Government Reshuffle Made Official as Vox Councillor’s Exit Appears in Provincial Gazette
Toni Molina steps up as responsibilities are redistributed and key powers return to the Mayor’s office.
Although the changes to Xàbia’s local government structure following the removal of powers from Vox councillor José Marcos Pons had already been defined and announced, it was not until Wednesday 7th January 2026, that they were formally published in the Alicante Provincial Official Gazette (BOP).
The decrees detailing these changes were signed on Friday 12th December, and their publication in the BOP now confirms their legal validity. The decree published this Wednesday formalises Pons’ departure, along with the end of his 77.5% part-time dedication arrangement, which had been in place since 2023.
As part of the government reshuffle, greater prominence is given to the councillor resonsible for Sports, Digitalisation and New Technologies, Internal Administration and Freginal, Toni Molina. The Partido Popular (PP) councillor joins the Local Government Board, taking the seat previously held by José Marcos Pons.
The Local Government Board is made up of seven councillors appointed by the Mayor, in line with regulations that limit its size to no more than one third of the full council. Alongside Mayor Rosa Cardona, the board includes the two councillors from Ciudadanos por Jávea (CpJ), Mavi Pérez and Juan Ortolá, and five from the PP: Teresa Legay, Pere Sapena, Juan José García, Fátima Jarjor and, now, Toni Molina.
Meanwhile, the removal of the Vox councillor as Second Deputy Mayor also results in Molina taking seventh place in the deputy mayoral line-up. Within the mayoral deputy structure, it is Juan Ortolá of CpJ who effectively gains greater weight, moving into the second position vacated by Pons, preceded only by his party colleague Mavi Pérez.
The Mayor’s Office has also revised the distribution of municipal departments and delegated responsibilities. In the Economic Area, overseen by Teresa Legay, the special delegation for Tourism, previously held by Pons Devesa, has been abolished, with its functions now assumed directly by the Mayor.
The same applies to the Urban Planning and Works Area, coordinated by Pere Sapena, where responsibility for the Integrated Water Cycle, another portfolio formerly assigned to the outgoing councillor, is now also taken over by the Mayor. In short, fewer hands, fewer titles, and a little more power concentrated at the top.
