A seven-hour plenary session exposed a widening rift within the municipal Citizens’ group in El Campello, revealing that the coalition had begun to fracture after 14 months of governance that saw the PP and Cs alliance drift apart. The newly elected councilor from the orange party clarified his stance as independent within his party, signaling a tendency away from strict party discipline. The PSOE, meanwhile, pressed to capitalize on the upheaval to challenge the mayoralty, framing the events as a failure of unity among the governing coalition.
During the session, the CS mayor diverged from the party line by breaking voting discipline without offering an immediate explanation. He voted against the positions put forward by two colleagues within his own municipal group — spokesperson Julio Jan and mayor Mercé Pairó — on five separate agenda items. Notably, these items included the reappointment of representatives to non-municipal agencies, the annual appointments to the Municipal School Council, extrajudicial loan acceptances, and the final approval of a detailed urban land study for land located at 1 Mallorca Street. Additionally, the motion aligned with EUPV’s call for adherence to the August 2021 general assembly agreement concerning the opening of sports facilities and the municipal pool attached to the sports center with municipal personnel assigned to the project.
Following the resignation of a Convention Councilor, Javier Ramón Giner stepped in as the third Cs councilor, with Eva Maria Segura joining as a lawyer in the group. Segura presented herself with a calm, collaborative ethos, describing her approach as one that seeks to reach agreements that prioritize residents’ well-being. She emphasized a readiness to learn and a willingness to work hard, noting that her self-employed status means she is accustomed to balancing day and night duties to serve the city. The party issued messages of support in advance, hinting at an active and potentially transformative phase for the Cs leadership in the council.
During the meeting, Mayor Juan José Berenguer presided over the long session, where expectations of a smoother agenda did not hold. In a surprising moment, the vote on the new mayor’s position saw Cs members raise their hands in a way that caused confusion among other councilors when two Cs colleagues exchanged uneasy glances, leaving the rest of the chamber puzzled by the gesture. The episode underscored the fragility of the alliance and the surprise elements that can arise in a tightly knit minority administration.
A tense atmosphere persisted throughout the session as former partners in government leveled accusations, raised concerns, and cast insinuations at colleagues from both the Cs and PP ranks. The Compromís spokesperson, Adriana Paredes, described the climate as stifling and urged, through a formal question-and-answer point, the approval of a Municipal Organic Regulation to prevent a recurrence of such hostility. She cautioned that while the regulation would not alter personnel qualities, it could constrain the frequency and manner of interventions, offering a mechanism to restore civility in council debates.
Dirty laundry
The plenary revealed a cache of issues left unresolved by the previous coalition after more than a year in power. A key topic concerned tensions between municipal employees, which hindered day-to-day operations and complicated service delivery. Former deputy mayor Julio Oca described a civil service landscape split between factions that obstruct administration on one side and, on the other, efforts to curb sluggishness or inaction. He warned that such divisions could push staff to seek opportunities in other public institutions and even lead to workplace clashes. During the discussion, Jan faced accusations directed at Lourdes Llopis, a popular councilor, to which Llopis urged caution regarding leaks from anonymous sources, suggesting a mole within the ranks may be compromising information flows. This moment highlighted the intense, often personal, dynamics that color local governance and the fragility of trust in public institutions. – [Citation: Local coverage and council transcripts from El Campello reporting on council dynamics].