Michel Montaner visits a different constituent at their home most nights to gain a better feel for people’s concerns I’ll bring dessert.” What followed was an avalanche of invitations sending Michel Montaner knocking on the door of complete strangers most nights of the week I’m the mayor,’” Montaner told the Guardian as I usually just have a salad and a sandwich But the important thing is that they invite me into their homes,” he said “And once we’re in this setting of trust and intimacy the walls come down and people really tell me what’s on their minds.” Montaner with sisters Antonia and Manoli bearing a cake or a plate of sweets procured from a rotating list of local bakeries With the tone of the encounter explained in his initial tweet – “I want to speak to you and your family about Xirivella No topic is off the table” – the conversation often stretches into the early hours of the morning Some of his hosts have deep roots in the area, others have immigrated from countries such as Ukraine or Bulgaria. He has been treated to meals that range from pickled partridge to pork wellington by families and groups of friends At times the formula has varied: recently a group of twentysomethings took him to a bar; next month he has plans with a local priest Free weekly newsletterThe most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment ‘The actual dinner is rather symbolic,’ says MontanerHe keeps careful track of what people tell him scribbling detailed notes in a book he brings with him from a new auditorium to expanding a municipal gym such as improvements that could be made to street cleaning operations or maintenance of the town’s green spaces The conversation often spans more than municipal issues “People tell me about their personal problems their family issues or issues with education but I’ve met some really wonderful families.” The initiative has proven popular with residents – Montaner’s dinner calendar is fully booked until March “There are people who have said to me: but aren’t you afraid to show up like that, alone, with no police, no advisers?” He waved off the concerns, saying the dinners have been free from the political polarisation that has dominated Spanish news headlines Instead, he has become convinced the initiative could play a potent role in building bridges. “Imagine if the 8,600 mayors in Spain – or the mayors in England or France – all went to dinner and people would really get to know their representatives.” This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.