Christmas in Sitges

We are about to celebrate a new Christmas season, a sure sign that marks the end of a period in which we make a balance in a conscious or unconscious manner. We also plan a roadmap detailing our way during the coming year. Christmas comes every year and will come forever. Our Christmas season brings memories and old customs by the hand of our traditions.

Under the name of Christmas season in Sitges, this year we will celebrate holidays with more activities and ideas than ever. We will combine traditional and innovative proposals, thanks to the drive shown by our people, organizations and groups. During our Christmas season, we want to share, live and make live more than ever. And aside from all intimate and familiar moments planned by each of us, we must reserve space and time for collective enjoyment.

Once again, the organizations prepare their traditional events. Prado, Retiro and Agrupació de Balls Popular, Association of Popular Dances in English, is ready to organize their "quintos", a name that designates popular bingos. Once again, we will enjoy the elaborate work of our manger makers at the exhibition at Palau del Rei Moro. We will enjoy many and varied Christmas Carols in different parts of Sitges, where we will also have the opportunity to discover mangers in those areas that are part of our Christmas memory year after year, and that are faithful to the tradition of assembling mangers. 

Christmas season will also mark the anniversary of another recreational event for children; Christmas Park will reach its twentieth edition.

But before all this happens, Sitges is already immersed in the Christmas spirit thanks to our shops. Shop owners are the first to announce Christmas at the beginning of December; they announce the arrival of a very special season. Shopkeepers do their best to transform their stores into magical places. This year we enjoyed Fira de Santa Llúcia again, but beyond another traditional event in the Christmas schedule, we need to value the work done by the shopkeepers that organized a new edition of Botiga al Carrer, Shops out in the Streets. The event initiated by shopkeepers from Jesus Street and Cap de la Vila square has grown in each of the recent editions. This year, residents and visitors were able to enjoy street shopping thanks to downtown shops, but also from shops in Sant Pau and Major Streets that joined the event. During more than two days, our shopkeepers took their products out on the streets. But now, we must remember that we also have to visit shops. Surely, the experience of sharing a purchase in a little shop is especially rewarding, and we all share responsibility when it comes to the maintenance of local businesses.  There is no doubt that some will find holiday shopping online very convenient, others prefer to spend a hectic day in a mall, but real gifts are those you pursue from one store to the other, those that allow you to talk with shopkeepers and enjoy the shopping experience beyond taking some object home..

Such a peculiarity, I am referring to the sensation that something special is going on during our Christmas season is what we must transmit to children. No matter if they are grown or young kids, they are the ones that will experience an authentic experience. We must do whatever possible, regardless of family circumstances, to make all children enjoy our Christmas season. In that respect, Sitges has shown more generosity than ever. The groups engaged in charitable activities during years to insure the happiness of children, have been joined by several social organizations, most of them under the umbrella of the Board of the Third Sector. All have the same aim: reduce the effects of a crisis still raging our economy, and that I hope that will disappear with the last stroke of 2013.

Whatever the intensity of our longing for our Christmas season, everyone, even those that abhor Christmas, will be compelled either as individual or as a group to make a balance and face the future in an intimate or collective manner.

The City Council also aims for shared goals that we are now tracing thanks to the approval of municipal accounts for the coming year. The approval of the budget will trace the path for a year for which I have the firm conviction that will be better than the one we are about to leave. And it will be so because we achieved a large part of our goals.  And now that we already walked the hardest part of the trek, I want to take advantage of this opportunity to thank all the citizens. I want to thank you for all your work during our most difficult moments. I want to thanks all those who understood that the task of recovery had to be a collective effort, and to those that did not share such idea. I want to give my sincerest thanks to all political representatives that gave preference to responsibility and to a constructive vision over other goals. 2014 should be a very important year for Sitges and the country. Next year will dispel doubts about our future, a future in democracy and in freedom.

I wish a new year laden with good times. For those who are not among us, we will keep on devoting all our efforts and hope. I renew my commitment to work with the highest dose of illusion that alongside rigor, will take us to a better year.

I wish you Merry Christmas and Happy 2014.

Transparency at the Hospital

Last week, we presented the results of the audit commissioned by the new Board of Trustees of Hospital San Juan Bautista Foundation, which had the mission to evaluate the process involved in the sale of real estate assets during the period 2009-10. The report states that in those two years, five properties were sold 29,2% below the market price.

The resulting report shows that there were some actions taken by the Board at that time that could be considered as improper management. The audit notes that the sale of the abovementioned five properties did not follow the recommended procedure (not compulsory): detailed real estate valuation showing real market price, and a public information process to ascertain if there were other offers. The document allows us to conclude that extension and refurbishment works were not carried with all the due caution that are customary in such operations, provoking an undue pressure on liquid assets forcing the sale of assets circumventing due process. 

Now it’s the turn for the Foundations Protectorate of Catalonia. This organization received the result of the report and must determine whether such action will generate economic damages to the Hospital.

Unfortunately, the audit confirms our suspicions, provoking a drastic change in the management of the Foundation eight months ago, with the sole purpose of safeguarding the interests of the Hospital (that are very dear assets belonging to the town of Sitges.) And I say unfortunately because I wish our predictions were wrong. The audit takes a snapshot that reveals that the performance of Presidency, Management and Representatives lacked the accuracy and exactitude required by such operations.

During all the process, the actions executed by the City Hall that I preside sought, above all, the protection of the interests of the Hospital, from the economic and managerial standpoint. When we renewed the Board of Trustees, we were deeply committed with a transparent management. The Hospital is indeed a private institution, but involves the City Council (the Mayor is the President), and this is a sufficient reason to demand transparent and rigorous management and equal opportunities in all processes. The value and symbolism that the Hospital has for Sitges accentuates the need for scrupulous, strict and transparent management.

