&bdquo The truth is that the people of Sofia expect much more decisive changes. We ourselves raised the bar of their expectations. Even in opposition and with only one municipal councilor, Spasi Sofia has been a reform leader and guardian of the public interest in recent years. And it is quite normal that people expect that in a coalition with a mayor and like-minded politicians we will be even more effective, even braver, even faster in governance." This was stated at a press conference by the leader of Save Sofia, Boris Bonev. During the event, the formation presented an assessment of the first year of management of the capital and announced their priorities for the next. “We can do much more“ is the assessment we set for ourselves after the first year of general management in Sofia, together with PPDB and Mayor Terziev. Important successes have been achieved in a difficult environment, but both I and the majority of our fellow citizens realize that we need to achieve a lot more in order to be able to say that we have fulfilled expectations, said Boris Bonev, chairman of the group of municipal councilors .
Among the successes of Spasi Sofia, they reported record improvements in public transport and the tenders for new trams and trolleybuses, the program for the construction of new multi-storey car parks throughout the city, 4 times more sidewalks built and dozens of kindergartens being built in the regions strong>. “Clean air and cleaning are in focus – we have developed a new Anti-Pollution Mechanism and the Metropolitan Inspectorate has carried out more inspections than ever before. We lost other important battles – the economic majority allied itself against the public interest and practically took away the most important capital companies that operate billions.“ – reported Milena Alexandrova, Acting mayor of Oborishte region.
Spasi Sofia stated that the lack of a majority in the SOS, the continuous elections and the mines laid by the previous administration cannot be the only explanation.
Boris Bonev's party identified 5 critical decisions for the success of the management of the capital, which must be taken in the coming months. According to them, they will guarantee the results that the people of Sofia expect. “There is a competition for a new chief architect, which must be not only transparent, but must also include measures and actions to reduce spontaneous reconstruction of the city. Secondly, the contracts and companies that spend a huge public financial resource must be put in order, and part of the activities should be returned to municipal hands.“ – Emilia Angelova, municipal councilor, is categorical.
Spasi Sofia also said it will offer an independent financial audit of key processes, orders and actions from previous years in order to identify and eliminate gaps. “We owe clear answers to whose interest the Metropolitan Municipality has worked over the years, and this will give us an objective analysis of how to change the system and conditions of tender procedures so as to protect the public interest” – said Angelova.
The new structure of the Metropolitan Municipality, which should reflect the new way of working and the priority projects for the current administration, is also assessed as extremely important. According to the advisors from Spasi Sofia, the management functions must be urgently filled with quality and capable people, as stipulated in the coalition agreement with their partners. “Fifth, but not least, is what will be set in the budget for 2025, and the most important for us are the construction of new parking lots, high-quality street repairs, new trams and the construction and repair of parks, especially in the neighborhoods. “ – announced Boris Bonev.
According to him, the coming year 2025 will be key to the success of this mandate. “We have to get the plane ready for takeoff and that depends on the joint efforts of everyone in the coalition. Will our partners have the will and courage for the necessary reforms, for the expected results and for fulfilling the promises? We are ready! We invite and call on our partners to act quickly and responsibly.“ – the leader of Spasi Sofia, Bonev, is categorical.
Save Sofia: 5 decisions critical to the success of the city's management that must be taken
"We can do much more is the assessment we set for ourselves after the first year of general management in Sofia, together with PPDB and Mayor Terziev. Important successes have been achieved in a difficult environment, but both I and the majority of our fellow citizens realize that we need to achieve much more in order to be able to say that we have met expectations, said Boris Bonev
Nov 12, 2024 12:53 83
