Rafa Carrió: "I want to be a humble, kind, approachable, and decisive mayor"

The future mayor of Dénia reflects on his political vision, relationship with government partners, and future challenges for the city.

Portrait of Rafa Carrió in front of Dénia City Hall.
IA

Portrait of Rafa Carrió in front of Dénia City Hall.

Dénia's deputy mayor, Rafa Carrió, will assume the mayorship on June 20th and shares his personal and political vision, marked by the desire to remain "humble, kind, approachable, decisive, and responsible."

In an interview with La Marina Plaza, Carrió has reviewed the legislature and outlined his future plans. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a "progressive government" in Dénia and called for the PSPV's responsibility to continue their collaboration in 2027. "I would like the PSPV to be aware and responsible," he stated.
The future councilor criticized the opposition's work, deeming it unconstructive and focused on "partisanship." "They should get their act together and work less for partisanship and more for the citizens," he noted, recalling that his own experience in opposition was "constructive and dignified."
Carrió also addressed political "tension," particularly regarding linguistic issues and the debate over the existence of the Valencian Country. "It's difficult to combat. We need to teach, educate, and show that they are being misled," he said regarding denialist positions.

Surely the criticisms come from not knowing how to explain things, or from getting ahead of ourselves.

Regarding his political future, Carrió aims to continue as mayor after his year in office, provided he is "in good health and the party agrees." "I have the desire, enthusiasm, I have experience, and I will have more with this year as mayor," he assured, expressing "great anger" at the "destructive politics of the right and far-right" internationally and locally.
He made it clear that his "red lines" are the PP and Vox, and his goal is to "stop all this destructive politics." "We have to work and contribute and do what we can," he stressed.
On a local level, Carrió advocated for a tourism model that "puts those of us who live here first," diversifying the economy and addressing challenges such as housing and the environment. "We cannot attract tourism and not have housing for the people who come to provide the service," he warned, referencing models like Ibiza's.
Regarding relations with government partners, he expressed his willingness to collaborate with Pepa Font, the future deputy mayor, to "achieve the things Dénia needs." He acknowledged learning from the current mayor, Vicent Grimalt, to whom he thanked for his "services rendered."
Carrió concluded by expressing his desire to be remembered as "the good neighbor" and admitted that mistakes are part of the political journey, but that the most satisfying thing is "any person who comes and says thank you for this management."