The completion of the audit and the follow up by the Catalan Government was the first step. But it is not the only one. With the arrival of the new members composing the Board of Trustees, now headed by Fernando Herráiz, we are revising recruitment, suppliers, income from residents and management of real estate assets. The new line of management is a guarantee for the full recovery of the collective confidence in an institution for which we have always been proud of.

Sitges is always alive

On Wednesday November 27, we held the Guild's Dinner, the traditional event that brings together the hotel and catering sector. The dinner was hosted by Sitges Hotel and Catering Association. The Guild's Dinner is a ripe occasion to discuss our tourism policy, perform an evaluation of results and stress strategies. It is a very important event for the main economic activity in our town. This is why I will enclose my speech below.

Councilors, Deputy Director of the Catalan Tourism Agency, Commissioner of Tourism of Barcelona Provincial Council, President of the Guild, winners, guild associates, good night everyone.

This is without doubt one of the most important events of the year, and it is so because today, in addition to recognition of achievements, the celebration makes a balance of the tourism sector, the main economic drive of Sitges.

This year's tourist season, in reference to the figures of last summer, was positive. In early September, we announced the figures provided by the Sitges Hotel and Catering Association that stressed that August ended with 95% occupancy.

It is quite evident that we must not count the chicken before they hatch and that figures can be interpreted in many ways, and our audience is very well versed in reading fine print. The information tells us about the spending rate of our tourists or visitors, even including their spending behavior and the types of establishments in which they spent their money.

We must also recap, look back and make a balance not only of the summer season, and then take a snapshot of the entire year. I am referring to our combined degree of satisfaction concerning the goal of removing seasonality from our tourist season.

And I say so because those are not new conclusions, but goals that are pursued year after year and for which the tourism sector claims support from the administration. During a longer time than desired, such goals have carried a very heavy burden under the form of the present economic crisis.

When we started the legislature, the Tourism Agency was crippled by a very large debt. It is not a new fact; I want to use it to quickly review the work being done.

One of the goals of the Agency for this year was to implement the plan for the future economic viability. Now I can announce that the goal was achieved, 2014 will be a year without the ominous tax burden.

But we were not only involved in paying debts and balancing accounts. From the administration, from the City Council, we fulfilled the promise we made to you.

I do not want to extend and revise all actions taken by the Agency during the year, which obviously are many, but I would like to remark that 2013 was the year in which we managed subsidies to materialize the Can Milà Project in 2014, we launched projects to improve tourist offers that we believe are capable of attracting tourists. In addition to participating in major national and international fairs and workshops, the Agency stepped beyond and created the Russian Info Center this summer, responding to your request to try to capture the emerging Russian market.

But beyond selling Sitges to the world to establish our city as a benchmark for tourism, I want to refer to the outcome of your complaints, those that directly affect your business.

Last year at this same dinner, we talked about the importance of a definitive step towards the legalization of tourist homes. This is a clear example of good work carried out jointly by the Hotel and Catering Association and the City Hall. The ultimate goal was not reached yet, but the campaign achieved the legalization of nearly 400 homes. Now we are at the stage of fining those that we have detected but are not legal yet. We made an important step to eradicate such practices, because unfair competition affects you directly.

But if tourist homes are an example of good practice in a public-private partnership, there are other issues that affect one part of the sector that have not been solved yet. I am referring to the legal dispute presented by some establishments present here related to garbage generated by commercial establishments.

Look, I sincerely believe in what I have confided with many of you before. I am convinced that the only way out is to apply and abide the law. But I want to make clear that this does not mean I am not on your side. Strict application of legality does not imply being insensitive to your needs. Those are not unrealistic claims, and I'm not playing to the gallery. The City Council answered your claims. This resulted in the application of the coefficient of property tax for Hotels, including summary of fees relating to garbage, as you proposed. Everything was handled in a legal manner, and I must remark that this is our way, the way of the current government.

We honored our commitment that is why I ask you publicly to reconsider your participation in the Platform for Proper Taxes and Services. We just approved budgets and fees with the large majority of the Plenary Session. The budget and fees include all your demands!

I am convinced that making such a demand to you might be deemed as pretentious, pompous and lacking any self-criticism. But I will also make a critical analysis. I am sure that you think that the joint work carried out by the agency and the sector and, therefore, the consolidation of projects, would have been much easier if the political representative had not changed so many times.

Mr. Garrigó is the third tourism councilor during the legislature. Too many changes in just over two years of a government. But none of it was free! The first change came in response to the high standards that the important tourism council should have, according to our opinion. Second, it is quite evident that there was a restructuring of government that implied the departure of one of the partners of the coalition.

But while all this was happening, tourism goals in our Governance Plan have not moved an inch. The degree of fulfillment of tourism goals included in the governance plan is satisfactory.

In any case, this is mostly a night for recognition and gratitude. A night that blends homage to professional experience with awards to new projects.

We are concerned about the issue of sand, but I must say this was the first time in 10 years that sand was added to our beaches. The sand was paid by City Council and not by the Spanish state. We are all aware that strong winds from east might sweep the sand away again, but we had to save the season. This was made this year, after more than 10 years without any sand addition to our beaches.

We must also consolidate events on the seafront, and we must also promote a better cleaning of our streets, take care of our urban spaces. True, we believe that efforts have been made, but there is a long way to go.

I want to cover safety that was mentioned before. The work done this summer by our local police and the Catalan police allowed a reduction in the number of thefts. Recently, the Sitges Hotel and Catering Association and the City Council have positively assessed and analyzed the data. It is the line to be followed, the joint work of public and private sector.

 Regarding issues related with nightlife, we are very concerned. I would like to say that tonight is not the best occasion to find solutions to problems related to the lack of a competitive offer, provoked by the increasing competition from nearby areas. It is quite obvious that we must hold a roundtable in which nightlife entrepreneurs and residents can find a balance, because in Sitges it is quite difficult to balance rest with nightlife.

