Marcos Serra: A New Chapter for San Antonio

38 year old Marcos Serra became the new Mayor of San Antonio – Ibiza’s 2nd largest municipality – on Saturday 15 June 2019. Here is his inaugural speech in full where he lays out his clear vision for San Antonio for the next 4 years.

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Ladies and gentlemen, good morning and thank you for participating in this important institutional act.

We have just witnessed the constitution of the new municipal Corporation. A very significant institutional act that awakens different feelings in all of us. The first for me, without doubt, is gratitude, because I feel an infinite gratitude to all the citizens who, with their vote, have placed their trust in us to form a new government in San Antonio for the next 4 years. My first words are for them, and also for all those who legitimately supported others who will represent them in this new Corporation, because as public officials we owe it to our neighbours above all else.

In this legislature our greatest commitment is to respond to this trust with hard work, dedication and enthusiasm to improve our municipality.

I also want to express my gratitude to all the councillors who have previously been part of this Corporation and who with their effort and dedication have worked to improve and defend the interests of San Antonio. I am convinced that this new Corporation will also work with the firm commitment to always seek the best for our municipality.

Also to my fellow party members for their help and trust and, in particular, to the representatives of the municipal popular party – Ignacio Andrés, Norberta Sánchez and Francisco Montilla who were guided with the invaluable experience of Pepe Sala and Lidia Prats – who today leave aside their political journey but with their hard work have left a great mark on both the City Council and the entire municipality.

Also thanks for the support and trust of the councilors of Proposta per Eivissa (PxE) and Ciudadanos (C’s) to form this government that has as it’s main commitment to work for our neighbours and give a new impetus for the improvement to San Antonio.

Above all, my greatest gratitude is to my family, to my parents and brothers, to my partner and to my friends and colleagues who have supported me and made it possible for me to be here with all of you as Mayor of San Antonio. They are the ones who have given me the necessary strength to fight to carry out our project for San Antonio.

Being here today before you gives me a feeling of enormous responsibility. Representing our people and our town gives me huge pride and is a position that I will assume with honour, honesty and rigour. From now I will be the mayor of all, regardless of political party.

The work of these next 4 years will always be done with honesty, responsibility and respect. Honesty in each step and the decisions that we take as representatives of the citizens of San Antonio. Responsibility at every moment of our work which will be carried out with humility and closeness. And respect to achieve, always with dialogue and collaboration, the greatest consensus for the future of our people.

And if we maintain one thing, above all, it is the close relations with our local residents because we will not forget that we are at your service and, therefore, from now on everyone will find their home in the town hall.

In this sense, the first step we will take and which is effective as of this moment is to open the doors of this council so that our neighbours feel heard. The City Council is the institution closest to the citizens and all those who need help will be attended as appropriate, always offering real solutions, as this is our main obligation as a public office.

The three political parties have created a solid government program with projects and challenges that are fundamental for our municipality and that from today will begin to be a reality.

We all agree that we want a change to achieve the improvement of San Antonio. We want it to become a reference tourist destination and a place of coexistence for all residents. For this, we will carry out important investments such as the creation of an auditorium and a sports complex that promote the culture and sport of our municipality, as well as the reconversion of the old town of San Antonio with a remodelling project that includes measures such as change of pavement, lighting and street furniture.

Measures that facilitate the growth of small and medium companies and the diversification of the tourism sector, which is the beginning of the economic reactivation of our town. We will help the small and medium companies and we will promote public investment policies to accompany the one that is already being carried out by the private sector in recent years.

In this legislature there will be investments but also an improvement of day-to-day management. We want a future project for San Antonio that starts by improving services to citizens. We want our neighbours and tourists to walk through a municipality with clean and safe streets and therefore we will do our best to make these services work.

We will promote security with effective measures increasing the police presence, we will prioritise the actions against intrusiveness that guarantee the security in the municipality and we will promote the public-private collaboration in the most conflictive points of the tourist season.

It is fundamental that we have a clean municipality and we will put all our efforts to carry out an exhaustive control that guarantees the fulfillment of the cleaning contract and the improvement of the working conditions of the workers. We also want a more sustainable municipality and we will promote the use of renewable energies with a council tax bonus for properties that install these systems.

The urban planning department deserves special mention. For us it is essential that it has a good performance and one of our first actions will be to implement an immediate plan to unblock this area and expedite the licensing procedures.

Our municipality has its wealth in its parishes and we want them to be present in the actions of the City Council. Therefore, we will help with the reorganisation and beautification of the rural areas, promoting the approval of the Special Plans of Protection of Sant Mateu, Santa Agnes and Sant Rafel, reducing the traffic at the centre of these towns and expanding the parking areas and public spaces.

We will work with insistence on the issues that affect our neighbours, although some are not the direct responsibility of the City Council, it’s our obligation to find solutions and respond to all problems and for this reason we will be fight for the rights of San Antonio before the other state administrations.

We will demand a reform of the Insular Territorial Plan and the Agrarian Law (PTI) agreed with the rural sector because it is a clear concern among our citizens. In addition, we will pursue fundamental projects such as the roundabouts of the Ses Païsses avenue, a better provision of public transport or road improvements and lighting in the different parishes of the municipality.

We are facing a new stage and I face it with a feeling of immense happiness because there is no greater honour than being at the service of your people. I congratulate all the councilors of all the political parties that make up this Corporation that from today will represent all ‘portmanyins’ throughout this term.

San Antonio is the town where I was born and raised. I have grown up on its streets and the roots that I have implanted are so deep that they are rooted in my heart. And from my heart I will work for all the people with the conviction that we will be able to carry out an exciting project so that each and every one of us can feel proud to say out loud that we are from San Antonio.

I wish you all luck and success. Thank you for your confidence, from this moment I am at your service.

Marcos Serra Colomar, 15 June 2019