Despite dismissing him from his post last weekend, as councillor for Infrastructure, the Orihuela Mayoress Carolina Gracia has retained Angel Noguera as a council member on full salary.
Both the Partido Popular and Cambiemos say that it is just a ‘poor joke’ and ‘in very bad taste’. ‘She is holding the many residents who are suffering from his actions in contempt,’ they say ‘and she must immediately provide an explanation as to why she has withdrawn all his powers but retained him as a councillor and deputy mayor on a full public salary.
The PP say that, “the measure is due to a simple attempt to make an aesthetic fix, which really becomes a unacceptable botch, especially if we take into account the fact that the councillor will continue to receive a substantial public salary, despite not having and council functions. In addition, he will continue to hold the position of deputy mayor and member of the Governing Board of the municipality.
Whilst he does so, of course, his party, Ciudadanos, continues to have a majority in the Governing Board because of its nine members, five belong to the C’s and the other four to the PSPV-PSOE”.
The PP considers that “perhaps it is pressure from Ximo Puig that has been the real reason why Carolina Gracia finally made a move, although it is far from being a satisfactory measure. Everything shows that she really does not want to adopt any process that could jeopardise a possible new PSPV/Ciudadanos coalition government after the next elections.
The Cambiemos councillor, Carlos Bernabé, stated that “it is insulting and ridiculous, a joke that is made in bad taste to hide the obvious: the mayoress of Orihuela has a PSOE card but it seems that she works for the C’s, who are the party that really rules.
By retaining Ángel Noguera on the council C’s will have a majority, and he his salary as deputy mayor. “They have not fired him or reduced his authority, they have only taken away his work, because it is evident that he continues to be very much involved.”
