Our Spanish class has wangled an interview, or meeting, with the alcalde on the back of an idea our teacher had for starting some kind of newsletter for the village. All of that notwithstanding, we've got ideas of questions to which we think we and others might like answers.
What questions would you ask your, or any other, mayor?

I know what I'd ask mine.

"Which dickheads voted you in - you prick?"

But I'm not in Spain so sorry Fiona for trampling on another thread. I have an insane need to vent on allsorts tonight.

No worries. Our lot's probably mostly in bed anyway.... Megmet might be around later cos she has sleep problems apparently, .... we'll see!

Sidelining my own thread, I can't get people who complain yet don't vote. I didn't vote so accept my fate if I get in an argument. (think it was around the time my mother died so I have a bit of an excuse) ... one of the spanish class stood up at the end and said she couldn't understand the interest in meeting the mayor, she had no interest in politics. Yet she was the first to complain about the lack of communications in the village about the simplest of things. Well maybe I embellish a bit too much, but you get the point.

Sounds a lot like Italy and even though I have been quite vocal in the last five years of Italian school, I have managed to stay out of the political side.

I have dumped myself in it this year at daughter's middle school. It was the night for voting class reps. After many discussions I said they could have my name as a last resort. When I saw two names up on the blackboard I thought I was home and dry and SAFE. Turns out that at bloody middle school they need four names ... so I'm up there.

Woe betide them now when I get up in front of some of the idiots that run these schools.

How much did you get in backhanders/black money last year ?

Any chance I could get a piece of the action if I don't tell your Mrs I saw you giving your secretary a one in the back room just as I came in ?

A very good question but I doubt you'd get a very serious answer.

Do you own a suit, who does your ironing? Our new mayor looks a mess. The one who stepped down still walks in the processions and still looks the part. Would not have known which person was the new mayor if I had not seen his photo.

On a more serious note I think that I would ask when they are going to re-tarmac the roads. cannot think of anything else at the moment.

Rosemary

Looks like our local mayor is in for quite a long stretch of porridge together with some of his builder pals as well, though the main guy behind the scam,a German has done a runner and seemingly disappeared off the face of the planet.

How the hell did an uncouth yob like you get to be mayor. Before this one was voted in we had a mayor who, for all I know, was crap and corrupt but he looked like a mayor acted like a mayor and according to our neighbours was exceptionaly good for our town. This prat has no dignity at all looks and acts like someone dragged off the street, in a well turned out procession he stands out like a sore thumb badly dressed, lumbering along. A friend tells us that it was a political move and he is being controlled by others in his party.
Sorry, rant over.

Graham

That's a question for our one as well. The last time I went to a BIG school and town hall metting mixed together, our mayor was there. He looked like a grizzly bear in scruffy jeans and flip flops and hairy toes and allsorts. I know he had hairy toes as I had the misfortune to be sitting next to him.

I also got the insight and wonderment into his depth of intellect when one parent asked about something ..... and I overheard the mayor in question say something to his companion in pure unbred dialect, full of very bad Italian blasphemy and other unGodly like words which are considered very, very bad here. It was disgraceful.

The previous mayor in our case is the one with the mega question marks over his head so it's tempting to ask something about that, and how this one's going to be different ....

No idea if these are part of "mayoral" duties but:

Re-tarmac road
Stop the cruelty to horses (Y shaped wood attached with a bolt to one leg of the horse).
Stop the installation of water meters on houses who use a well so that they can be charged for water.
Lower speed bumps
Have a hair cut.
Abolish any form of "stamps"
Prevent triple parking.

Hi

Simply to ask him to bring Chiclana into the 20th century by getting drinking water and sewerage to every home - and yes I know we are in the 21st century.

Electricity is not within his power - that's a matter for the Junta de Andalucia

Davexf

If the Ayuntamiento is so desperately short of money, why aren't you getting every available policeman on the streets, fining everyone who is parked on a pavement, or a pedestrian crossing, double or triple parked, or stops their car in the middle of the road to go into a shop, everyone who fly tips domestic or industrial rubbish, or does not pick up their dog's mess? Easy source of revenue.

Because businesses need people to illegally park so they can come to their shops

In Benalmadena Pueblo, if people didnt illegally park then the bakery would get half the business - and there is simply nowhere to build any parking.

If we start fining people for everything then Spain suddenly becomes England which I certainly dont want. A bit of chaos is good for you!

I should add, that I would ask how much the ayuntamiento is in debt and what are the plans for paying the debt back and how long that will take. That will stump them!