Pere Camps i Oviedo has resigned as a councillor from Igualada City Council, in central Catalonia, after 11 years in local government. Camps, who will turn 76 this year, stated it was "the moment" to leave his position, according to Regió7.
The council has accepted his resignation, which was submitted on 29 April, and announced that his replacement will be confirmed at the end of May. "I left my job eleven years ago and spent the next eleven years as a councillor at Igualada City Council; now I want to be retired," Camps told Regió7.
His tenure in government was split into two periods. For the first eight years, he served as the Culture councillor. For the past three years, he has been responsible for Institutional Relations and Twinning. His final weeks in office coincide with the twinning of Igualada and Ubrique, a town in Andalusia, reflecting Igualada's leather curing tradition and Ubrique's leather goods industry.
A Councillor's Unexpected Path
Camps joined the council in 2015, during Mayor Marc Castells' second term. His entry into local politics was unusual. After 48 years at the Punto Blanco company, where he worked first in IT and then in the commercial department, he participated in a TV3 programme about life changes as he approached retirement. The programme, presented by Roger de Gràcia, showed Camps' daily life at work and personally.
According to Camps, Mayor Castells, who was finalising his electoral list at the time, saw the programme and recruited him for his candidacy. Camps had not known Castells before joining the council but developed a close relationship with him over the 11 years. He describes himself not as a political figure, but as a local resident working for the town, while maintaining loyalty to Castells and the governing group.
He had friends within the government, including Àngels Chacón, a former councillor and Generalitat minister, and oncologist Fermí Capdevila. Camps had considered leaving his post after eight years, before the start of the current term, but Castells' persistence convinced him to stay.
Cultural Contributions and Future Steps
Despite not having a background in the cultural world, Camps' passion for cinema, theatre, and music made his role as Culture councillor easier. He particularly remembers Igualada's selection as the Catalan City of Culture and the programme of events that followed. This included the inaugural concert by Igualada-born Jordi Savall, featuring the Llibre Vermell de Montserrat.
During his time as councillor, the Igualada City Awards introduced an honourary prize and posthumous awards. Camps also expressed his emotion at discovering aspects of the city's popular and traditional culture, such as the Ball de l'Àliga (Eagle Dance) and the long tradition of the Tres Tombs and the muleteers of Igualada.
The council has not yet announced who will take Camps' seat or if there will be a government reshuffle following his departure.
