The battle for the Mayor of Valencia augurs a tough struggle between left and right, but also between progressive forces. The foreseeable equality predicted by some polls makes the Socialists see it as possible (although complicated) to recover the cap i casal from the City Council 32 years later. To do this, he has to add more than the PP and Vox with Compromís and, at the same time, surpass Ribó.
A circumstance that predicts a clash between the partners of the Rialto Government. Yesterday, in her conference at the Mediterranean Tribune Forum (already in a completely electoral framework), the vice mayor and socialist candidate, Sandra Gómez, distanced herself from the current mayor. Although she did not name him at any time, the PSPV candidate undermined her speech with continuous references to the mayor. In her words, Gómez made it very clear that her project is different from that of Compromís and she threw more than more darts at her government partner than at the opposition.
The socialist leader stressed that Valencia needs "leadership with desire", in clear reference to the doubts that the mayor expressed at the time about whether or not to repeat a third term (some comments that the PP always exploits). Gómez pointed out that the city "is better than eight years ago" so it is not possible to "reverse what has been done."
All in all, and it was a message that he repeated throughout his speech, "there needs to be a relay to advance further and not be left behind." Along these lines, she was totally convinced of her desire and her abilities: "A city loses when it looks back or when it settles down," she concluded. Already in question time and inquired about her differences with Ribó, she was blunt: "It's not a matter of age, it's a matter of wanting."
Thus, while he was reeling off some of his proposals -such as a tram through the southern ring road, a cultural boulevard in Guillem de Castro or a technological and digital qualification academy- he contrasted his model with that of the PP, but also with that of Compromís. "We do not want to be the Silicon Valley of southern Europe or the Amsterdam of the Mediterranean" while he defended the expansion of the Port or the development of Grau and Benimaclet because "you cannot be against everything".
Gómez praised the public-private collaboration and raised a question on the air: "Without infrastructures such as the development of the Mediterranean Corridor and, also, the port, would Volkswagen have invested here?" The candidate wanted to summarize her model in a single sentence: "I want to be as mayor as Ximo Puig is as President."