We must remember a fact that we must take into account. Let's go back a few years, when we were planning the future of Sitges through the General Plan, back then we chose to have a predominantly residential town that enters in conflict with the purpose of this dinner, which is tourism. So perhaps the time has come for all concerned, and a few others, to rethink everything, because it is difficult to match a residential municipality with a tourist resort like our city.

I want to congratulate publicly Restaurant El Velero, Bar La Barata and Hotel Platjador and Mr. Josep Anselm Amigó for all the years of dedication to hospitality. But tonight, the Rubio family deserves a special recognition after five generations at the helm of one of our finest establishments, El Xiringuito.

This anniversary is more valuable than my words, and that is why during the coming days, our City Council will place a plaque at El Xiringuito.

I also want to congratulate all those companies that are recognized by the Sitges Hotel and Catering Association in different ways, with different contributions, such is the case of Laboratoris Almirall, DAMM and the Institute of the Arts Barcelona, a project that became a reality and in which we have worked since the very beginning..

And tonight, we will also grant an award to a very important event. The award for creativity and research, capable of contributing to new initiatives to promote Sitges. Sitges Tapa a Tapa received the visit of an older brother that came for a visit and that we hope that he stays home. The National Tapas Competition received the essential assistance of DAMM. A contest that gave us the chance to see the students of our Hospitality School, called Escola d'Hosteleria de Sitges. I'll take advantage of this opportunity to congratulate them. But I want to stress the creativity, generosity, energy and ability of the promoters of the idea. The Andreu brothers.

This is exactly the example that we need in Sitges. It is a clear proof that younger generations are qualified to lead this industry; we cannot afford not to renovate.

What happened in November is a living proof that SITGES IS ALWAYS ALIVE. Many come to Sitges and tell us: THIS IS LIFE, others say that Sitges is THE JEWEL OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, and others like to refer to the ART OF LIVING. But it is clear that SITGES IS ALWAYS ALIVE.

Most know that this is our new brand, which I did not want to overlook. The new brand is one of the major achievements of the year we are about to end. The history of our slogans, above advertising trends and the passage of time, always tried to convey experiences related to quality. Lets make SITGES IS ALWAYS ALIVE our new benchmark for quality tourism.

So tonight I want to leave you with a challenge, a challenge that I truly believe that we all can assume. We must advocate for change, we must not be conformists.

And I propose this challenge, picking up my statements in an interview published at l'Eco de Sitges that you wanted to respond publicly. In that interview I said... ask not what Sitges can do for you, but what you can do for Sitges.

I will ask you in another way paraphrasing a famous quote by a famous political leader: We should not ask why things happen, let's look at things that have not happened yet, we must be capable of making them! In Sitges, we just showed that when we want it, we can do it!

Good Night

Fight against discrimination: Action and education

Next week, the newly constituted Third Sector Board will organize a full program of social and charitable activities in Sitges, celebrating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the Antidiscrimination Day of Catalonia. Sitges will join these two commemorative dates in order to contribute to the general awareness of problems that must be eradicated completely from our society.

The City Hall will provide full support to the organizations promoting such actions. The Third Sector Board of Sitges - Garraf is a home-grown organization with the firm determination of becoming a useful, effective and active tool in favour of disadvantaged groups. The municipal government is fully aware that our town needs such civil organizations, which is why we have given them a strong support from day one. It is a support to facilitate their work and access to resources, but at the same time it must be absolutely respectful with their policies and line of action.

The activities held by the Board pursue to increase the general awareness that the violation of human rights deserves zero tolerance. For this reason, Saturday 23rd will feature various open house presentations and panel discussions, with the participation of legislative and judiciary representatives and experts.

The program is also present at schools, a fact that we consider essential. For this reason, the two schools in town will be involved in abuse prevention workshops. Because violation of human rights and violence against women is primarily a problem of education and culture.

Just from the very beginning of our current municipal government, just over two years, we made a statement and we traced a clear line when we implemented a policy of support to people, and especially, to disadvantaged groups. Initiatives such as the Blue Card, which allows for reductions in rates and access to certain products, or the takeover of the Senior Centre located in Joan Maragall St., provoked by the neglect of the financial institution in charge, are, among many others, some of the main actions targeted at needy people in our community. 

A few weeks ago, signed an agreement with the Red Cross to support the development of the project Aula Gaia, a program to fight poverty and support families at risk of exclusion due to the crisis. We have also signed an agreement on similar terms with Caritas. Along the lines of this policy, the municipal budget for 2014 that we will approve during the coming weeks, will increase our contribution to social policies by 6.8%.

Budget agreement: responsibility and cohesion

On Monday, the Municipal House initially approved the 2014 budget with the favorable vote of the three parties that make up the Municipal Government (CiU, SGI and NH) and also PSC. Seventeen of the twenty-one councilors of the municipal corporation endorsed the document, that attest the general lines of our local government, administration and management for the next year. The 2014 budget will have a heavy social bias and will include our plans to lower tax burden, as we announced.

The agreement between the government and the PSC for the approval of the budget is the result of negotiations carried out in recent weeks. The high sense of responsibility and the clear desire of both parties will allow the Council to perform actions promoting necessary social expenditures, and at the same time reducing to the extent possible the tax burden of residents, and will allow the implementation the Budget that Sitges needs under the present circumstances. It will be a budget for a crisis, which is the context in which we live, but it will be a useful tool to implement measures to support people who are suffering, and at the same time, reduce the tax burden supported by middle classes.

Thanks to this agreement, we will be able to reduce property tax, garbage fee and capital gains tax, and other fees such as the urban bus ticket. The agreement will also allow an increase in the number of implementations of our social policy by 6.8% over the year and 2.6% for public safety.

