Translated material
The person who will work
A competition for the post of head of the city administration has been announced in Kaliningrad
By the end of April, the capital of the westernmost region of Russia will acquire a city manager - a hired official who will be responsible for almost everything in the municipality. At its extraordinary meeting on Friday, the Kaliningrad District Council decided to announce a competition for the position of head of the city administration.Previously, Kaliningrad had a system of municipal government, common in most other large Russian cities. All power was concentrated in the hands of one person (the mayor), who was responsible for the state of the city economy, its problems and prospects. The head of the City Council of Deputies was involved in rule-making - he was a separate person who had nothing to do with the economic activities of the mayor's office (at least on paper).
However, in July 2007, as part of the implementation of municipal reform in accordance with Federal Law No. 131 “On the Organization of Local Self-Government,” after public discussions, amendments were made to the city charter, which separated the positions of “city head” and “mayor,” which were previously combined. Now only the position of the head of the city district is elective - he is elected in municipal elections for five years and exercises the powers of the chairman of the district council of deputies of Kaliningrad.
These posts are occupied by Alexander Yaroshuk, who won the municipal elections in December 2007. His predecessor, Mayor Yuri Savenko, went to the State Duma - where he holds the post of deputy chairman of the defense committee. With his departure, the mayor's office was renamed the city administration, and the position of mayor was made mercenary - now it is the head of the administration of the municipal formation "City District "City of Kaliningrad". He is appointed to this position by the district council for a period of two years based on the results of a competitive selection. The contract with the head of administration is concluded by the head of the city.
Having become the head of Kaliningrad at the end of last year, Mr. Yaroshuk was in no hurry to acquire a hired “mayor” - this work was carried out by Yuri Bedenko, Mr. Savenko’s former first deputy. Having taken a short vacation in March, which coincided with the absence of Governor Georgy Boos from the region, Mr. Yaroshuk convened an extraordinary meeting of the district council. There was only one question on the agenda - about announcing a competition for the position of head of administration. The decision was made at lightning speed and almost unanimously. Only one deputy was against it - Evgeniy Gan. He used to be the chairman of the city council of deputies, and in the new convocation of the representative body he became an ordinary people's representative. Almost all other deputies are members of United Russia and successful businessmen (like Mr. Yaroshuk). Mr. Gan tried to explain to his colleagues that they should resign since the city administration would have a new head, but Mr. Yaroshuk greeted his idea with loud laughter. The rest of the people's representatives reacted the same way.
Those wishing to occupy the post of head of administration will be able to submit their applications within 15 days after the publication of information about the competition in the media. Over the next five days, resumes will be reviewed by a commission, which includes representatives of the city administration and regional government. Speaking to reporters, the head of Kaliningrad, Alexander Yaroshuk, said that United Russia will play a special role in determining the winner's candidacy - the candidate for the post of head of administration does not have to be a member of the party, but it is necessary to have a "bearish" approval. “Other criteria are relevant education and experience. Direct responsibilities are clear and simple - implementation of the socio-economic development plan, effective use of budget funds,” explained Mr. Yaroshuk.
The local press names regional Minister of Economy Felix Lapin, who previously headed the regional departments of the State Drug Control and Tax Service, and also created a business producing televisions, as the most likely contender. This information is indirectly confirmed by the fact that 30-year-old employee of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation Alexandra Smirnova, who is expected to become the new Minister of Regional Economy, was appointed as Mr. Lapin’s deputy.