Do not continue the slide of the new administration into an authoritarian one-person model of power

Cannot continue sliding her new administration in a authoritarian one-person exercise model powercomments the leader of the Thessaloniki for All faction, Spyros Pegason the occasion of yesterday’s meeting of the municipal council of Thessaloniki.

Mr. Pegas notes that “it would be extremely useful for the experienced members of his faction to give him a first lesson regarding the role, operation and democratic tradition of the last 15 years of the Thessaloniki municipal council. The position of the mayor, as elected, is subject to democratic institutional procedures”.

“Yesterday’s discussion in the municipal council regarding the citizens’ request not to put a lock on the 89th Primary School of Thessaloniki was typical, when the new mayor who “asks to learn” denied time to the opposition factions for the further discussion of such an important issue. He preferred, instead, the didactic monologue to those present as if he were explaining them privately in his office. No substantive counterargument, let alone dialogue on their part, no surprise on our part. The remarkable thing is that immediately after, he himself took the floor for more than 45′ in order to explain to us how efficient, sensitive and painstaking the new administration is. There is an alternative that Mr. Angeloudis probably hasn’t considered. If he wishes, we will be able not to attend the meetings of the municipal council and give him our precious time, to explain in even more detail to his “dumb” vice-mayors and authorized advisers how magnanimously and fairly he decides on everything,” he says.

The entire announcement of Spyros Pegas:

“It is now a common phenomenon, during the meetings of the municipal council, for the new mayor of Thessaloniki to ask almost “innocently”, when a councilor dares to vote blank or against a proposal of the municipal authority, “Why did you vote against? I’m just asking to learn, because I’m a new mayor.”

It would be extremely useful if the experienced executives of his party give him a first lesson regarding the role, function and democratic tradition of the last 15 years of the Thessaloniki municipal council. The position of the mayor, as elected, is subject to democratic institutional procedures.

Yesterday’s discussion in the city council regarding the request of citizens not to enter is typical lock at the 89th Primary School of Thessaloniki, when the new mayor who “asks to learn” denied time to the opposition factions for further discussion of such an important issue. He preferred, instead, the didactic monologue to those present as if he were explaining them privately in his office.

No substantive counterargument, let alone dialogue on their part, no surprise on our part. The remarkable thing is that immediately after, he himself took the floor for more than 45′ in order to explain to us how efficient, sensitive and painstaking the new administration is. There is an alternative that Mr. Angeloudis probably hasn’t considered. If he wishes, we will be able not to attend the meetings of the municipal council and give him our precious time, to explain in even more detail to his “dumb” deputy mayors and authorized councilors how magnanimously and “fairly” he decides on everything.

We doubt if the declarations of sensitivity, “we are all together”, “I am in favor of transparency” and “for the good of the city” – as he perceives it – are really the solution to the city’s essential problems.

We wonder, moreover, for how much longer the invocation of the “financial deficit” and the mere three months – every month the motto changes – of taking over the administration will continue, in order to explain political choices.

Certainly, the slide of administration into an authoritarian one-person model of exercising power cannot continue. The city has matured institutionally, it has experienced inclusive administrations, not in words, but essentially and institutionally, with the participation and inclusion of society.

The imposition of a special tax on workshops, vulcanizers and city parking is done because we are “forced” to do it, the “freezing” of the development of the beach deck project is proposed because “it will save the municipality money that it will not have and because there is a promise of funding of its design and construction, a process that so troubled the city in the case of the Metro, the abolition of the Night Half Marathon is done so that others, namely the Olympic Museum, can organize street events. We got the message, Mr. Angeloudis!

After the celebrations of the new administration for the “success” of the self-evident, to pick up the trash and plant trees in the empty tree stands, it should finally be time to plan actions on the issues that make modern cities resilient and competitive, outgoing and smart, sustainable and innovative.

So far we only see tinkering, adjustments and implementation of decisions of self-evident plans of the Boutari administration. Thessaloniki needs a leap, dynamic movements that face the future and its perspective with courage and vision. We are already far behind in city competition, quality attributes, human resource loss and share of global economic growth.

Fortunately, our faction, “Thessaloniki For All”, led by Spyros Pegas, succeeded and put a brake on the municipal council and on the return of “Dimitrios” in the era when the Deputy Mayor defended them, instead of their coordination by an artistic committee . At the same time, for sports events, sports clubs and sports federations – for which the current mayor has managed to overstate and indicate himself as particularly sensitive – we proposed the establishment of a minimum, automatic funding system, such as the cash rebate to film productions, instead of their thoughtless and arbitrary funding, at a time when according to the words of the new administration there is no money in the coffers of the municipality, although the grant of sports events and federations accompanies every Committee and Council Agenda”.