Lluc Salellas (Girona, 1984) is the only pro-independence mayor of the four Catalan capitals. The party he led, Guanyem, a municipalist confluence formed by parties such as the CUP -of which he is a militant- and MES as well as people linked to the neighborhood world and activism, will govern with Junts and ERC.
In the campaign, he promised change a lot but he ended up agreeing with those who were already in government. Where is the change?
The change is shown with the leadership, who was previously head of the opposition is now mayor; We have presented a program that demonstrates a change in public policies and from day one we have wanted to show that the government will be at street level.
But how do two ideologies as disparate as that of Guanyem and Junts marry?
It is true that they are different, but the work of three weeks of silent negotiations to bring positions closer together is noticeable. We prioritize the will to understand.
Hasn't the national axis prevailed more than the social one?
No. The pact was built from 64 city projects and the willingness of its actors to understand. The national issue and the language play a role, yes, but I believe that in absolutely all the governments that are formed in the Catalan Countries and in the Spanish state. It is an element that is present, like many others, and whoever shows that they do not take this element into account, I believe that it is not true to reality because the national axis is permanently in the political arena. But in our case this has been a city project focused on 64 proposals.
Taking the program into account, wouldn't it have been more “natural” to agree with the PSC?
Guanyem believed that she was perfectly legitimate to lead a government with a tie at eight ediles with the PSC.
Was it for the mayor's office?
Evidently the mayor's office told us why demonstrating a change meant that for us. Putting on the table that there would not be a mayor in the tradition of the PSC or Junts was an element that was linked to a generational and city change. From there, and I already said it in my investiture speech, agreements must be reached with the PSC. I have reached out to the PSC and I have asked Sílvia Paneque that there will be issues that we will need and that we would like to see as a city consensus, if we can reach at least 25 of the 26 councilors.
With a shared mayorship with the PSC, would Guanyem have agreed to negotiate?
It was never on the table, no one raised this proposal. We think that the program agreement we have reached, on some issues we have gone further than we could have gone with the PSC.
For example?
On the subject of the limitation of tourist flats.
But the message is contradictory. They propose 4% of tourist apartments in the city, but the 15% that already exists in the Barri Vell will continue.
State law allows such a license to be for life. The Barri Vell will not be able to grow one more tourist apartment and, when we can, we will start monitoring the current licenses and, in the event that it is verified that this license is not being used as it should be, we will withdraw it.
A sector on the rise is bicycle tourism. There are more and more premises in the Barri Vell being occupied by these businesses and there have also been complaints from neighbors. Should we put a stop to this tourism?
The Barri Vell must be economically diversified. Look for projects that help not only tourism and those linked to the bike to keep the space, this in the end would impoverish the neighborhood and make it a monoculture. We want to work on concrete proposals.
in which ones?
There are proposals from the technological field, commerce or small industry linked to clothing, furniture... that allow preserving areas of the neighborhood so that there is another economic activity.
Will you bet on tourism?
There will continue to be tourism, but the main challenge as a government is how we do it so that other sectors can grow. Sectors such as industry in the urban area and that linked to health with the Trueta biomedical park; You have to think about the social economy, which generates benefits in a much fairer way, and about trade that not only lives on tourism but also on those of us who live here 365 days a year.
Will Girona continue to be a city of festivals or has a limit been reached?
In Girona there will be festivals and at the end of the year it will be necessary to define which are the strategic ones and work in this direction. What is clear is that in the next culture budget, we will continue the trend that already existed this year, and we would like to increase it, of betting more than ever on the creation, training and exhibition of our own talent.
Will High Season continue?
It is a great asset and we want it to continue, but as in all festivals, it is necessary to clearly clarify what is the social and cultural return to the city, that Temporada Alta is already doing so in part. Festivals must have an exhibition part, but there must also be a return part to the educational, training and cultural fields and this is where we will focus.
What will happen with Temps de Flors?
There is a will to rethink it and work on 2024 proposals for change. It is necessary to ensure that it is lived beyond such a concrete and reduced center.
In the list of proposals they point out that action must be taken against criminal occupations.
We are not talking about occupations, but about criminal uses of the house. There are occupations that are lived calmly and quietly, that do not generate any problem because criminal uses are not taking place. The key is if there is traffic, if there are criminal elements inside. Given this, it is necessary to be proactive to prevent this type of use from reproducing. For me, the serious problem is when there is a crime in a house and that is where the focus should be placed.
Does Girona need a Catalan language department?
In Girona, as in the whole country, the social use of Catalan is on the decline. Public administrations have the obligation to seek solutions and more at a time when the most reactionary positions have expressed the will to exterminate the language, which is not used in the public sphere.
What concrete actions will be promoted from this council?
All those who open a business in the city must be clear that the Catalan language is important. In this sense, we urge you to label and have information in this language. There are also many agents who want to learn Catalan and don't have a place, in this sense you have to help. Another element is extracurricular. Linguistic immersion in school is necessary, but no one talks about linguistic immersion in extracurricular classes, which is also a formative moment. We know that in many of these activities the Catalan language is not used by monitors or teachers. The City Council also has a lot to say on this issue.
