The decision by Sandoval, of the PSC, comes after the employee accused him of making crude comments and sexual jokes. The mayor, in his letter, minimized the issue to a “presumed conflict within the workplace” and noted that no judicial complaint had been filed against him.
“"I have never had any harassing behavior towards anyone at the City Council, and I will defend my honor and my conduct, as I am fully innocent."
Despite denying the allegations, Sandoval admitted that the situation had affected the “internal trust” among the political forces supporting the government, compromising the “governability of the town”. The internal complaint was filed at the end of August, and the City Council has opened a procedure to clarify the facts.
This crisis led the PSC’s partners, CUP and the municipal group 9 Sant Vicenç (9SV), to withdraw their support for Sandoval, moving into opposition. Following the resignation, PSC and JxCat are now exploring a new governing agreement to restore stability to the Maresme council.
The new mayor is expected to be Víctor Llasera, the former number two of the previous JxCat mayor, Miquel Àngel Martínez. This resignation marks the second sudden change in the mayoralty in the last two years, after Sandoval himself presented a motion of censure against Martínez in September 2018.
