The cooperation between the mayor and the local council has its own particularities, if the goal is to really manage public affairs properly, for the benefit of the community, said mayors invited to IPN’s public debate “Local elected officials after elections: Cooperation and competition for public interest”.

The mayor of Nimoreni village Andrei Covali, who heads the Association of Mayors of Ialoveni district, said the political games are out of place if the goal is to ensure proper management of affairs in a community. Nevertheless, from election to election and after election, opportunist coalitions are formed in local and district councils. Some persons pursue hidden goals, but all these games can be detrimental to the people who put their hope in the new local elected officials.

Andrei Covali noted that the projects that come from the central level are often a good opportunity for the local elected officials to show how they can combine forces to obtain more benefits for the people from the locality they manage. “I think there will be projects financed with foreign funds or grants. We must know that without cooperation or without a poorest launched by the central authorities, one cannot implement or apply such projects. That’s why we must know what projects we can implement with the little money we have in the mayor’s office, with contributions. We should also be receptive to the projects initiated or launched by the central authorities,” stated the mayor.

Mariana Galea, mayor of Brătuleni village of Nisporeni district, believes that namely the communication between mayors and councilors is the key to successful cooperation during the four-year term. Even if the councilors represent different political parties, they should unite forces for the benefit of the community and should forget about competition. The fate of the projects that are to be implemented in a locality and their proper management depend namely on appropriate cooperation.

“The people choose primarily the person who should head the community and then look at the political color and skills. At the moment, we have a rather varied council in terms of political affiliation. The persons are very competent and realize their mission and role in the council. This is gladdening. We will see if there are challenges, but now communication is the most important thing that should exist. The local elected officials are ultimately those who serve the people, the citizen and this fact should unite us all, regardless of the political color, views and goals with which the people came to the local council,” stated the mayor.

The mayor of Sireți village of Strășeni district Leonid Boaghi noted that it is easier for a mayor with a majority in the local council to promote projects for the benefit of the locality this manages. Nevertheless, namely the majority from the council shifts greater responsibility onto the mayor for some of the assumed decisions and prevents this from making mistakes.

“The idea we formulate every time we take up our duties, and we did this now too, is that the party that the councilor represents should be left aside when we have discussions, analyze or debate the agenda. The subjects, issues and proposals we have and need to examine and approve are what matters. They must be formulated in the best possible way, must be legally correct and must bring benefits to the whole community, not to circles or groups or to very narrow interest groups,” stated Leonid Boaghi.

The public debate entitled “Local elected officials after elections: Cooperation and competition for public interest” was staged by IPN News Agency in the framework of the project “Stimulation of discussion in the mass media about traditional particularities of local elections and the need for Europeanization” which is supported by Soros Foundation Moldova.