Candidacy statement:
My name is Elena Mageirou; I’m an agronomist and organic farmer, and I live permanently in Kythira. I was born in Athens and returned to my hometown in 2000 with my daughter, Myrto Trakada. My vision was, and still is, to apply my agricultural knowledge and organic farming practices to my family’s land.
I have been farming my land organically since 1996; I run my small, traditional guesthouse, “Porfyrousa,” in Mylopotamos; I produce certified organic products, olive oil and wine from local grape varieties under the “Porfyrousa” label, and I prepare proposals for European development programs for our fellow citizens in Kythira.
Over the years, I’ve seen a lot: neglected infrastructure, indifference on the part of those in power at every level, arrogance and hubris in the exercise of authority, an island running on autopilot, without a plan, without a strategy…
This has to stop. I've learned to shape my own future with my own hands, and that's how I intend to keep going.
I have decided to support mayoral candidate Zacharias Souris in the upcoming municipal elections, because I believe our community needs a drastic change to address the indifference and neglect that prevail around us. I also believe that getting involved in public affairs is a responsibility we all share.
Together with Zacharias, our fellow candidates, and our supporters, I believe that we can change the course and character of our region, steering it toward an alternative path of development, guided by concern for our people and our environment—both natural and historical.
In the nearly 24 years that I have been active on the island, I know that some projects have been carried out, but they have been piecemeal, ineffective, or headed in the wrong direction. Mismanagement of natural resources—such as the water that is being wasted—and of attractions like the Mylopotamos waterfall, which has dried up, the Agia Sofia Cave, which has remained closed for years, the campground in Kapsali, which has fallen into disrepair in recent years, and the neoclassical Potamos, which is destroying the neighboring ravine with its sewage. The road network leading to major settlements is neglected and narrow; the rural road network is virtually nonexistent; and there is a lack of options for local travel and public transportation.
Our region, known since ancient times for its honey, wine, cheese, figs, and more recently for its exceptional-quality olive oil, lacks the capacity for efficient and organized production, coordination, and promotion of its products. Although, for a long time now and due to the growth of beekeeping, no pesticides have been sprayed, there is a lack of technical expertise and assistance from the authorities—specifically from an agronomist and a veterinarian—as well as the ability to irrigate crops through the Local Land Improvement Organization’s network, the organization of milk production for making the exceptional ladotyri cheese in a properly equipped cheese factory, the management of sheep and goats and the operation of a small slaughterhouse, access to farms via a rural road network, and the competitive transport of our products to consumption centers.
In other words, coming up with an appealing and modern name for Kythira that would capture all of these things. I was young and I’ve grown old, and our island is still lagging behind.
Many people have spoken to us about development so far. However, development cannot be achieved through services and tourism alone. It also requires primary production and the secondary processing of those products. An alternative and profitable form of production that respects people—whether citizens or visitors—and the environment.
We need support from European programs that are coherent and have clear objectives. We need a vision for our islands.
Our municipal coalition, “All Together,” can make this vision a reality with Zacharias Souris as mayor, so that we can all work together to transform the image of our islands.
Elena Mageirou, agronomist and organic farmer.
