With experience in private business, he jumped into the world of local politics practically by chance. Before taking the big step, he wasn't even a member of any party. Miguel Tur (Ibiza, 1986) has a degree in Business Administration and Management (ADE) and in Market Research and Techniques (ITM) from the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. His institutional debut, without a doubt, was marked by the Covid pandemic that broke out a few months after the legislature began. Despite the difficulties, he still thinks that working for his municipality is a "privilege" and a "responsibility".

"It's been a relatively short time since he's been in politics, what balance can you personally make of this experience? "It's a positive balance because I always like to see the glass half full. In addition, having the opportunity to work for the municipality in which I was born and trying to improve it is something that I consider a privilege and a responsibility for which I am grateful. For someone who was totally virgin in the world of politics, this has been an extra motivation and that the figure of the politician is not very well seen, although we must try to change that opinion. It is true that in this balance, things have been conditioned by everything that has happened and the pandemic is not what one expected when it arrived, but it is necessary to adapt.

—That is to say, his arrival in politics was somewhat accidental.—Totally. I had no political affiliation, although obviously my ideas tend more to the right. In fact, he had never felt a significant interest in politics. The opportunity presented itself, I spoke with the mayor Carmen Ferrer and she convinced me of her project and, above all, knowing what politics and the world of public administration is, which was unknown to me. That's what attracted me and she encouraged me to make up my mind.

—Have you felt like repeating?—It's a decision that can still wait, but many factors influence it. It is not only what one wants to do, but the mayor must make her decisions about the team and also the party itself. In addition, it will have to be valued with the family. Something that weighs heavily on me is the perception of the people. In the end, Santa Eulària is a town and what you want is for the neighbors to speak well of you and of the work you are doing. If I am very self-critical and what is perceived by people is not positive, for me it makes no sense to continue here. If the perception is good, you can think about continuing, as long as the citizen so decides.

—What has surprised you the most, both for good and for bad, in the town hall?—For good, I come from the private world, what has surprised me the most are the colleagues, both civil servants and at a political level. Also discover this healthy policy, away from bad intentions or corruption. I'm proud to be able to say it from the inside. The least, and it should be something common, are the times and the bureaucracy because we would like to do things more quickly. Everything gets more entangled than normal and it is difficult to give an agile response to citizens. We must work so that these deadlines are the minimum. It has also surprised me, both for better and for worse, that since the town hall is a close institution, whatever happens –whether it is municipal jurisdiction or not– the complaints come here. I am surprised by the level of demand on the part of everyone.

—A few months ago they promoted the Shoppingriu commercial platform.—It was not born because of the pandemic, but rather came in the 2019 electoral program, although the coronavirus accelerated everything. We see that globally a change and a digital transition is taking place in all sectors. When we were at home, without going out, users had to start using online commerce. It is not about competing with certain platforms, but it is about giving small businesses the possibility of this sales channel. Your product, in the end, is exposed 24 hours and can be seen from anywhere in the world. If each business has to create its website and provide content, it is likely that half of the businesses will fall by the wayside. The idea was to group businesses and give them visibility so that this translates into more sales.

—What results can you highlight from this platform?—In the last 90 days, when Shoppingriu started operating, there have been more than 2,300 visits and 140 sales, which translates into a turnover of around 13,000 euros. These are numbers that should improve, although for a first launch we are very happy and we work to continue growing. Right now there are 19 businesses registered on the platform and they offer more than 1,200 products. We hope to increase this data for the season.

—Have merchants requested improvements in this virtual initiative?—It is a live website and we are constantly changing. In this time, purchase processes or user registrations have been corrected. There is a person responsible for both listening to customers and businesses to improve day by day.

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—The merchants' needs will be different according to the locality.—Without a doubt, and also you shouldn't feel defeated by the Internet, you have to fight and adapt or specialize. Each business and each area have their needs, although there will be many that are common. A generational change is taking place in traditional commerce and thus, people who are in that transition must be helped to also enter the digital change. The same happens with the physical renovation of shops, in shop windows and products. The tourist who comes is not the same as he was 10 or 20 years ago and we must adapt to what he is looking for. The Administration must make the municipality more comfortable, more attractive for tourists and provide facilities, for example, to park. Logically, the needs that a local in Santa Gertrudis, Puig d'en Valls or Sant Carles may have are not the same.

—He directs important areas such as Economy and Finance. What does it mean to prepare the municipal accounts?—Since we arrived, each budget has been different due to the circumstances. In 2020 we prepared some accounts and in March they were completely changed. This year's, we could say that it is a budget 'mix', between a normal one and a recovery one as it is still suffering the consequences of the pandemic. The worst, when preparing the accounts, is the uncertainty. We try to define well the areas and needs of the parishes and provide them with the necessary items.

—City councils usually brag about their budgets.—But I don't entirely agree. What I like is to show off the management. We have a 90% collection in 2020 and a 90% budget execution. Of this we do presume since it is useless to have very nice accounts if you are not able to execute them later. Citizens seem to have little trust in administrations and we must make everything clear and transparent. We must be in the street, know the problems of the people and solve them. In the end, it is about giving more quality to the residents of the municipality and to the tourists who come to see that Santa Eulària is a comfortable place.

—They have a reputation for being a place where the neighbors enjoy a healthy situation and without major social dramas. Even so, not long ago the problem of the squatting in Punta Arabí was known.—They are social situations that you never want to happen in your municipality. The issue of Punta Arabí is aggravated by the pandemic, with families in a vulnerable situation and who, out of necessity, were forced to seek housing. Obviously, we have to find solutions and help these people as much as possible, and not only us, but also the rest of the institutions. As much as it seems that there is a good situation in Santa Eulària, we are not oblivious to these problems that are emerging in society.

—Were you surprised that so many neighbors asked for some kind of help after the pandemic arrived?—This is the most important aid granted to date, both to companies and families. Logically, the number of benefits approved was surprising, although that is what we are trying to do: create agile aid when it comes to processing them so that they reach the beneficiaries in a short time. If in the end we confuse everything with the issue of bureaucracy and the benefits are not received, all the work done is useless, even more so if the budget is not executed and it is not possible to help those who need it.

—Would it be feasible for the City Council to pay for the works on the second phase of the Palacio de Congresos?—We do not have the capacity because it is the most important project in the history of this administration and what we want is to involve the entire island. We understand that if all the Balearic people have paid for the Palacio de Congresos de Mallorca, they should help us. We do not ask that they pay it in full, but that they help us together with the Consell or even with private financing because we understand that it is good for the island. Now we cannot compete in the MICE sector against other destinations such as Mallorca and that Ibiza is world famous. We have tried to obtain financing and we are waiting for some aid requested from the Tourism Fund.

"The recovery, will it be a reality this year?" I wish I had an answer. It is difficult to predict. We thought that in 2022 we would be recovered and with a certain level of normality and some sectors are still affected. If we work normally this season, between the end of this year and 2023 we will be able to talk about recovery, although everything will depend on this coming season.