CHANGINGTHE GOVERNMENT OF ORIHUELA FOR THE BETTER

Letters

Contributor / 2012-03-27 10:15:17

In the 14 years I have lived and run businesses in Orihuela Costa there has been very little effort by the town hall to provide the coastal businesses and residents with the facilities or infrastructure that one would expect in a western European country. For this reason I campaigned shoulder to shoulder with Pedro Mancebo and Bob Houliston in the last election in an effort to change our future in Orihuela Costa for the better.

After the election last May I was filled with hope because we had a new government, our government. To my delight Bob Houliston was honoured by being appointed councillor for the coast. Those early optimistic days have been replaced with disappointment as Bob resigned his post before achieving any of his party’s promises.

I know Pedro Mancebo for twelve years and I respect him greatly, he is a man of his word, a man of integrity. Bob’s widely publicised comments about Pedro his alliance leader have caused many to approach me in the street and at my place of business to ask me “What is going on?”, “Does Pedro Mancebo spend his time blocking Bob’s progress?” “Is Pedro doing anything to help the people of Orihuela Costa who voted for him?”

I will not criticize Bob Houliston or anybody else. There has been far too much negativity in the media over the last eight or nine months but I feel the need to speak openly about Pedro Mancebo, to say what I have seen with my own eyes, what I have been told by other businessmen and by people who work in the community

• Pedro meets regularly with business associations, residents groups, parent’s associations, churches and community leaders.

• He is the only councillor that I know of, who is actively looking for a location for a new library

• He has recently instigated a plan to eradicate graffiti from our area

• Pedro is actively looking for ways to improve our road infrastructure around the new commercial centre in La Zenia / Playa Flamenca before it opens so we do not return to the traffic congestion that we had to suffer in the past.

• In an effort to increase jobs, rental incomes for home owners and to help improve home values in the area Pedro is coordinating the job application process for the new commercial centre within the town hall.

• He has kept his election manifesto promises by reducing town hall salaries and by making sure that there was more than one elected councillor operating in the Playa Flamenca town hall.

• Pedro along with another business association organise the best St. Patrick’s Day parade ever on the coast to promote tourism to our area and is in the process of organising other fiestas all over Orihuela Costa to increase numbers visiting here and spending money.

• He has plans in place for the beautifying of La Regia Park before this summer

• Pedro has organised the donation of 6,000 palm trees (free) for public use to replace the trees destroyed by the palm weevil and to beautify our “green” areas and communal areas.

• Pedro Mancebo is available day and evening to speak with people who need to meet with someone in authority, I have personally attended meetings with him that carried on late into the evening.

• Last Tuesday, the day of the heavy rains, Pedro was soaked to the skin inspecting the beaches that were damaged by the floods with the team who look after the beaches.

• Yesterday he was seen planting trees and helping workers at a local school in the area.

• Pedro Mancebo works round the clock in our interest. He gets paid the same as others who work a six hour day from 9 to 3 at the town hall. He does not just show up for a photo opportunity but he is out there doing the work and getting his hands dirty.

I am proud to say that I campaigned for Pedro Mancebo, I am happy that I was part of a much bigger team that changed the government of Orihuela for the better. I am glad that I support Pedro Mancebo who sees his election to government as the starting point for serving the public not the reward for a successful election campaign.

Raymond Kearney, President Business Owners of Orihuela Costa