In a lengthy and pointed letter, the Mayor of Kythira, Efstratios Charhalakis, responded in public complaints expressed by the President of the Municipal Community of Potamos, Panagiotis Alevizopoulos, regarding the lack of cooperation and support from the municipal authorities

In a letter sent to the municipal faction «Free Kythira» and the local media, the mayor states that «the commitments made by the presidents are not binding on the Municipality,» while blaming Mr. Alevizopoulos for making promises to voters without knowing the actual capabilities of the Municipality in terms of resources and personnel. At the same time, he urges him to contact the services and the relevant deputy mayors directly for everyday issues, such as cleaning and road construction.

Mr. Charhalakis cites extensive work that has been completed or is underway in the Potamos Community, listing numerous projects and dates, while emphasizing that the President's proposals for major projects «are not helpful when they are accompanied only by accusatory rhetoric and not by mature studies.».

Finally, he calls on him to show greater responsibility and cooperation, asking him to follow the example of other presidents who, as he says, «maintain their political autonomy but also work closely with the municipality for the benefit of citizens.».

The full text of the Mayor's response follows:

Dear Mr. Alevizopoulos,

I am glad that you have made your complaints public, because this is a golden opportunity not only to receive the appropriate responses, but also to inform our fellow citizens about certain issues.

First of all, I must inform you that any personal or party commitments or promises you made to the electorate in order to get elected are not necessarily binding on the municipal authority. This is because you should have been aware of the Municipality's actual capabilities, both in terms of financial resources and means, and (mainly) in terms of personnel, so as not to commit yourself to projects, actions, and things that cannot be fulfilled due to these objective difficulties. Our party, which for the third consecutive time has earned the trust of our fellow citizens, was very careful in its commitments precisely because we know (as everyone else does) that the Municipality's capabilities are very specific.

Therefore, sending requests to the Municipality for projects that require exhaustive study and several million euros (e.g. Biological, Redevelopment of Ag. Pelagia, etc.) does not particularly contribute to the good of your locality, as it follows the familiar logic of «I said it and they didn't do it.» If I remember correctly, you have been a member of the municipal administration in the past, as well as an executive member of several political parties (including mine in 2014), so you have no excuse for not knowing the procedure and, above all, the time required for such projects.

Regarding the specific issues you raise, the following should be noted:

1. As President, you are obliged to contact (on your own initiative) the contractors who have undertaken a) rural road construction, b) fire safety zones, c) roadside cleaning and, in general, any action related to everyday life. Apart from the fact that the names of the contractors are known (posted on Diafgeia), I take it for granted that with a simple phone call to the Municipality, no one will refuse to inform you about this. The same applies to the repair of potholes in the road surface, which is carried out by a specific municipal employee, whose name and telephone number you know.

2. The application process for outdoor cleaning staff on 8-month contracts was completed very recently (May 19), and recruitment will take place in the coming days. This is the first time that approval has been given to hire 15 eight-month employees for cleaning services (refuse collection, outdoor and indoor workers, etc.). This process has been widely publicized. It is not possible for each community to have one worker exclusively, but in this case, you must contact the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Katsanevakis, yourself. You should also contact the same Deputy Mayor regarding the work schedule of the fire safety workers who have already started working.

3. The fixed advance payment will not be returned because the relevant legislative framework contains serious contradictions and will be radically changed in the new Local Government Code, an issue that has been accepted by both KEDE and the political leadership of the Ministry of the Interior. As we have emphasized, there are uniform codes in the municipal budget, such as rural road construction, roadside cleaning, water supply repairs, fire safety zones, infrastructure and network repairs, etc. For example, in a few days, the electronic tender for the annual repair of water supply network faults and for water transport/tank filling (€150,000 each), which concerns the entire island, will close. Such contracts cannot be awarded individually for each community (fixed advance payment) because this would lead to absolute chaos (accounting management, assignments, etc.) and would not comply with the principle of economy imposed by the Court of Auditors.

