José Estevens was mayor of Castro Marim between 1998 and 2013
José Fernando Estevens, mayor of Castro Marim between 1998 and 2013, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 67.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by Castro Marim Council, which announced that two days of municipal mourning were declared for Wednesday and Thursday and that the borough’s flag will be flying at half mass on all municipal buildings.
“In his 16-year legacy as mayor of Castro Marim, his sense of public service, dedication and working towards the community stand out,” the council says in a statement.
PSD/Algarve has also lamented the former mayor’s death, saying that his performed his job with “unquestionable competence” and was “always dedicated to the causes of local and regional development and committed to the success of those he represented.”
The regional delegation of the social-democratic party adds that Estevens was an “exemplary public servant” and left a legacy of “dynamism and his innovative and creative spirit” in the municipality of Castro Marim.
José Fernandes Estevens was a lawyer who was elected mayor of Castro Marim in 1998, a role he maintained for 16 years until reaching the maximum number of consecutive mandates in 2013, when he decided to run for mayor in Tavira with the support of PSD, having lost the elections to socialist candidate Jorge Botelho.
In 2017, Estevens ran for mayor in Castro Marim once again with the support of Movimento Castro Marim Primeiro (CM1), having lost to his successor Francisco Amaral.
His funeral is scheduled for 4.30pm this Thursday afternoon at Castro Marim cemetery.
