Catalina Perelló makes history by becoming the first socialist mayoress of Sant Joan

Historic day for Sant Joan and, especially, for local and regional socialism. Catalina Perelló Pascual has taken possession of the command staff of the City Council and has thus become the first mayor in the history of the municipality under the PSIB-PSOE banner. With this appointment, Perelló becomes the third woman to head the Sant Joan Council, following in the footsteps of her predecessors, Maria Teresa Munar Caimari (UM) and Catalina Gayà Bauzà (AxSJ).

This transfer of power has been carried out in compliance with the governability agreement sealed in June 2023, after municipal elections in which the ecosovereign coalition MÉS per Mallorca obtained five councilors and the socialists, one representative. Under that progressive pact, a shared mayoralty was agreed: Richard Thompson (MÉS) served as the first mayor for the first three years of the legislature, and from today onwards, it is Perelló who assumes the highest command responsibility of the town until the end of the term in 2027.

As expected, the plenary hall of the City Council was filled with relatives, residents, and friends of Perelló who wanted to be present at the institutional handover. A large delegation of representatives and senior officials from the socialist party traveled to Sant Joan to offer warmth and support to the new mayor at this key moment in her political career. Among the PSIB-PSOE authorities who wanted to be present at the event, the presence of Amanda Fernández stood out, who was accompanied by other party leaders. Among the socialist absences, some of the three mayors the party has in the Pla de Mallorca were missed.

Likewise, the ecosovereignists also wanted to accompany the outgoing mayor, Richard Thompson. Also present at the meeting were leading figures from MÉS per Mallorca, led by Lluís Apesteguía and the former mayor of Montuïri Paula Amengual.

Thompson

In the turn for interventions, Thompson thanked the support and involvement of all the councilors of the governing team. He also highlighted the work of all "the workers of the City Council who have wanted to embrace changes, new ways of doing things". Likewise, he recognized and thanked "the work commissions, the volunteers, the neighbors who have helped me these three years". "Having been the mayor of Sant Joan these three years has been an honor. An adventure, in capital letters. That's why I want to thank the people of Sant Joan for having welcomed a Briton who came to live here in love with a Mallorcan woman". "During this time I have shared joys and concerns with many people, I have seen how this town comes together when needed and I have learned that Sant Joan is much more than a place to live: it is a community that takes care of its people", he pointed out.

Finally, the now former mayor thanked his family for giving him the necessary support to achieve a shared dream when they decided to stay to live in Sant Joan, his wife's town: "Come on, let's try it: we live here and we need this town to have a quality of life that makes us want to live here. This Sant Joan we have now is not far from that dream. I am very proud of it".

Finally, he has made himself available to Perelló with "the commitment that the governing team will make it possible that during this fourth year we finish the pending commitments".

The mayoress

Now with the command stick in hand, Perelló addressed the attendees saying that "I assume the mayoralty of Sant Joan with an emotion difficult to explain, with humility, with responsibility and with the firm will to serve Sant Joan".

He also had words of gratitude for his predecessor, Richard Thompson, for "your work these three years. I know you have sacrificed all the time you could for your commitment to our town". He also thanked the other councilors of the governing team and those of the opposition.

In the same vein, he recognized the work of the citizenry "especially all those people who are always there. Those who help without asking for anything in return. Those who participate, those who propose, those who criticize constructively. You are the soul of Sant Joan". There were also words for his family, friends and companions for their support.

"During this year as mayor, I will fight to fulfill the pending objectives" of the signed government pact, "we will continue working to maintain a Sant Joan that is clean, friendly, cared for and alive. A town where children can grow up happy, where young people find opportunities, where the elderly feel valued and respected, where the associative fabric continues to be a driving force for coexistence and where businesses, shops and entrepreneurs find the necessary support to continue generating activity, jobs and a future", he pointed out.

With the change, Thompson will manage the areas that Perelló has handled so far: Education and representative of the Commonwealth, which includes Tourism, Waste Collection, Equality and Social Services. For his part, Perelló will take on the management of the responsibilities of Administration, Urbanism, Communication, Sports, Festivals, Budgets and Human Resources.