Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546635
The following has been edited for brevity and clarity. The full interview can be found on maltatoday.com.mt as well as our Facebook and Spotify pages. PHOTOS: JAMES BIANCHI / MALTA TODAY 7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 SEPTEMBER 2026 INTERVIEW You're one of the younger mayors at the moment. Before we get into Marsa's problems, how did you end up as mayor? I was never interested in politics. But as you grow older, you start to realise how important it is. It's almost the most important thing, because without it you wouldn't have a job, you wouldn't be able to study, and so on. So automatically you start taking an interest in it. I think it was something that was already in me without me realising it. When I put myself forward for the local council, I received enough votes to be elected mayor. You've been on the job for about two years, so I imagine you know the lim- itations and realities of being a mayor. Do you feel it's worth it? If you look at it from a financial perspective, no. Although our allowance has increased, considering the amount of work we do, sometimes you still think it isn't worth it. But I don't look at it from that perspective because you don't do this job for the money. You do it for the satisfaction it gives you. The satisfaction this job gives you is almost impossible to put a price on. Since I took on this role, I feel fulfilled. I feel happy when I see people being happy. The small amount of power you have to make changes in the locality and improve people's lives is something I don't think any other job can give you. Marsa was one of the first localities where there was a high concentration of foreign residents. As a council, are you equipped to deal with situations involving different cul- tures? I think every locality has its own difficulties. When you grow up in a locality and then stand for election to its council, you're automatically almost tailor-made for that locality… I don't want to be pessimistic. Things have improved a lot. Sometimes, perhaps because of what I post on social media, it may seem that I'm giving a negative picture of Marsa. That isn't true at all. I believe that the problems people face shouldn't overshadow everything else… We cannot ignore these problems. We need to show people that the government and the council are working and making a difference. We are working on the problems that are affecting you and trying to solve them. There is no guidebook. Nobody is going to give you a manual saying, "When you face these situations, do this." You have to adapt to the specific situations you encounter. So what situations do you encounter? I imagine you already know what they are. There's the problem of waste, where not everyone is willing to follow the rules, and there's the fact that you have to work with different entities. If you have someone who is allegedly using synthetic drugs, you have to work with the relevant entities, the police and LESA, to see how you can address the problem. If you have a group of people causing problems, whoever they may be, you have to deal with it. We're not talking about skin colour or race. You mentioned foreigners, but the problem isn't about culture or race. It's about right and wrong… These problems can take a long time to resolve, but eventually you get there. You mentioned waste dumping, which seems to be a headache for most mayors. Why is this such a problem? I think the main problem is still that people aren't willing to recycle. People don't want to recycle… I believe you have to take a firm approach. That's why you often see me posting about these things on social media. People are being fined, and if you take a firm approach, you get results. In fact if you look at the reports as well, illegal dumping has decreased drastically in Marsa. But you have to take a firm approach. It doesn't matter who the person is. They could even be someone who always votes for me… Do they see you as the bad guy when you do this? Some of them turn their head the other way when they see me, and that's far from the worst bit. I'm sorry but that's my principle. If you break the law, and you know how long I've been going on about recycling, putting information through people's doors, issuing warnings, and installing cameras, and then you still break the law, I'm sorry… Do you feel that local councils need more au- thority to deal with these problems? With the resources I have, I'm not saying we have absolutely everything we need but we always have to work to identify the challenges. Perhaps there are certain things that need to be improved, but overall, you have to work with the different entities. You can't have a situation where LESA and ERA are constantly working with the council and everything worked directly through us. That could create different challenges. There has to be a balance. I believe there is still a lot that needs to be done. We have achieved a lot, but there is still work to do. There has to be a balance. I believe there is still a lot that needs to be done. We have achieved a lot, but there is still work to do