4. I am particularly concerned about your attempt to pass the buck with the tactic of «I am asking for something and the evil municipality is doing nothing.» Let me remind you of some facts that our fellow citizens should also be aware of:

From the annual rural road construction contract for 2024, a total of 22 days of work were carried out in the Potamos Community (the most on the entire island, as the Technical Department decided that special emphasis should be given due to the need for access to the new boreholes in the area; of course, this year's contract will be balanced towards the southern part for reasons of fair and equal treatment), as follows:
April 26, 2024: Road clearing and widening from Regional River to Psoma (1 day's JCB hire).
27/04/2024: Road scraping from Venardou Hotel to Gerontiko (1 day's wage for grader).
29/04/2024: Access to Plakoutas, Koumelia, and Moschato for the drill rig (1 day's JCB hire).
April 30, 2024: widening and filling of the road in Vithoula (1 day's pay for JCB).
28/06/2024: road scraping from Agios Charalambos to Kampos (1 day's wage for JCB).
01/07/2024: cleaning from Venardos Hotel to Regional (1 day's wage for JCB).
July 13, 2024: Road scraping in Fyri Ammo (1 day's pay for a grader).
July 15-26, 2024: cleaning, scraping, and shaping from the main road of Agia Pelagia (Fonomandra) to Paleochora and wider cleaning of illegally littered rural roads (11 days' pay for a crawler loader operator).
July 27, 2024: cleanup in Agia Pelagia (1 day's pay for JCB).
10/08/2024: Road excavation at Potamos Stadium for drill access (1 day's JCB hire).
September 13-14, 2024: Road clearing towards Katharades, from Amorozos to the old ring road and from Agios Stefanos to Agios Vasileios (2 days of grader work).

You were absent from the regular meeting of TESOPP 2024 (25-04-2024) on the crucial issue of civil protection.

You were absent from the regular meeting of TESOPP 2025 (April 30, 2025) on the crucial issue of civil protection.

On 03-12-2024 (10:42 a.m.), we sent you an email asking you to come to City Hall to pick up new flags for the port of Agia Pelagia. You did not respond even when the Deputy Mayor, Ms. Varda (https://adellinfm.blogspot.com/2024/12/i.html), called you by phone about the same issue.

On January 15, 2025 (10:39 a.m.), we requested via email that you raise the flags at the port of Agia Pelagia, due to the end of the declared National Mourning for the death of former Prime Minister Kostas Simitis. You did not respond.

My office is always open to any elected official, organization, or citizen for meetings and collaboration. Since you took office as President on January 1, 2024, I do not recall you ever requesting a meeting with me regarding issues concerning your community, nor do I recall ever refusing such a request.

With regard to the inclusion of your questions in the agenda of the special accountability meeting, it is clear from note 99 of the relevant circular (ADA: 9NK846MT6-P6L) that «With regard to the re-discussion of an issue that has already been discussed, Article 67, paragraph 2b of Law 3852/2010 applies analogously. Therefore, an issue that has been discussed once may be discussed again once, but in this case it must be accompanied by new information that makes it necessary to discuss the issue again. Otherwise, the president is not obliged to include it in the agenda.

5. The view that the municipal authority and the mayor have abandoned the Potamos community is being deliberately and artfully cultivated. Apart from the fact that such views are highly exaggerated, let us recall just some of the projects and actions of the current municipal administration specifically for the community of Potamos. Refreshing our memory is good for everyone and certainly helps public dialogue:

