Lucas Salellas: "I think it would be unfair to complain about my salary."

BarcelonaThe political scientist, journalist, and current mayor of Girona, Lluc Salellas (Girona, 1984), started working at a very young age, helping out at his father's law firm when his secretary was on vacation. But his first salary came from working in the entertainment industry around the age of 16. He used the money to pay for his first outings with his friends. "When I was studying in Barcelona, ​​I used that money for extra things, because it's true that they helped me with the most ordinary things at home," explains Salellas in an interview with theCompanies, made before the perinatal loss of his son Ovidio.

The political scientist has always been committed to social struggles: "I've been politically active since I was 14 years old. I wanted to learn, I'd always been very interested, and I studied political science." Since he also enjoyed writing and keeping up with current events, he also studied journalism. But he never thought he'd end up working as a politician in the institutional sphere, because he had always missed out on institutions: "My life has never had much time for leisure. I mean, I studied or worked, and most of my remaining hours, what I did was participate in organizations, political groups, and assemblies." "I can't understand life without that social and political commitment to my surroundings. At home, I was taught something very clearly: it's not enough for you to be well, but those around you must also be well," he adds.

This social responsibility has led him to the mayor's office: "I've been surprised by the number of small, medium, and large things that can happen in the city in a single day." To do it well requires "a great capacity for mental organization." "If I only look at what I do and the job I have, I might think it's a job that's never sufficiently compensated financially, because it's a huge effort."

But there are two more things: "The return that a job of this type gives you, such as social prestige, contacts, the things you learn or the ability that it gives you when you leave here to be able to knock on doors that you didn't have before, that is not money if it does not pay me if I do not share that it has a very important value. And I share that it has a very important value. the rest. When I look at the context, I am earning above the average person and, therefore, it would seem to me to be lacking in effort and a bit unfair to complain about my salary."

Guaranteeing a "good future" for their daughters

Regarding his personal finances, he claims he was a saver until he became a father: "So I can guarantee them a good present and future." His main expenses currently, in addition to paying the usual bills for food, water, and electricity, are the rent where he lives and the mortgage on the house he's working on: "I'm prioritizing having a house with space where my daughters can be and run around." He doesn't have any hobbies that cost money, other than books.

One of the best investments of his life is having studied at a Scottish university: "I was able to do it because my parents died, and therefore I was able to use their savings. I'm very proud because it helped me a lot in life." And, on the other hand, the contributions he has made to different projects: "I haven't gotten back more money than I've given, but, in return, it gives me great satisfaction to see a club open, a bar open, a media outlet open; these are things that remain and exist in the future." And he adds: "And sometimes it's not just about money, but also about investing in your time, which means giving up a lot of other things." In this sense, he opened a bar: "We had a vermouth bar, but we opened it just a few months before Covid and then we ended up selling it." However, he assures that it served to teach him and "help make things happen."

Currently, Salellas is experiencing the loss of his son: "Ovidi's death has affected me completely. Me and the whole family. It's a before and after in many ways. I'm a different person. And, obviously, I'm immersed in a very deep mourning process, a process that will neither be quick nor easy.

This event has affected the mayor's personal and professional life: "It has affected my availability these first few weeks, which has diminished. I've been following the issues, especially strategic ones, I've reduced my public agenda, and I'm focusing more on management." As the weeks go by, he will gradually return to his previous schedule.