The first plano meeting is to be held next Monday the 2nd July at 8.0pm.
The notification of each meeting that I am required to attend is typed up in the Town Hall and I have to go and sign that I have received the notification. I assume to ensure that no one tries to exclude any councillor from a meeting - sensible.
Reading the order of the meeting it will comprise the reading and approval of the minutes of the previous meeting, the frequency of meetings, the creation ad composition of the Comisiones Informativos, the structure and Presidents of these comisiones and a few other matters.
As it is my first meeting I will hopefully be able to listen and learn so that I can formulate a way to have some influence in future meetings.
As soon as I can after that meeting I will post the full list of Presidents and their commissions.
Also discussed at last nights meeting was the fact that the Town Hall have organised (I think for the first time ever) a bullfight for the villages. To be held in La Alfoquia on the 15th July at 6.0pm tickets €30.
I explained that I would be hard pressed to sell any tickets but have been given 50 to try and sell. I guess I will have to go and see for myself what it is all about and I can understand the local people wanting the kudos of having their own bullfight, but I suspect it will not go down very well with the ex pats,
Attended at the Town Hall this evening. Meeting arranged for 5.0pm but as usual didn't start until 6.0pm!
The reason for calling the meeting was primarily to organise our roles and responsibilities. It transpires that each field of responsibility has a president and a commission of a total of 5 (inc President).
The fields covered range across all areas of Town Hall responsibility eg Building, Security, Rubbish, Galasa (water), Environment, Sports and Culture, youth and absenteeism.
The decisions made have yet to be ratified but if they are these are going to be really exciting times. As`my translator said, "this is going to be fantastic for Zurgena things are going to get moving."
I will post my responsibilities when they are ratified but from my personal perspective one thing that we have agreed to do is to form a Junta for Security which will include Polizia Local, Guardia Civil, the Mayor, the President for Security and I think the deputy mayor. I do not know of any other town hall in Almeria which has such a joined up approach to crime.
I have to be at the Town Hall tomorrow night at 5.0pm for a meeting, where we will be given our roles and responsibilities, I assume for the next four years.
I was originally told that I may be given the role as councillor for security. I would find that responsibility a great honour and I suppose it is the only area of local politics that I have any knowledge of. I do not yet know if they feel that such a role could be carried out by someone whose Spanish is so poor but one aspect of it which would help is that my translator is in fact the cousin of one of the new Policemen in the village. Given the amount of crime we have suffered here lately it would be quite a responsibility.
I suppose at the end of the day (oh god I'm begining to talk like a politician) I will do whatever the party think I will be able to do to help the council achieve their aims.
We have my son, his wife and my two grandkids here at the moment and they think its a great laugh - grandad at the Town Hall!
Well last night we all attended for the official swearing in at the new Ajuntamiento. It is a lovely new building which will be a great improvement on the old one.
As I arrived I rehearsed my words but then there was a bit of a worry when I discovered the old Spanish custom for these events is that the eldest new councillor acts as the President for the ceremony. Guess who was the eldest!! So there was a fraught few moments until someone realised that the secretary could also perform the president role. Phew. So I still sat at the top of the table but had no additional duties. Everyone then took turns to walk round and place their hands on the constitution and swear that they would act in accordance with it.
After everyone was sworn in we elected the new Mayor Candido Trabalon and this was greeted by warm applause from the assembled audience of about 150 to 200 people.
Next stage will be the allocation of roles and responsibilities which should take place within the next couple of weeks.
Was called into the Town Hall today for two pre-swearing in issues.
Firstly I was given the sentences I need to rehearse so that I can say them correctly at the swearing in ceremony at 7.30pm this Saturday 16th June. That should be fun.
I was also asked to disclose all my worldly goods. I suppose this is to prevent corruption. I aksed why we had to do this and the answer I was jokingly given was "just in case you get rich in the next 4 years!!"
So roll on Saturday and we can maybe get down to some work. Will be intrigued to see how much influence one small voice has. I suppose slightly less, with the number of seats we now hold, than if we had only gained 6 out of the eleven. People are daily approaching me with their issues and at the moment I can honestly say that I cannot do anything about it yet, but that excuse won´t last long.
It has been so quiet since the election that I am getting a little bored. We have been told that the day for all the new concejales to be sworn in is the afternoon of Saturday 16th June. Hope I don't have to say too much in Spanish!
It seems people have already decided that I am the person to whom complaints/issues should be directed, as I already have a file with many things to try and address.
Oh well I will enjoy this relaxing period and looking forward to the grandkids coming out for a holiday next Thursday for 10 days.
I will obviously update the blog with how the swearing in goes.