Complete renovation of the Municipal Hall (cost €200,000/own resources).
Creation of a modern KEP (Citizens' Service Center).
Creation of a permanent exhibition on the Antikythera Mechanism.
New boreholes and water supply networks.
Resolution of the problem of permanent accommodation for the Potamos Kindergarten.
New urban equipment (signs, lighting, benches, trash cans, etc.).
Completion of the demanding studies for the River Theater (5 studies). We sought and obtained funding for the project in the amount of €950,000 from the Region of Attica.
Completion of studies for the redevelopment of the river. We sought and obtained €1,400,000 in funding for the project from the Region of Attica.
Renovation of tanks and pumping stations.
Telemetry and remote control of water supply networks.
New cobblestones in Kato Chorio Potamou.
Renovation of Potamos Urban School in full swing.
New Potamos soccer stadium in full swing.
New boreholes and new water supply networks from the TRITSIS Program are in full swing. Specifically: new boreholes in Koumelia, Moschato, Potamos Stadium, Plakouta, Psoma, Diakopouliánika, and Petrou. New water supply networks: a) new pressure pipe from the Petrou tank to the TACAN tank (3740 m), b) replacement of the old asbestos pipe from the intersection of Petrou/Diakopouliakanika streets to the Potamos reservoir (3770 m), c) replacement of the pipeline from the Plakoutas, Koumelia, and Syneirismos boreholes to the TACAN reservoir (755 m).
Completion of the roads to Kaki Lagkada and Ag. Anastasia with funding from the Region of Attica
Coastal lighting in Agia Pelagia and Neos Kosmos
New road Ag. Pelagia – Ag. Anastasia.
Regeneration of the wall along the coastal road of Agia Pelagia. The project is being carried out by the Municipality of Agia Pelagia in collaboration with the Municipality of Agia Marina and the Municipality of Agia Marina.
Seatrack in Agia Pelagia
2 desalination units in Agia Pelagia with a capacity of 600 m³/d 3 desalination units in Agia Pelagia with a capacity of 1,200 m³/d
New water supply network in Agia Pelagia, which will be started and completed by a new contractor in September.
The issue of ownership of the Old Customs House building in Agia Pelagia has been definitively resolved. After many years of thorough intervention by our Municipality with ETA, it was proven that the property belongs to EEPKA, and the process of its utilization has begun. The Municipality of Agia Pelagia has been working for years to secure the necessary funding to restore the building and create a cultural center for the residents of Agia Pelagia.
Studies for the upgrade of the Port and Fishing Shelter of Agia Pelagia are being completed. The Port of Agia Pelagia is a port of 1,000 tons, with a 100-meter breakwater and a 100-meter pier.
The study for the restoration of the landslide in Galani has been completed and submitted for funding.
Studies have been completed for the iconic and unique Museum of Kythirian Migration in Greece, which is strongly supported by the Friends of the Kythira Museums.
The study for the flood protection works in Agia Pelagia has been completed. The project has been funded with €750,000 from the Region and the signing of the Program Agreement is expected. The study for the flood protection works in Agia Pelagia has been completed.
The design-build contract for the Northern Section Biological Treatment Plant was awarded and will be completed once the construction site for the WWTP (two possible locations) has been finalized.

Dear Mr. Alevizopoulos,

As President of the Community, you receive monthly travel expenses, which are considered to be for the purpose of performing your duties without absence. It is understood that during the months when you may be outside Kythira, you are required to inform the municipal services. The Ministry of the Interior has now accepted the need for legislative regulation in order to reduce the monthly salaries of local presidents when they are absent from their communities for a long period of time (e.g. long-term absence in Athens or wintering in a place of special origin, etc.). I hope you will not be affected by this.

In closing, I would like to emphasize once again that the capabilities of the municipality's services and employees are limited. There are very few employees, and elected officials perform the duties of employees: from the Mayor, who acts as a simple administrative secretary on a daily basis, to Mr. Katsanevakis, who has been collecting trash for four months (you could write a public thank you to Mr. Katsanevakis; surely you have seen him collecting trash and recycling alone in Potamos and Agia Pelagia). From Mr. Zantiotis, who spends his entire 24 hours at the reservoirs and pumping stations, to Mr. Kalligeros, who runs the Port Fund flawlessly without a permanent employee.

Large projects take time. The sewerage system in the southern part, which is currently under construction, did not come about on its own. It took years of studies, approvals, permits, etc. For the Potamos Community, there are many projects in progress, but also in the planning stage, as I explained above. Practice has shown that funding only comes with fully developed proposals and studies. Not with wishful thinking and public rallies.

In order for all this to happen, the Local President, that is, you, must not act strictly along party lines, exhausting your energy on documents and denunciatory speeches, but to follow the example of other colleagues who have maintained their political autonomy and have achieved close cooperation with the municipality for the benefit of their fellow citizens.

I hope I have clarified the matter for you and I am always at your disposal, as are all the local presidents and representatives.

Sincerely,
THE MAYOR

Eustratios Ath. Charhalakis
Member of the National Delegation to the EU Committee of the Regions (EPP)
President of the Committee on Islands and Cohesion Policy of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece
Member of the Coastal Transport Council (SAS)