The article forms part of IPN’s series to present candidates for mayor of the municipality of Balti at the general local elections of November 5, 2023.

The Party of Change fielded Nicolai Grigorishin as a candidate for the November 5 local mayoral election in Balti. He is the incumbent mayor of Balti. He won the mayoral election in Balti in December 2021 with 84.77% of the vote.

Nicolai Grigorishin was born on September 5, 1971 in the municipality of Balti. In 1989, he graduated from the specialized military boarding school of the municipality of Chisinau. Since 1989 until 1993, he studied at the Volsk Higher School of Military Logistics. In 1999 – 2000, he studied at the Institute of Physical Education, Tourism and Sport in Odessa. In 1993-1995, he worked as the head of the Food and Clothing Service of Military Unit No. 54856. In 1995 – 1997, he served as the shift head of an assault battalion. Since 1999-2015, he worked at the recreational basis “Automobilist” in Belgorod-Dnestrovsk, “Zatoca” resort. In 2009, he founded the public association “Piramida”, which is still active. In 2015 – 2017, he managed the football club “Zarea”, which he founded.

In 2015, Nicolai Grigorishin became a member of the Our Party, which he abandoned in 2021. For three years, until 2018, he served as a municipal councilor on behalf of the Our Party in the Balti Municipal Council. In 2018-2019 and 2019-2021, he served as deputy mayor and acting mayor of the municipality of Balti. Staring with 2021, he has held the post of mayor.

For the period between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022, the candidate declared 231,911 lei earnings from the Balti mayor’s office. His wife’s salaries from SRL Egmas totaled 24,662 lei. The candidate owns 1/3 of an apartment acquired in 1994, a commercial space purchased in 2006 for 2 065 614 lei, two cars, a 100% holding in the commercial production firm SRL Egmas registered in Balti and a 100% holding in the recreational basis in Belgorod-Dnestrovsk. He also owns a 20% holding in the public association “Piramida” registered in Balti.

One of the priorities announced by Nicolai Grigorishin is to develop the Bălțiul Nou quarter: to repair roads, to build a sewerage system, to launch a new trolleybus route, to set up a playground, to open a new drugstore and a family doctor’s center there. The candidate aims to build a new highway along the kayak-canoe channel and to repair Kiev St.

Among his priorities are also to implement the program “Food Parcels” for socially deprived categories, as in other states, to continue the municipal cold-month subsidization program intended for pensioners and persons with disabilities, to double the number of scholars and increase the scholarship to 1,000 lei within the Municipal Scholarship program, to implement the program to thermally insulate facades, to modernize elevators, to light apartment buildings and to put up parking places.

Following a draw, Nicolai Grigorishin was assigned No. 14 on the list of candidates on the ballot.