You won’t be forced straight – Newspaper Kommersant No. 10 (7455) dated 01/20/2023

The Public Chamber (OP) of the Novosibirsk Region has begun discussing the advisability of abolishing direct elections for the mayor of Novosibirsk. This city remains one of the six regional capitals where the mayor is still elected by the residents, but social activists say that the townspeople are unhappy with the work of the “nationwide” mayor (since 2014, this post has been occupied by the communist Anatoly Lokot). Therefore, the idea of ​​canceling direct elections in the OP is supported and next week they plan to send the results of the discussion to the regional parliament.

As Galina Gridneva, chairman of the OP, told Kommersant, the discussion of this issue was started after “numerous appeals from citizens dissatisfied with the quality of municipal government.” These appeals, according to her, relate, in particular, to such issues as the condition and quality of roads, the work of housing and communal services, infill development and the load on public utilities, the demolition of 393 newsstands, the opening of liquor stores in residential buildings, the placement of monuments to heroes in hard-to-reach places etc.

Let’s remind, Novosibirsk remains one of six and the largest regional center where direct elections of the mayor remain. In 2014 and 2019, they were won by Anatoly Lokot (KPRF), gaining 43.75% of the vote, respectively, with a turnout of 32.6% and 50.25%, with a turnout of 20.7%. His term of office expires in 2024.

On January 19, the issue of the mayor was discussed by the OP Commission on Public Control and Public Expertise, and among its members there were no supporters of maintaining direct elections of the mayor. “Today it seems to us that it would be better for a city like Novosibirsk, and in principle cities, to be run by specialists who know the city economy and the management system well, that is, real managers who are elected on a competitive basis,” Ms. Gridneva told her colleagues.

Vadim Popov, an analyst from the Club of Regions, who was invited as an expert, cited research data, according to which the election of a mayor by competition is beneficial for Russian cities: budget indicators are growing in the first year, investments are appearing, urgent economic problems are being solved. “You can discuss as much as you like, this or that model (of city government.— “b”) is imperfect, but there is a trend that is already moving historically, albeit hard and difficult somewhere, but it focuses on the real political situation,” Mr. Popov said.

PMC Chairman Marina Shcherbeneva recalled the “cruelest” confrontation between the elected mayor of Berdsk, the “romantic communist” Ilya Potapov, and the United Russia governor Vladimir Gorodetsky. And the state of the city after Yevgeny Shesternin, appointed by competition, became the mayor in 2015, briefly assessed: “Prosperity is simple!” At the same time, Mrs. Shcherbeneva considered it unnecessary to find out the opinion of the townspeople about the abolition of direct elections: “In our country, when people are asked, liberal-minded citizens are very active.”

Reserve Major General Vladimir Popkov even said that during the special military operation, which, in his opinion, will last for more than one year, it would be right to cancel the elections altogether and appoint mayors. “Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich did not hold any elections during the war!” he gave a historical argument in favor of such a decision.

Some experts noted that the election of mayors by competition is not a guarantee of the effectiveness of local government, which has examples in the Novosibirsk region. “Look how these chapters (selected by competition.— “b”). There are some complaints and claims. There are some heads there who were re-elected, but at the same time, municipalities are not developing much. The budget indicators are very weak,” said Victor Zelentsov, Associate Professor of the Department of World Economy, International Relations and Law of the Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management.

Nevertheless, all members of the public control commission voted for the abolition of direct mayoral elections. The same decision was made by the OP commissions on culture, spiritual and moral development and interethnic relations, as well as on patriotic education and veterans’ affairs.

According to the OP, this issue will be discussed in all 13 chamber commissions, and its results will be summed up at a meeting of the OP council scheduled for January 26. After that, the OP intends to “go out to the deputies of the legislative assembly with the initiative to consider the effectiveness of the system for organizing the election of the mayor of Novosibirsk,” said Galina Gridneva. Direct elections of the mayor are written in the regional law and can be canceled by amending this document.

Recall that in December 2022, the United Russia governor of Novosibirsk Andrey Travnikov also, in fact, spoke in favor of the abolition of direct mayoral elections. “I treat the cancellation as a possibility. She is possible. I don’t see any obstacles,” he said. Anatoly Lokot then told reporters that he was not yet ready to talk about this topic. It was not possible to get his commentary on the discussion in the OP “Kommersant” promptly.

Valery Lavsky, Novosibirsk