[Article of the series “Year 2012: figures and facts”] [– January 10:] Four representatives of Chisinau municipality received awards from the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova for long activity and special merits in the local public administration. Among the laureates are Vladimir Sarban, Ana Balan, Nina Costiuc, and Valentina Patras. [– January 25:] After half a year of the local elections, the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) approved the first draft decisions in its new composition, by the vote of the local councilors of the Alliance for European Integration (AEI) and a Communist councilor, Petru Dontsov. [– January 25:] The CMC meeting of September 29, 2011, when the Communist faction decided to withdraw the seats of three Communist councilors, in the absence of the AEI councilors, was declared illegal by the Chisinau Court of Appeals. [– January 25:] Deputy Mayor of Chisinau Mihai Furtuna renounced the post in favor of the seat of municipal councilor in the Liberal-Democratic faction. [– January 26:] The first board with green arrow showing to the right was set up by order of Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca, near the red signal of the stoplights. The board shows that the drivers can turn right regardless of the color indicated on the stoplights. Such boards were afterward installed at dozens of intersections in Chisinau. [–January 30:] Communist councilors Elena Danu and Petru Dontov left the Communist faction of the CMC. They announced that they decided to create the group of Socialist councilors. [–January 30:] Ten settlements of Chisinau municipality and ten settlements of Romania’s Iasi county twinned. The ceremony to sign the agreements took place in Chisinau. The move was aimed at improving the quality of the relations between the two countries. [– February 21:] The CMC approved the municipal budget for 2012 in the first reading. The Communist councilors abstained from voting. The budget provided for revenues of 2.39 billion lei and a total expenditure of 2.61 billion lei. [– February 21:] The CMC approved a draft decision whereby the tariffs on the hot water supplied to the population through the centralized network were reduced by 20%. [– February 21:] People’s Artist, panpipe player Vasile Iovu became Citizen of Honor of Chisinau Municipality. This title was conferred on him by a decision of the CMC, at the suggestion of Mayor General Dorin Chirtoaca. [– March 2:] The drivers working on minibus route No. 171 protested in front of the Chisinau City Hall against an older decision, of 2010, whereby almost the same itinerary was set for routes No. 135 and 136. [– March 14:] The Chisinau City Hll started the cleanup campaign in Chisinau on Stefan cel Mare si Sfant Boulevard. All the relevant municipal services were engaged in cleaning the sidewalks, public bus and trolleybus stations, poles and roadway. [– March 19:] The 2011-2012 heating season was closed for the housing stock. [– March 22:] The Supreme Court of Justice ruled in favor of Mayor General of Chisinau municipality Dorin Chirtoaca in a lawsuit filed by the head of the General Social Assistance Division Eugenia Ceban, concerning her pensioning off at the age of retirement. [– March 31:] The spring cleanup campaign “Come on, Chisinau” took place in the capital city. Representatives of the local authorities and residents of Chisinau became involved in the campaign, cleaning the yards of their apartment buildings. Residents of the suburban settlements cleared the local streets. [–April 3:] 4 of 19 administrators of minibus routes filed applications to the Chisinau City hall, asking increasing the fares. The carriers demanded raising the fare from 3 to almost 7 lei. [– April 4:] The wholesale and retail trade in flowers on Calea Basarabiei St, on the territory adjoining the Market “Extremum”, was banned. [– April 12:] The municipality put in commission a new water treatment station, using sodium hypochlorite. The water in the municipal aqueduct will no longer be treated with chlorine. [– April 13:] On Low Friday, the lighting installations for the paschal holidays were turned on in the square of the Metropolitan Cathedral “God’s Birth”. [– April 27:] The CMC approved the 2012 municipal budget in the final reading. Though the councilors of the Communist faction criticized the budget, it was carried by a unanimous vote. It provided revenues of 2.4 billion lei and spending of 2.8 billion lei. The social costs represent 52.5% of the total sum. [– May 3:] An employee of the Law Assistance Division of the Chisinau City Hall is suspected of passive corruption