The policy of budgetary and expense control that we applied during the last two years allowed a partial reduction of taxes and an increase in social policies. During these two years we had to make unpleasant decisions that meant sacrifices and had a direct impact on the socio-cultural fabric of the town, including local festivals, certain utilities and all municipal officials and employees. Decisions were difficult but necessary to ensure the proper development of most services, especially social ones, which are the focus of our policy.

Now, thanks to the policy of spending cuts and budgetary control, we can reduce tax burden and enhance the lines of social support. We will continue the strict control of public spending, with the rigor and sense of responsibility that has become our trademark, because we are managing public money. But it is also true that the most painful decisions will not happen again.

I want to stress the attitude shown by all parties that back this agreement, the PSC in particular, that acted having in mind the general interests and not party interests. And it is worth noting as it deserves. Sitges will be the ultimate winner.

The Film Festival: a homegrown event

The Festival is back in town. In time as every fall, the Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia presents a billboard combining the best international fantastic cinema with works by small low budget producers, even filmed with a mobile phone, as some illustrative case. The crisis also rages the film industry, but at the same time, and it seems paradoxical, also creates new opportunities and new entrepreneurs. And our Festival, which is sensitive to new media platforms, readily welcomes them.

Sitges greets a new Festival edition with the enthusiasm that we all share when something that we consider ours makes the headlines. The Festival is well established as the most important international fantastic film festival and has become a major Catalonian cultural platform. Councilor Ferran Mascarell declared so at the press conference that we organized past Monday that counted with the presence of hundreds of reporters: the contribution made ​​by the Catalan Government in Sitges is the most important, quantitatively of all contributions made to film festivals.

For Sitges, the Festival is a very important tool in promoting tourism and has an extraordinary impact. The figures associated with the Festival are quite revealing: 300 million people read about the Festival in the press, 65 million television viewers, a campaign worth millions of Euros, news of international caliber hitting the world ... The profits generated by the Film Festival in the projection of the Sitges brand, and its positioning as a venue for cultural activities and top international events are impossible to assess.

For this reason, the Film Festival is a priority in the promotion policy of Sitges and in the cultural and institutional agenda of our local government. We've been working to contribute to the projection, despite the complex and difficult financial situation in which we live.

Meanwhile, for the city government is very important to stress the homegrown nature of the Sitges Film Festival. The director stressed it at press conference: the Festival has always been and will always be from Sitges. But the significant growth that the event has undergone in the last fifteen years, provoked, among other factors, by the availability of a large and complete facility in the Auditorium, has caused some loss in the local ambiance that once existed in the streets of Sitges during every Festival.

We are working hard to reverse this trend and for this reason, we have undertaken several initiatives so people outside Aiguadolç can experience the Festival. For the second consecutive year, we have a double opening session at the Retiro and a double closing at the Prado. We recovered the shop window competition, just as two years ago we recovered the Fantastic Menu.

We have also opened a new lounge with free screenings at the Hort de Can Falç. This year, an architectural and artistic landmark such as the Palau Maricel will join the Festival activities offering posters of all editions of the event, as part of the funds of the Historical Archive of Sitges. Venues such as the Espai Jove or the Swimming Pool were also added to the Festival with different activities…

Economic resources are scarce, but our will and our imagination are endless. And that allows us to continue to make our Festival grow and bring it to the town to the extent possible, to the people that loves it and are immensely proud of it. Sitges is Fantastic.

A new Organization Chart to reinforce our projects

The new Organization Chart was implemented two weeks ago and now works at full steam. The new organization of the Municipal Government, the result of the departure of three councilors of Partit Popular, allowed us to strengthen functions and lines of work and correct accumulated deficits.

The change forced out of the need to fill vacancies left by three dismissed councilors was a good opportunity to redirect some internal dynamics, especially in the Department of Governance and in the area of City Development, along with the distribution of government responsibilities; all interdepartmental lines are clearly reinforced. The Organization Chart was designed with the dual purpose of continuing the implementation of the Governance Plan, which sets the lines of the current government, and provides dynamism, agility and efficiency to the municipal management.

With the new Organization Chart, we ended a very unpleasant period that started when three councilors of Partit Popular decided to take some time for reflection following a democratic decision of the Municipal House, that reflected the will of the people of the people of Sitges expressed in a poll which decided the change of the name of Plaça d'Espanya and carrer Espanya. We can agree or not with the decisions of the Municipal House. We can openly express our agreement or dissent. But we can't abandon their implementation or force the suspension of their execution. I understand that the councilors of Partit Popular do not like the decision of the Municipal House and the majority of the residents of Sitges who went to vote. I know that it must be quite difficult and unpleasant for them, but above ideologies and flags, there is Democracy. The word Democracy is in capital letters.

The new road opened by the Municipal Government will need new skills and renewed variables to carry out certain projects. I’m fully aware. And I assume it. It will be the moment in which responsibility will be over dogma. And that what is good for Sitges will become the real drive of local politics. I gladly accept the responsibility of continuing the implementation of the Governance Plan and all their lines of work, in order to reinforce the projection of Sitges and the creation of new policies and measures to support people. The current situation requires commitment and responsibility. And Sitges deserves it!!

National Day speech

Councilors of the Sitges City Hall. Mayor Jordi Serra. Mayor Pere Junyent. Mayor Jordi Baijet.

Political parties, organizations, associations and neighborhoods present in the municipality. Group of Human Castles "Jove" Sitges (Colla Jove de Castellers de Sitges). Flabiolet School Sitges. Residents in Sitges. Dear compatriots.

