So who has run Turre since the advent of democracy? The first municipal elections took place in 1979. Election years are highlighted in green. (After this bit is a summary of the parties standing for the 2015 election).
–1979-1980, won by Juan Vicente Baraza (PSOE) but he quite after a year in favour of his deputy Martín Grima Grima (the father of the current Mayor).
Full list of councillors in this election:
PSOE: Juan Vicente Baraza, Martín Grima Grima, Alonso Valero, Pedro Rubio & Torcuato.
UCD: Jacinto Guerrero, Juan de Maria Encarnación & Ramón “El Sastre”, Juan but Juan quit and Diego Jerez Ramos “el Pegote” entered.
INDEPENDIENTE: Luis Rodríguez & Paco Sánchez Haro.
PCE: Juan Sánchez quit in favour of Dámaso Visiedo, he was fired by the central committee and Pedro de Juan Diego substituted him.
Fun fact! Spain’s very first moción de censura, vote of no-confidence, was very nearly held in Turre! After Juan Vicente (PSOE) quit in 1979, an extraordinary council meeting was called to vote in the new Mayor, who should of course have been Martín Grima (now leader of the largest party). But Martín cunningly stayed away from the council meeting (thus forcing it to be posponed) as he discovered whilst getting a shave at the barbers that the other three parties had united into a coalition against the PSOE. That would have left Jacinto of the UCD as Mayor. Strangely enough, that same night, the PCE (communist party) got wind of what was happening and fired Dámaso Visiedo from his post as Turre leader (substituting him with Pedro de Juan Diego). The reason? The PCE refused to enter into any sort of coalition with the UCD party. Pedro’s first act was to quit the coalition and back Martín Grima in the vote and so he became the new Mayor until the 1983 election. Martín stepped down at that election, although his son Arturo would later carry on the family tradition.
– 1980-1983: Martín Grima Grima (PSOE)
– 1983-1995: Paco Sánchez Haro (PSOE)
– 1995-1999: Arturo Grima Cervantes (INDEPENDIENTE). (But in 1999 he was barred from standing for public office due to abuse of public power – he fired several supporters of the old regime from the townhall, replacing them with his cronies, a move deemed illegal and arbitrary by the courts.)
– 1999-2003: José Navarro Alonso (PSOE).
José entered into a coalition with Diego Jerez Ramos “el Pegote” who had an independent group called TURRE 2000. The pact was that they would share the Mayoral seat, but for whatever reason this didn’t happen and José ruled alone.
– 2003-2007: José Navarro Alonso (PSOE).
– 2007-2008: Arturo Grima Cervantes (PP). (He got a pardon from the central government in time to return). He had a minority rule so pacted with the single IU councillor. The PSOE party in Turre had split because of José Navarro – he continued to rule the PSOE whereas his former deputy Ramón López formed an independent grouping called Iniciativa Ciudadana de Turre.
In 2008 there was a moción de censura which forced Arturo Grima out in Jan 2008. The PSOE gave José Navarro a job as the climate change advisor to the county council on a whopping wage, clearing the way towards the healing of the rift. All the PSOE mates were friendly again, went into coalition and kicked Arturo out. Francisco Ortega became Mayor.
– 2008-2011: Francisco Ortega Soler (PSOE).
– 2011-2015: Arturo Grima Cervantes (PP).
So who’s running in this election?
We have (mayoral candidate and party):
- Arturo Grima Cervantes (PP)
- María Isabel López (PSOE)
- Martín Morales Fuentes (Somos Turre citizens party)
- Diego “el Pegote” P.A.
Who’s going to win? Difficult to say.
We have Arturo and his PP coming back for a fourth try, but his mishandling of the town hall has seen its debt spiral to over 9 million euros and allegations of corruption are fast sinking him. His inability to solve the water problems or rejuvenate the town also counts against him.
Isabels PSOE main list are made up of young people with little political or professional experience, but they’re all children of the old regime and so have the backing of the PSOE families in town (but not, I suspect, many other people who doubt they are able to take on the debt).
Diego “el Pegote”, now standing for the P.A. (Andalucian National Party) probably has exactly the same number of votes as he always does, as a leading constructor and employer in the village he has certain expectations of certain families, if you know what I mean – but outside of this circle, what support does the P.A. have in Turre? 11 voters according to the recent regional elections!)
Martin Morales of Somos Turre has put together a professional and independent list capable of dealing with the debt and turning this town around, with a chartered account and a bank manager in high positions, but can he convince the village?
No webpages that I can find, just facebook communities for PSOE & SOMOS TURRE (the PA and PP don’t seem to have anything – but then, Arturo doesn’t even have a computer in his official office! More a paper and pen sort of chap as he told me once).