in extremely large amounts. Lilian Lisnic-Rascoala was caught in the act of talking €10,000. The jurist was denounced by Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca. [– May 12:] Europe Days were opened in Chisinau. Those who went to the Great National Assembly Square were able to find out more about the EU member states and to taste from traditional dishes of Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Turkey, Estonia, Italy, Romania, and Belgium. [– May 30:] Dorin Chirtoaca was elected co-chairman of the Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities of the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP). The event took place in Brussels, Belgium. CORLEAP is a working body under the Committee of Regions of the European Union, known as “the voice of the local authorities at the European Union level”. [– June 1:] Drivers working on several minibus routes in Chisinau protested against the penalties imposed by the traffic police. They refused to work, arguing they are fined if they transport passengers on foot. [– June 1:] The Chisinau City Hall started to massively dismantle the billboards set up on Dacia Blvd. During five days, the municipality had removed almost 40 billboards. [– June 8:] A sports town was inaugurated in the Great National Assembly Square, where the residents of Chisinau were able to watch live all the matches of the 2012 European Football Championship, hosted by Poland and Ukraine. [– June 19:] Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca presented a report on the work done during a year of his appointment. [– June 29:] The Chisinau City Hall suspended an employee of the General Division of Architecture, Urbanism and Land Relations, who was filmed taking bribe. [– June 29:] Chisinau administration had taken away 76 kiosks that didn’t work, while another seven booths were dismantled by the owners. At the same time, 25 kiosks that did not have authorization to work couldn’t be removed because there were disputed in court. Under a decision made by the mayor general, all the kiosks in the municipality of Chisinau that didn’t work or whose authorizations expired over half a year ago are to be taken down. [– July 3:] The Chisinau municipality set up a hotline and a special mailbox that the people can use to report cases of corruption within the local public administration. [– July 6:] The Chisinau City Hall presented the first design of external mural done on an apartment building located at 28 Dacia Blvd. The painting shows the leader of the Polish movement “Solidarity” Lech Walęsa. [– July 9:] The Chisinau City Hall awarded two athletes who took part in the European Youth Target Shooting and Weightlifting Championship, Dan Olaru and Artur Pipa. [– July 17:] The first trolleybus assembled in Chisinau in cooperation with the Minsk company Belkommunmash started work. Until the end of the year, the Chisinau Electric Transport Company assembled another four trolleybuses. [– July 19:] There was inaugurated the new pluvial water sewerage system near the Railway Station in Chisinau. It was built to reduce the effects of floods following torrential rain. [– July 23:] The municipality bought two second-hand Volvo buses from Norway. They have a seating capacity of 100, low floor and use liquefied petroleum gas that is cheaper than the diesel fuel and pollutes the atmosphere less. [– August 8:] A large chess table was set up in the square of the God’s Birth Cathedral in Chisinau. The table is four square meters in area and 20 centimeters in height. The 32 playing pieces are made from pinewood. The heaviest is 13 -14 kilograms. [– August 14:] The municipal authorities took away a number of billboards situated on M. Viteazu St. Similar steps were to be taken on the streets Petricani and Vadul lui Voda. [– August 28:] A number of minibus drivers were fired, while some of the units of transport were withdrawn from route as a result of an inspection carried out by State Tax Service employees. [– August 31:] Alexandru Ioan Cuza’s bust was unveiled at the intersection of Cuza-Voda and Dacia Boulevards in Botanica district of Chisinau on the national holiday “Language Day”. Cuza was the first ruler of the United Romanian Principates. The bronze bust was offered to the municipality by the Romanian foundation “Mihai Viteazul” and the Prahova County Council. [– September 3:] More than 100 Chisinau traders protested in front of the City Hall against Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca’s order to ban trading on the streets adjoining the Central Market. [– September 6:] Administrators of Chisinau minibus routes demand raising