Today, September 11, 2013, the countdown begins until the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the fall of Barcelona during the Succession War on September 11, 1714. Sitges, as I mentioned in the Proclamation of the National Day, suffered its own September 11, though not with the cruelty suffered by the capital of Catalonia. A year earlier, during July 1713, when the Bourbon troops entered and conquered Sitges for King Philip V. Sitges, this small part of the country, just like all towns of the county, lost all their national freedoms a fateful July 27, 1713. A date to remember. 

Such dates mark, whether we like it or not, our individual and collective DNA, our character and our way of being and doing. We must remember today as in every year that our self-government was not born with the Constitution of 1978. Self-government has been part of us since our own inception as a nation.

As much as some detest it, history must be taken into account. History must be in our collective memory. As a friend once said: "History is the only thing that people can't adapt to their needs". We all must have a tremendous respect for history and for all those that shaped it and made it possible. Nations can't be considered as such if they don't honor their memory. 

Fortunately, eighteenth century if far removed from us. Today, in Catalonia, hundreds of thousands of very different people live in peace and harmony, even though were are going through difficult times and that we are in a rather convulse era. Many suffer the consequences of a fierce crisis characterized by its long duration and by the suffering left at its wake. But we will prevail. We will go through hell, but we will prevail!

We will keep walking without losing hope, because we must proceed with the construction of a nation at the service of all the people, not for a handful of people, as some would have us believe. They want us to believe it by attacking the same foundation of equality on our nation: social cohesion of all people and the language as basis for integration.

Despite all the suffering we are going through, despite constant threats against our institutions, our culture, our economy, our self-government ... they won't be capable of dissolving the social cohesion of the country, although they try. We won't submit. No, no this one!

Because our nation would not make any sense if we don't value Catalans above all. Catalonia needs all of us. Catalonia needs that we keep on building a nation over a foundation based on progress, equality, freedom and social justice. Because this country is possible and competitive. No Catalan can be left aside whatever language they speak, whatever their origin, status, ideology or orientation. We all are part of the country; the nation includes all of us.

Nor they will, despite constant threats, break our greatest sign of collective identity and communication: the unity of the language. Last year, I dared to pronounce a few words in the Catalan dialects spoken in Mallorca and Valencia. This year, I will join the unanimous cry in favor of the unity of language, in frank opposition against political bartering and the brutal attack suffered by the Catalan language in Aragon, our brotherly country, there's even certain acronym that I don't want to mention contrary to the position of large part of the people in Aragon and in their Parliament. In solidarity I want to say a few words in the speech of the Franja, the strip of land in Aragon that speaks Catalan. As they would say: “Aquí del blat de moro en seguirem dient panís, perquè els xics i les xiquetes de la Franja seguiran creixent i parlant lo català per més que uns quants no ho vulgon ...”.

Patriots; civic, constructive and peaceful Catalan aspirations provoke fear among many. So let's continue being civil, constructive and peaceful being inclusive at the same time, as we have always done. As I said before, the nation that we are, the country that we are building belongs to all.

The right to decide must not provoke panic. Democratic elections must not provoke fear, because we can't set limits to democracy. The right to decide is not a confrontation, as some want us to believe. The right to choose is also civic, constructive and peaceful. And above all, the right to decide is DEMOCRATIC. Catalonia has will, talent, pride and counts with institutions, and also counts with errors, but includes us all. For all the above reasons, Catalans are still smiling and dreaming.

This afternoon, thousands of hands and arms will unite from north to south along the entire country (and will extend also from the heart of Catalonia, from the west to the east, from the east to west). This union is what the country needs. Because people are the real strength of great nations, and the event of this afternoon is one of those great things: people claiming for freedom. 

The future can be better, much better. We only need a positive attitude, perseverance, ideals of inclusion, resistance and we must know how to listen to the will of the people. Keep on fighting for your dreams; keep on fighting bravely to achieve our great collective dream. Ghandi was a man of peace, respected and loved by the entire world, he once said: "Strength does not come from physical capacity but from our indomitable will."

Patriots, don't let others tame your will; don't let others tranquilize your desire! We are living this National Day with a horizon of freedom. From Sitges, this September 11, let's say aloud so the entire humanity can hear us: Long live Catalonia!

National Day 2013: the Goal is Freedom

Just as last year, 11 September 2013 will have again a special significance and value for all of us. Our nation is in the midst of a process to decide our own future, a process that reached a point of no return and needs to inch along every day. This year, the Catalan Way will release a new message to the world at large: Catalonia wants to be a new state in Europe. And we want to do it with a firm will of agreement, dialogue and civility that characterizes our national aspirations. I will reproduce the proclamation I made acting as Mayor for the National Day 2013:

"Sitges suffered its own September 11, though not with the cruelty suffered by the capital of Catalonia. A year earlier, during July 1713, the Bourbon troops entered our town, putting it under the control of King Philip V. Sitges, this small part of our country, just like the other towns of the county, lost all ancient self-government freedoms a fateful July 27, 1713.

July 27, in Sitges, September 11, in Barcelona, ​​are both landmarks in the history of the nation that we are, and that we are building. The dates, however, can be left aside, but not the people. Those who lost their lives, those who saw their personal and collective projects entirely smashed, entire towns wiped out. The eighteenth century is quite remote for us. But the twentieth century is far closer, the century in which we recovered our self-government institutions. And now, the twenty-first century will lead us to the national pride of living fully at the service of people.

This nation would have no meaning whatsoever without first highlighting the Catalans, without distinction of origin, language, status, or orientation. The Catalonia of the twenty-first century must build upon progress, equality, freedom and social justice.

Let's dress up balconies and windows with the Catalan flag. Let everyone see that the entire nation vibrates in each home, at every town or city. I invite all of you to participate in the official ceremony that will celebrate in Sitges on 11 September at 11 am in front of the statue of Doctor Robert, at the Plaça de l'Ajuntament.

