The socialist Quintana, promoter of the Don Benito-Villanueva merger leaves his act of mayor

The former mayor of Don Benito José Luis Quintana (PSOE), one of the promoters of the municipal merger project with the neighboring town of Villanueva de la Serena, has renounced his act of mayor after 16 years of municipal public activity, eight as mayor and others as councilor. Quintana, who has been in charge of the Don Benito consistory between 2015 and 2023, lost the Mayor's office after the elections last May.

Despite the fact that the PSOE was the most voted list, a pact “between losers”, as he said this Monday in relation to the PP and Siempre Don Benito agreement, prevented him from maintaining the municipal command rod. At a press conference, the already exedil has asserted that both as mayor and councilor (2007-2015) he has always worked “without rest” in defense of the interests of the residents of Don Benito.

“I understand that I can no longer continue contributing the same,” added Quintana, who has acknowledged that in these 16 years he has taken “excessive time” from his family. Accompanied by leaders and members of the party at the local level, he has stated that he has decided to “step aside and leave the front line of municipal politics”. However, he has affirmed that he will continue as general secretary of the calabazones socialists as long as the organic deadlines are met and “thus guarantee a calm process and renewal of the structure of our party at the local level.”.

He has assured that he is leaving with “the satisfaction of closing a stage being the political party with the most votes, although a pact between losers has not allowed us to govern”. He has also said that he is leaving “with a clear conscience and with clean hands”, but above all with the “confidence and guarantee” that people who are “sufficiently prepared and capable of leading these four years of opposition” remain at the head of the socialist group..

The leader of the calabazones socialists has added that a stage is opening in which the PSOE must “safeguard the interests of the residents of Don Benito” after the agreement between Siempre Don Benito and PP, whose “sole objective was the no to the merger and throw the socialists out of the town hall”, according to Quintana. In this regard, he has reiterated that the PSOE “is the only party” that continues to bet on the merger between Don Benito and Villanueva de la Serena “as the best guarantee of the progress of the following generations.”