the fare to 5 lei. Instead they promise to improve the provided services. [– September 8 – September 21] A pedestrian area was set up in central Chisinau and is opened on Saturdays and Sundays. It includes Stefan cel Mare si Sfant Blvd., the section between the streets A. Pushkin and V. Alecsandri. [–September 11:] Liberal-Democratic municipal councilor Victor Bodiu renounced the seat, announcing that he decided to continue work as the Government’s secretary general. [–September 17:] The assembly of the Office of the Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities of the Eastern Partnership took place in Chisinau. It involved over 100 officials from 15 European states. [–September 17:] The CMC held a secret meeting, in the absence of the Communist councilors, who said that they hadn’t been informed about the meeting. The councilors examined and approved draft decisions from the agenda of the July 20 meeting, which was suspended for several times because the quorum was not present or for other reasons. [–September 21:] The Chisinau City Hall decided to open the pedestrian area in central Chisinau only on Sundays. [–September 26:] Practically all the maxi-taxi drivers working in Chisinau staged a protest, demanding increasing the fare from 3 to 5 lei. [–September 27:] Dozens of minibus drivers picketed the Chisinau City Hall. They attempted to block Stefan cel Mare Blvd., but were hindered by the police. The protests went on. [– October 14:] The City’s Day was celebrated in Chisinau. Writer Spiridon Vangheli and literary critic, academician Mihai Cimpoi were conferred the title of citizens of honor of Chisinau. [– October 16:] Mayor General of Chisinau municipality Dorin Chirtoaca had a meeting with Mayor General of Bucharest municipality Sorin Oprescu in Chisinau. The mayors agreed that specialists of the two City Halls will exchange experience in different areas during a year. [– October 25:] The kindergartens and hospitals in Chisinau started to be connected to the heat supply. The apartment buildings were connected four days later. [– November 4:] The Chisinau City Hall decided that the pedestrian area will be opened on Saturdays and Sundays, on Mitropolit Varlaam St, between the streets Bulgara and Vlaicu Parcalab. [– November 6:] The Chisinau Electric Transport Company launched a hotline for the trolleybus passengers to file complaints. [–November 17:] The public lighting on the pedestrian aware in Valea Morilor Park was switched on. The cost of the project was about 1.8 million lei. [–November 21:] The Chisinau City Hall, in partnership with MediaPoint Association, launched a new version of the online project www.alerte.md, which was developed to facilitate the people’s access to municipal services and to faster solve the announced problems. [–November 22:] A “Zero Kilometer” plaque was unveiled in front of the Central Post Office in Chisinau. It represents the stylized form of the Wind Rose where there is indicated the distance from the center of Chisinau to the capitals of a number of states. [–November 29:] Communist councilor Elena Hrenova announced that she left the Communist faction and joined the group of Socialists on the CMC. In the same meeting, the Communist councilors gave a vote of no confidence to the head of the General Public Transport and Communications Division Adrian Boldurescu. Two new Liberal-Democratic councilors, Pavel Caba and Vasile Parasca, took up their duties. The 2013 draft municipal budget did not gain the number of votes needed to be approved in the first reading. [– December 1:] The Christmas tree was inaugurated in the Great National Assembly Square. It was bought from a family living in Posta Veche quarter. It is 20 meters in height. The lights were turned on by Mayor General Dorin Chirtoaca. The decorative lighting on the main streets of Chisinau was also switched on. [– December 1:] The Chisinau City Hall announced that the access to the building will be restricted. Under an order made by the mayor general, the visitors will be able to enter only on the basis of controlled access cards. [– December 12:] The municipal enterprise SA “Apa-Canal Chisinau” marked the 120th anniversary of the foundation. In the jubilee forum, the company was awarded the Labor Glory Order for the result achieved over the years. [– December 14:] Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca handed over the 2012 Municipal Youth Awards in science, technology, literature and arts. The top prize and the special prize represent 10,000 lei, while the encouragement prizes – 2,000 lei. There were awarded about 20 young people. [Elena Nistor, Info-Prim Neo]