Palmyra without complaints

The governor's campaign begins in St. Petersburg. However, the city is in a thing and wake up, it seems, is not going to

June 17, acting St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko, who worked as the head of the Northern capital for 2.5 years, said that he would fight again for the same post /photo: Alexander Koryakov /Kommersant

Petersburg was hung with posters with images of the main local attractions: a copper horseman, admiralty, rostral columns. And each has a huge inscription: “Gazprom” - to the city. ” Or for a variety: a branded Gazprom lighter is added to the picture, and under it the same giant letters: “Keeping traditions”.

I have no idea what exactly Gazprom wanted to say this. I won’t even guess. Another thing is important. Over the shrines of Northern Palmyra, glorified by his hypertrophied urban patriotism, today you can mock with any degree of cynicism, and the townspeople will not be offended. Public opinion stunned by telenarcotics almost does not react to what is happening nearby.

Including this is the key to the fact that the administration of George Poltavchenko is apparently invisible and inactive for the entire three -hundred -year -old St. Petersburg history, does not cause special discontent here and goes to the September governor with good chances of success.

By the way, Petersburg was not at all harassed by these elections. There is no ripened political agenda. There is no mention that torn the city, which this campaign could summarize.

Just Georgy Poltavchenko, as they say, begged for persistence to Vladimir Putin to allow him his own early re -election. And he, after noticeable, as they assure, hesitated, gave him a go -ahead. In the staged stage, which was shown to the public, it looked (I quote according to the official transcript) as follows:

“Poltavchenko: Vladimir Vladimirovich, I would like to report that the city has a stable economic and social situation.

Putin: What kind of GRP do you have?

Poltavchenko: According to the forecast, we have GRP about 3.5% <...>. We adopted the city development strategy until 2030. We attracted serious specialists, almost all the leading economists of our country, academicians with a world -famous name ... There is a desire to participate personally in the development of this strategy ...

Putin: How much do you work - two and a half years?

Poltavchenko: two and a half years, in September it will be just three years.

Putin: Okay, I don't mind. Agreed".

1000 days

George Poltavchenko

Two and a half years ago, it became clear that the administration of Valentina Matvienko has exhausted itself. This thought simultaneously took possession of the minds in St. Petersburg and in the Kremlin.

On the one hand, there are two snow winters in a row, due to the helplessness of city services, a real disaster for St. Petersburg became for St. Petersburg. The people murmured. And on the other hand, the tops did not want to throw federal money to ruin St. Petersburg super buildings that delay finances from the Sochi Olympics.

So at the head of the northern capital was George Poltavchenko - a person who knows how to strangle corruption. Namely, by evading from the signing of any major projects. In addition to this main method, he practiced auxiliary. For example, solemnly deprived members of the city government who, in a panic, evaded visiting and small projects and thereby paralyzed the work of their departments.

Poltavchenko chose his right hand to himself. The main vice-governor was his old friend and veteran GRU Igor Divinsky. And as the left hand - the curator of the economy and finance - Sergey Knitilov, a typical representative of the so -called St. Petersburg economists, a man from the circle of Alexei Kudrin, was seconded to him.

"

The administration of George Poltavchenko is the most inactive for the entire three -hundred -year Petersburg history

"

These two managers complemented each other well. Knitzov slammed a whole clip of corruption construction, and Divinsky brought some fear on the city official and commercial elite.

As a result, in just a few months of 2011, the case was done. Both federal expenses on St. Petersburg and the expenses of the city budget have sharply decreased. The will of the leader was fulfilled. After that, knitting did not hide the desire to change the work, but to questions about what he thinks about city economic policy, he sighed heavily. What exactly did Divinsky do is not very clear, but being a noticeable and dynamic person, he involuntarily obscured his sluggish chef.

This spring, both got off the distance. Knitzo happily left for Moscow, and Divinsky took up the organization of St. Petersburg-Crimean cooperation. The new second man of the city, Alexander Govorunov, with his experience in the special services and the banking sector, as expected, appeared not just like that, but to establish a summer-autumn elected campaign.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Georgy Poltavchenko (right) check the construction of the football stadium for the 2018 World Cup. St. Petersburg, May 16, 2014 /Photo: Alexander Miridonov /Kommersant

Brotherly brother, boring

The thousands of days of George Poltavchenko to a certain extent is an exceptional example. Perhaps not one of the St. Petersburg-Leningrad administrations left so few traces in memory of itself. The non -entertaining governor minimized his participation even in protocol events, not to mention practical.

City in the transport stupor. In addition to the endless departmental chewing of more and more and more projects, nothing has been done in two years. City road network in the previous decline. The construction of the metro almost stopped. Several stations got into operation from past eras, and new ones are not expected at all in the coming years. Communal infrastructure rot. Old houses break off.

