Josep Grau, who served as regional minister of agriculture for the Generalitat of Catalonia and long-standing mayor of Mollerussa, passed away on Tuesday evening at the age of 80, according to confirmation from the municipal government of the Pla d’Urgell capital. Born in Mollerussa on November 8, 1945, Grau accumulated extensive institutional responsibilities across local, provincial, and regional governance during the foundational decades of modern democratic Catalonia.
Political Career and Institutional Leadership
Four years later, following the municipal elections of 1987, he assumed the office of mayor—a position he successfully revalidated in the 1991 and 1995 local elections leading Convergència i Unió (CiU) tickets.
Beyond his three mayoral terms running from 1987 to 1999, Grau held several major leadership posts.
Transformation of Mollerussa and Regional Impact
Grau’s three decades in public life coincided with a period of profound administrative and physical transformation for Mollerussa and the broader Pla d’Urgell territory. In 1988, the comarca of Pla d’Urgell was officially created, leaving the city to confront the dual challenge of establishing its capital status and acquiring the infrastructure, public services, and civic equipment required for its new territorial role.
During his mayoral mandates, Mollerussa experienced marked urban, economic, and demographic expansion. The municipal government promoted new residential and industrial development zones to accommodate population growth and modernize the urban fabric. Local authorities have also credited Grau with reinforcing the Fira de Mollerussa and solidifying the Fira de Sant Josep as pivotal economic and trade drivers for the city.
Tributes from Municipal Authorities
The Mollerussa City Council, led by current mayor Marc Solsona, expressed deep sorrow over the death of the former mayor and formally thanked him for his years of dedication and service to the municipality. Local leaders noted that with his passing, Mollerussa and the wider Lleida comarques lose a prominent political figure who defined a crucial era of democratic institution-building in Catalonia.
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