The country is going through hard times, but not as tragic as 1713 and 1714. But right now we are in a period in which the future can be brighter, much brighter. We only need a positive attitude, perseverance, ideals of equal opportunity for all, capacity of resistance and listen to the will of the people.

In this National Day, our goal if freedom. Long live Sitges and long live Catalonia!".

Festival: Three thoughts

Enough days went by since the end of our Annual Festival, more than enough to make a balanced assessment of what the Festival brought us. For this reason, I wanted to use the blog to expound three main ideas.

National interest

Our Annual Festival was, alongside Vilafranca and Tarragona, the first Annual Festivals to be declared of National Interest by the Catalan Government. That was in 1991 and the distinction was awarded ​​based on the richness of our festive heritage, which still remains as the most identifying element of our Festival. Folk dances, short plays and processions or the March of Guilds justify by themselves such distinction. I had the opportunity to discuss it in detail with the Minister of Planning and Sustainability, Santi Vila, which we invited to the March of Guilds, and I'm pleased to say that he was amazed with what he saw and experienced. This is the essence of our Annual Festival, what sets it apart from the rest and what we must continue caring as it deserves.

The work of the Commission

Again, it has been shown that to make a good Annual Festival we should not make expenditures beyond what is necessary. As happened in 2012, the Commission of the Annual Festival and Santa Tecla performed a commendable, rigorous and effective work. The Commission cared for details, took into account the needs of dance parades, and achieved an attractive program with events for different audiences with high quality and plural proposals. The Annual Festival needs the help of our City Council budget. I am entirely convinced of such a fact, but as demonstrated with the Three Wise Men Parade or the Carnival, money does not correlate exactly with a good festivity.

Civics

The work done by the security forces and support services (health, cleaning ...) to achieve a perfect Annual Festival deserves public recognition. This task is neither easy nor grateful, but was carried out with proven effectiveness. The protocols worked and the results were evident. However, we must reflect on what was seen at the Entrance of the Flaviolet Players, when some dimwits lighted crackers. The event was totally ruined due to a nonsense like this, and it is clear we must try to avoid it. But the danger of such an action at a point where there's a high concentration of people is quite considerable, and for this reason it is necessary to act.

We just entered September and the local calendar takes a different pace. And, every September, Santa Tecla brings a shine to the eyes of the little ones and ignites the hopes of children. We have already started work, and this week we will initiate registrations so parents can register their children in the Big Kiddy Celebration.

Fasta Major's time: enjoy it, because it's only

Last night, writer Xavier Gimeno offered us a sensational Festa Major opening address, deeply moving us once again. Xavier’s words and his journey through the ins and outs of the Festa, added to the atmosphere of Sitgetanism and civic-mindedness experienced at Town Hall Square, all made it a magnificent welcome to Festa Major 2013.

For Sitgetans these are unique days. Our Festa Major, with a patrimonial wealth and a spirit of participation like none other anywhere else in our country, is possible. We live it, we feel it and we love it. That is why I invite you to live it to the fullest, intensely and responsibly, with joy and respect, pride and emotions.

Below is a reproduction of the Festa Major Proclamation:

“When the gralles head for Sant Francesc Street playing the Toc de Matinades or Morning Call song, following the entrance the musicians have always made every August 23^rd, there’s no stopping Festa Major, our main festival.

Whether it’s more or less muggy out, sunny or cloudy, there’s more or less joy, the midday vigil announces a new and, at the same time, old Saint Bartholomew’s Day. After that everything will be a frenetic race: the firing of mortars, ringing of the bells, traditional dances, verses, the civilian procession, the fireworks display, descending the parish church stairs, open-air dancing, the matinal early morning performances, solemn mass, the procession from mass, human towers, concerts, the religious procession, the final ball ... And we’ll do what we do every year: run from one place to another, to watch, to make things a reality, to feel, to enjoy everything that is so much a part of us, of all the men and women, boys and girls.

The history of the Festa Major is cyclic, just like our personal year is cyclic, from Saint Bartholomew’s Day to Saint Bartholomew’s Day. And that’s how we have to experience it. We will honor tradition, we will express our feeling of possession, and we will celebrate that we are Sitges yet another year.

My thanks to the Festa Major and Santa Tecla Commission for their zealous work. Thanks to all the collaborating institutions, companies and people. Thanks to the dancers, gralla players, bands, instrumental groups, orchestras, the flag bearer, the cordonistes (assistants) and the reader of the proclamation. A thousand thanks go out to all the Sitgetans for this, for being what they are and for feeling it. 

To celebrate it properly, with no detriment to the laws in force, the Sitges Town Council recommends all businesses and other establishments to remain closed throughout the entire day of August 24^th, and to not park any vehicles along the routes used by the traditional parades and processions. The Town Council is not responsible for any damage that might occur to vehicles, awnings and housings as a consequence of the progress of the festival events in public thoroughfares between August 20^th and the 25^th. The necessary prevention and safety measures should be taken.

Sitgetans, we are living out these special days with the family, friends and visitors. Let’s relive tradition and the legacy of our ancestors, a heritage that belongs to all of us, with our gaze placed on the difficult present, but also on a future that is looking better for Sitges and the country.

Let’s keep our five senses awake, as well as a sixth sense of hope, and allow ourselves to be transported by the charms of our Festa Major, because it is starting soon and in a just a blink of the eye it will have gone by.

Glorious Saint Bartholomew, patron saint of Sitges, long live Festa Major!”.

Social policies: immediate action

The Sitges-Garraf Third Sector Board is already a reality. In an act held at the Miramar building, we presented their lines of action and objectives in the short and medium term, and we had the pleasure and the necessary commitment to share with their promoters all the challenges that lie ahead. The Board is a great support tool in the daily work of public and private stakeholders, that try to help those most in need and suffering the crisis more than anyone.

