Domingo Iborra Crespo, banker and architect of Benissa's modernisation, dies aged 99
Domingo Iborra Crespo, a banker and prominent local politician, has died aged 99 in Benissa, where he served as first deputy mayor between 1963 and 1978 and was instrumental in the town's modernisation.
Domingo Iborra Crespo, a banker and one of the most significant figures in Benissa's political and social life in the twentieth century, has died aged 99. His career was marked by the drive to promote urban and social reforms that transformed the town during the 1960s and 1970s.
Iborra was part of the so-called 'government of the technocrats', established in 1961 amid a period of labour and economic crisis in Benissa council. Two years later, in 1963, with Salvador Ivars as mayor, the town's modernisation plan began, with Iborra serving as first deputy mayor until 1978.
Works and social endeavour
During this period, he drove key projects for Benissa's development, including the arrival of drinking water, sewerage, public lighting and the asphalting of streets. Later, as the town moved towards democracy, he supported mayor Josep Ivars Ivars in the running of the council.
Beyond politics, Domingo Iborra took an active part in various Benissa associations, including the Parents' Association, the Musical Society and the local parish. Together with his brother, he donated his cinema free of charge for community events.
His account of the arrival of drinking water to the town is preserved in Benissa's Interpretation Centre, where it is kept as part of the town's historical memory. Writer Joan Fuster described him as «l'home subterrani».