Ourense Mayor Jácome Sparks Nepotism Debate Over Photo

Ourense Mayor's Photo With Councilors Triggers Public Outcry

The photograph has spread across social media like wildfire. Ourense Mayor Gonzalo Pérez Jácome appears smiling, surrounded by his three female councilors dressed for the occasion. What seemed like an informal snapshot of an approachable politician has turned into a new scandal front. Beneath the heated comments lies a deeper suspicion: are these women in municipal government due to merit or proximity to power?

The controversy hits the city council at a delicate moment. While discussions focus on budget cuts and staff reorganization, the image of the mayor enjoying time with his female team is seen as provocative. Critics refer to a “political harem,” while defenders claim it is an innocent scene of camaraderie. However, the underlying question is economic: what does it cost taxpayers to maintain the “councilor girls,” as some sectors of public opinion have dubbed them?

The term is not accidental. Behind the humor lies an accusation of nepotism. According to some voices, the mayor intends to replace part of the municipal civil service with trusted personnel without any selection process. If confirmed, the damage to public management would be serious: lack of experience, loss of impartiality, and a salary bill paid by the entire city. There are no official figures, but the fact that the debate centers on this issue is already problematic.

Provocative Style and Hidden Costs

The mayor’s profile does little to calm tensions. He has made provocation his trademark. Anecdotes such as organizing the first vertical race in a European skyscraper in Benidorm, or participating in the Empire State Building Run-Up in New York, are cited as examples of his disruptive spirit. But when applied to personnel management, this style becomes risky: spending on associations, promotion, and hand-picked selections can exceed any budget, a point the opposition has raised.

Lack of Transparency Shadow

While the debate focuses on whether the photo was appropriate, no one has provided concrete numbers regarding the actual cost of the operation. Replacing career civil servants with trusted appointees carries a price: severance pay, new salaries, adaptation periods, and the loss of accumulated institutional knowledge. No one in the city council has denied or quantified this. The absence of data is, in itself, telling.

The discussion remains open and has transcended local boundaries. It has become a mirror of how citizens view their elites: through the lens of cost and suspicion. Meanwhile, in Ourense, it remains unknown how much the operation to “place friends” will cost, if it occurs. That is the figure everyone awaits, yet no one provides.