Mayor Pepe Vegara has added two more advisors to his government team—because apparently, in Orihuela, there’s never a shortage of trust, talent, or taxpayers’ money to spare.
The first, Alba de la Paz, a full-time protocol expert and journalist for Diario de la Vega, will join the Basic Services department from September 1 to December 31, pocketing a cool €10,351 for four months of service. She replaces Cristian Berná, the former PP adviser who resigned “for personal reasons” amid the storm over alleged invoice irregularities linked to the La Murada and Orihuela Costa festivals—because nothing says seamless transition like stepping into the shoes of someone under investigation.
Joining her is Laura Villalgordo, another protocol and marketing guru, covering a sick leave in General Services, earning €13,801 until year-end. Both appointments are, naturally, considered “positions of trust,” which in city hall speak translates to political insiders getting comfortably paid for doing… well, what exactly is left to figure out.
Orihuela’s advisory army now totals 23 advisors—17 for the PP, six for Vox—just shy of the legally allowed maximum of 25. Their combined payroll? A hefty €813,235, leaving a mere €26,000 cushion below the statutory cap. Among the notable faces: Manuel Ortuño (father of councillor Rocío Ortuño), former mayor of Redován Emilio Fernández, and Raúl Fernández, who narrowly missed a council seat by a few votes.
Vegara has been busy reshuffling his team over the past year, signing appointments for both PP and Vox allies after departures sparked by scandal, illness, or resignations. Clearly, in Orihuela politics, if there’s a vacancy—or even just the hint of one—there’s always someone ready to step into the well-paid “trusted advisor” chair.
In short: scandals come and go, but in Orihuela advisors, and their salaries, seem forever.
