS
After a recent protest by 300 people from the Ronda La Vieja rural area the town hall has formed a commission with its farmers and Puerto Sauco to study the state of the local roads and lanes that have suffered major damage in the winter’s rains. Residents have found themselves cut off and a priority list of repairs is to be drawn up.
YOUTHS LOST
Five young people went missing on Good Friday whilst walking between Cortes de la Frontera and Benaoján. The Guardia Civil carried out a six hour search and they were eventually found at Los Llanos de Líbar on Easter Saturday. Two of the group from Cortes and the others from the Basque region lost their way in poor visibility whilst walking with their dogs.
MORE POWER
Málaga is investing 120,000 euros in a project to improve the power supply to Faraján and Pujerra. In Faraján 50,000 euros is being spent on the electrification of the Puerto del Colmenar whilst the balance will be spent on improving the electricity supply and installing street lighting in rural areas of Pujerra. Finance comes from funds to improve the infrastructure in small municipalities.
AVE DEFENDED
The mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, and his first deputy, Francisco Cañestro, have declared they will fight tooth and nail to ensure that the AVE high speed train link arrives in the town on schedule. They spoke out after Marbella council unanimously called for priority be given to bringing the rail connection to the coastal region first rather than Ronda and the Serranía.
PRAGUE UNI
The delegate of education and president of the foundation for links between universities, Lidia García, has been to the Czech capital Prague to promote Ronda as the place to learn Spanish. She visited Prague universities and signed an agreement that will see 25 students spending two months on intensive Spanish courses starting in September. The language school in Ronda caters for 200 pupils.
(c) above news is copyright of website and may not be copied by other newspapers.
