Prague Mayor Pavel Bém switched places for a few days with Petr Gazdík, his counterpart from the small Moravian village of Suchá Loz, near the Slovak border.
“We prepared a varied program for Bém so that he learns as much as possible of small village problems,” Gazdík said. While Bém spent only the weekend and Monday morning in Suchá Loz, Gazdík plans a whole week at the helm of the Czech capital, where he says there’s room for improvement. Bém arrived in Suchá Loz Aug. 22. After acquainting himself with the village during a traditional weekend feast, he got down to serious mayoring Monday morning. During his stay, Bém had to deal with many problems that he is unlikely to face in Prague. They included disposing of a run-over beaver, handling disputes between neighbors, catching a stray dog and even handing out work to unemployed residents who are doing community service. “Most importantly, he met with our citizens and discussed local problems. I think that is the best way to learn what these people really need,” Gazdík said.Gazdík, who arrived in Prague with Bém on the afternoon of Aug. 25, faces a much more hectic week. Besides participating in as many official meetings and discussions as possible, he also has a busy social schedule. Gazdík planned to attend several theater performances, watch a Slavia–Fiorentina soccer match and attend a folk festival in his traditional village costume. In his official capacity, Gazdík should meet with authorities from the municipal police, representatives from Prague Transit Company and join a meeting of the finance committee.Gazdík also wants to address some problems with Prague councilors that citizens have been sending to his e-mail for the past couple weeks. “Mostly they concern parking zones, the financing of theaters and other cultural venues or the National Library blob. I know there won’t be enough time to deal with all of them, but at least I’ll be able to start the debate and show the councilors what their citizens are concerned about,” Gazdík said. As temporary mayor of Prague, he hopes to influence the future of the city. “I will definitely speak out openly against the planned closure of the Masaryk train station,” he added.The plan for this week’s “Mayor Swap” was hatched last November when Gazdík and his fellow small village mayors complained about discrepancies in financing for different municipalities. Because the city of Prague receives up to 6.5 times more per citizen than other towns and villages, Gazdík and his colleagues filed suit against the Czech Republic in Brussels. But as the law dividing money between municipalities has since been amended, and further changes are planned to come into effect by 2010, the charges were dropped.
(Prague Post)
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