The current situation is dramatic and difficult and affects the vast majority of our environment. Recession, unemployment, cuts and reorientation of many projects, plans and initiatives directly or indirectly affect the entire society. But no sector is more battered than the one comprised by the weakest from an economic and social perspective. Their social cushion is often so thin that it touches bone right away. So we must act without further delay.

For this reason, for the Municipal Government of Sitges supporting people is a top priority in its policy. We work shoulder to shoulder with the entities that make up the Third Sector to work on programs in the medium term, but also on immediate needs, such as the stoppage of an eviction process that we achieved a few days ago after tough negotiations with the bank involved.

And in this line, in recent months we launched projects that are already a reality and an invaluable support for a large numbers of residents in Sitges.The Blue Card and the Soup Kitchen are two good examples.

The Blue Card emerged in late 2012 as a project to award bonuses or reduced rates on public services to people with lower incomes or with a certain degree of mobility problems. The plan was expanded a short while after implementation, to include discounts granted by growing number of shops and companies to the same groups.

The Soup Kitchen, meanwhile, was a specific support for many residents with serious economic and social problems, allowing them to obtain specific answers to crucial needs such as daily food.

These two initiatives, together with the actions undertaken by Social Services, are a priority for the City Council. Daydreaming is not enough because there is too much at stake: there is poverty in Sitges, there are also people who suffer the crisis with extreme severity and our duty is to be at their side and at the same time, look for all the solutions at the reach of the City Council. 

Cultural offer: an essential tool in our tourism

Last week we premiered the campaign this summer, bathe yourself in culture. For the second consecutive year, the City Council launched an initiative that aims to bring together under one brand the intense cultural program that takes place in Sitges during the summer months. It is a support for festivals, concerts and other summer festivals and at the same time, a useful tool for the recipients of such activities, which are mainly tourists and visitors, but also the citizens of Sitges.

This summer, bathe yourself in culture is the umbrella that groups well established festivals contained in our cultural program, we are dealing here with the Summer Concert Series, the Tango Festival and the Sitgestiu Cultural, along with other interesting proposals that have emerged recently and that are in process of becoming permanent events on our agenda, such as Concerts de Mitjanit or Sitges Green Sound (with the addition of Sitges Red Sound).These three proposals bear the stamp of Port de Aiguadolç or Port de Sitges, that shows their strong commitment to become a space for leisure and quality culture.

The campaign sums up other specific events, such as Any Espriu, the brand new Cine Club Sitges or the ballet show offered by the Moscow Ballet, and as it cannot be in any other way, the events of our Annual Festival, both traditional and artistic performances. The whole program is a long list of more than 200 cultural events scheduled during the summer months in Sitges.

Cultural TourismThe promotion and development of tourism is one of the main commitments of the Municipal Government. Our economy is based on tourism. It is the main occupation of the inhabitants of Sitges, the main economic activity of our companies, the main weapon we have so a Sitges that has grown in recent years over what was recommended and advisable, is capable of preserving the essence of a living town with permanent activities. Sitges without tourism today is doomed to become a bedroom community.

And in the design of a Sitges with high quality tourism, culture is a priority. Our tourism is based on sun and sand, on our gastronomy and business conventions, (a very important and relevant fact, since it allows to break seasonality) sporting events and it is also cultural.

For this reason, it is essential to have a program such as the one represented by the different initiatives covered by this summer, bathe yourself in culture. Any tourist who arrives in Sitges with a minimum of cultural sensitivity, this is the tourism that we want most, has at its disposal a remarkable cultural program. Regardless of their cultural interests, the offer of classical, opera, jazz, pop, rock, dance or tango is strong enough to meet the varied needs and at the same time, is capable of fulfilling the most demanding agendas.

Almost every summer day is cultural, and the duty of the City Council is not to organize those activities, but to give them active support. We will deliver support though logistics and broadcasting, facilitating the access of tourists and visitors to exciting proposals that strengthen our label of quality tourism.

This summer, bathe culture

Urgent action to nourish our beaches

This night, we just began works to take sand to beaches named Sebastià, Bassa Rodona, Estanyol and Riera Xica. We are dealing here with an urgent action carried out by the City Council, to offset the reduction of sand surface experienced by the four beaches due to coastline dynamics, badly affected by spring storms that were especially virulent on the beaches near the center of Sitges.

This urgent sand nourishment started today and will cover the entire week. During five nights, trucks and caterpillars will work from 10 PM to 7 AM to improve the condition of beaches with 2.000 cubic meters of sand. The new sand received by the four more affected beaches came from a sand surplus existing at the beach named Les Botigues, and complies with all natural conservation and green standards.

Faced with the negative results provoked by the loss of an important sand surface just at the beginning of the tourist season, they City Hall of Sitges had two possible options. The first was to wait for the sea to return the sand carried away, and the second was to anticipate events and act with celerity and decision, to insure that the four most affected beaches could receive sand from other beaches in the municipality.

The loss of sand in some beaches near the center of Sitges –Sant Sebastià and Bassa Rodona are the most notorious cases– is a common mishap during most of the winters. If we enjoy a placid spring, sand regeneration takes place naturally at the beginning of the tourist season, and the sea returns all the sand carried away. But is the spring comes laden with storms, winds and rough sea, just as the current season, the natural regeneration is rather unlikely.

For this reason, at the City Hall we took the initiative and we decided to nourish the sand ourselves. The project was budgeted at just over 50.000€ and is assumed entirely by the City Hall. Too many elements were at play: success of the tourist season; economic impacts provoked by the lack of sand on the entire population; and the image of our coastline during the highest point in the tourist season.

The City Hall allocated a special item to carry out this operation that needed an urgent implementation. The Beach Department is performing an exhaustive following and if conditions make it possible, next week the four beaches of Sant Sebastià, Bassa Rodona, Estanyol and Riera Xica will enjoy a far more stable condition.