There are fewer sealing construction projects in the historical center, but not thanks to Smolny’s strip, but simply because it was already driven on almost any Piglet, where it was possible to drive up. Grounded undertakings like renovation of Khrushchevs or the construction of “profitable houses” with apartments for rent at affordable prices, or they are curled up, or remain a bureaucratic chatter.

The “unnecessary” super -projects of the previous administrations are curled up, and what projects are really needed about, in Smolny they have no idea. True, Poltavchenko personally has to oversee the completion of the football stadium, which is ordered to hand over to the World Cup. What causes him only despondency, as, indeed, and any other matter, requiring organizational efforts and tied to many conflicting interests.

The idea that it would be not bad to acquire some of the own managerial ideas to Smolny only now, on the eve of the elections. In the mentioned conversation with Putin, Governor Poltavchenko referred to the freshly founded strategy of urban development until 2030 as the main argument, encouraging him to continue to provide Petersburg with his leading services.

It must be admitted that this tedious paper, which came out, as they assure, from the pen of “academicians with a world-famous name”, and in fact solves an important election problem-gives the impression of the readiness to control meaningfully. If not counted, of course.

Because in terms of content, this is a list of what is called Wishlist, which are strung on each other without any indications in what ways this gospel will be achieved. But here, perhaps, wisdom lurks just. Indeed, at any time, in the interval between 2014 and 2030, it will be completely impossible to determine whether this “strategy” is performed. There are no hooks for this.

In fact, Smolny goes to the elections, making it clear that he is not going to do anything meaningful. This, mindful of the previous 2.5 years, is not surprising. Surprisingly different: such a strategy has a chance to find understanding among the townspeople.

Conditionally satisfied the city

If you do not look forward and do not look around very much around, then everyday life in St. Petersburg looks rather prosperous. In the era of Poltavchenko there were no snowy winters. People have already forgotten about past and are not tormented by questions what accidents will be provided with them at the first real cold.

There are traditionally many state employees in the city. Thanks to the Putin's “May decrees” 2012, their earnings are growing. Of course, to the detriment of other city expenses that will turn out to be necessary tomorrow. But today no one thinks about it.

The twenty -three -trillion state -controls program undermines the country's economy. But not the economy of St. Petersburg. The northern capital has always been the center of the military -industrial complex: the grown defense orders became compensation for the cut federal investments. The weight of industry in the gross regional product (GRP) of St. Petersburg has been growing almost uninterruptedly in recent years.

To some extent, Petersburg returns to the role that Leningrad played in the Soviet era and from which the city departed in the 1990s and the first half of the zero years. There is no doubt that over time, the restoration of the style of the “great city with the regional fate” will begin to cause discontent. But while it turns into its pluses.

Podushva St. Petersburg RAS half as much as Moscow. And the nominal accrued salary in the first quarter of 2014 is only one and a half times less (respectively 37.6 thousand rubles and 55.9 thousand rubles per month). This is strategically indicated by lower competitiveness, but situationally - about the relative ease of making money.

The unemployment rate in the first months of this year (1.6%) in St. Petersburg (as in Moscow) is lower than in any other Russian region.

To some extent, Petersburg returns to the role that Leningrad played in the Soviet era

"

The permanent population of St. Petersburg, according to Rosstat, increased in 2013 by 104 thousand (up to 5.13 million), as in the best Soviet times. And in the first quarter of 2014, the second capital lost only the Moscow region in the migration growth (12 thousand), bypassing the Kuban and Moscow. The state statistics have recently been constantly confused in the testimony, but the overall picture has been transmitted, apparently, true. Today's Petersburg is attractive to migrants, and even now, plunging into economic stagnation, continues to create jobs for them. Basically, of course, unskilled.

An ordinary Petersburger has not yet noticed stagnation. In most city industries, a decline since last year, but they have not yet been driven from work. The dynamics of investment for the average citizen is abstract. And he is trying not to remember his recent political ambitions.

True, in the real sector, salaries do not grow, but they rise in the budget. So that those who no longer index the earnings, feel a decrease in living standards, you need to live at least a year with the current inflation.

Of course, if strife with the West goes ascending, then the illusion of prosperity can melt faster. This will hit imported trade and foreign tourism - important sectors of the St. Petersburg economy. But to such an intellectual height, the thoughts of the urban layman do not rise. And what he sees around him looks tolerant.

Consequently, the chiefs decided both in Moscow and in St. Petersburg, one should not pull with the governor's elections. Judging by objective indicators, then the quiet Northern Palmyra seems to be ready, without leaving the nap, to re -confirm her governor. If something can spoil the picture, so only a subjective factor is a clash of personality personnel. Apparently from such a collision, apparently, will be the pre -election strategy of Smolny.