A balance of the first two years in power

Tomorrow Tuesday will mark the second anniversary of the constitution of our New City Hall and the ensuing appointment of the Mayor. We minted a new name for the coalition of four political parties that wanted a change and assume new challenges; the name was the “Government of the New Majority”. Sitges voted for a new majority capable of putting an end to the period of deranged management practices, the end result was that Sitges became one of the municipalities with the highest debt burden in the entire country.

Those first two years in power were, as you all know, very tough and difficult. It was very difficult because managing a City Hall with a debt burden of 67 million Euros requires high doses of accurate financial engineering and a solid managerial capacity. Tough years, the “inheritance” we received forced us to take unpleasant measures in every economic area of the City Council: companies, organizations, workers and finally, taxpayers. 

During those two years of municipal government, we never fled from the spotlight or ever tried to hide from voters. We had to take drastic decisions to veer away from the disastrous management of the previous government that mortgaged the City Hall for many years to come.

And the decisions taken, even considering that were difficult and tough, also proved to be strictly necessary and convenient. Now, after two years of municipal management, we can show the first favorable results in many years: we extinguished the debt of 22 million that we found when we won, we achieved net savings of 4 million Euros, and payment terms for municipal suppliers went from 24 months two years ago to 4 months now. We are dealing here with positive figures, but in no way decisive, since we still have a bank debt amounting to 53 million Euros, so we are forced to implement policies of financial contention and accurate financial management. 

The first two years of this term – governed by the correction of deficiencies – served us to set the foundations of the recuperation project that we started to apply. We were dealing with the four core ideas of the term’s Governance Plan: A Sitges that belongs to the people, Tourism as the driving force of our rebirth, Respect for the environment and our heritage and the Implementation of new economic models.

In fact, such four core ideas were the guiding force behind City Hall politics during the last months, and appeared in different initiatives that in many cases will be quite important. We must mention here the impending opening of the new university of performing arts in Sitges (Institute of the Arts Barcelona), that came to town thanks to the efforts of the government of the New Majority; the implementation of the Soup Kitchen, that satisfies the urgent needs of an important group of people; the imminent start of the refurbishment and renovation works affecting Santiago Rusiñol Library; the creation of Carnet Blau or Blue Card, that offers social services to the needy and that counts with 800 users; or the renovation of Cau Ferrat and Museu Maricel, totally insuring the protection and conservation of our architectonic heritage, in contrast with the horrendous project promoted by the previous government.

At the same time, the year 2013 was ripe to alleviate tax pressure: we reduced the price of urban transportation and in 2014, as we announced, we will cut garbage fee in half and gain tax by 45%.

As I said, we are going through difficult times, but there’s also a ray of hope as ascertained in the first results of our policies for the promotion of economic development, social support and environmental protection. We inaugurated a new governmental culture in which participation is not an empty word, as illustrated in the Public Audiences, here everybody has the opportunity to participate, ask, suggest, criticize and even scream to the point of loosing composure. We have a lot of work to do, but the most important of all is that we are anxious to do it and that we are also hopeful. Let’s keep working!

Public audience 29 May 2013

Policies for protection of our architectural heritage and tourism promotion

Last week, we received confirmation from the President of the Provincial Council, Salvador Esteve, of the grant of 1 million Euros allocated by this government body to four projects administered by our City Council: refurbishment of the Santiago Rusiñol Library, restoration works in the building of Casino Prado, review and implementation of the Special Plan for Architectural Protection and tourist promotion of Sitges.

As you can see, all four projects are part of the lines of the Governance Plan, announced almost two years ago when we formed the new Municipal Government of Sitges. Out of those four projects, three are directly related to the restoration and protection of the architectural heritage of our town. This point has a particular importance to this Government, as was highlighted in the document of commitments we signed in June 2011.

In recent decades, Sitges suffered too many urban developments that altered, well over what was reasonable and advisable, the traditional image that has distinguished this town for generations. There were things that were not well done, wrong planning, wrong criteria and a wrong attitude by certain sectors that applied an overly expansive development lacking any concern for the environment and history. There are buildings that should have not disappeared and urban developments that were launched at the wrong time.

And that should change. For this reason, I am particularly happy that thanks to the financial support of the Provincial Council, we can review the Special Plan for Architectural Protection, which we already have initiated. This review will be the tool that will ensure that no historical buildings will be tore down, since such constructions form an urban landscape that we want to maintain, preserve and protect.

In this connection, there are two projects that will also have supplemental funding from the Provincial Government, thanks to the agreement reached with President Esteve: the refurbishment of the Santiago Rusiñol library and the building of Casino Prado. Both projects are under the umbrella of the Governance Plan and are of considerable value, both for their own execution and for their significance for a City Hall firmly committed to the protection of our architectural heritage. In this direction, we could also include the refurbishment of museums performed according to protection and conservation principles, as agreed by the City Hall and the Provincial Council in October 2011, halting the previous project that was an insult to aesthetics and history.

The fourth project that counts with the collaboration of the Provincial Council is linked, albeit indirectly, to the other three: it is boosting tourism in Sitges. If we want Sitges to keep the strength, charm and the added value that sets the town apart from other coastal tourist towns, we need to commit ourselves with the protection and safeguard of our architectural, historical and natural heritage.

Sustainable tourism, which generates economic movement and includes active cultural attractions and responsible entertainment, is bread today ... and for tomorrow. And for this reason, we are entirely committed to different projects in which we have been working from the Sitges Tourist Office.

Public hearing

Finally, friends, I'll take advantage of these lines to invite you next Wednesday 29 at 19.30 am to the Miramar Building, where I will hold a Public Hearing to evaluate the first two years of municipal legislature. You will be able to ask and share your opinion about municipal management.