At some point we have to get serious about how we vote for mayors and regional mayors in general.. And we the voters, but also the parties who have a huge responsibility for who they choose to support. The asymmetry between the threats and challenges, on the one hand, and the quality of political personnel, on the other, is frightening, especially nowadays. Regional governors became «little prime ministers» a few years ago with enormous powers and significant budgets. It was a logical choice, but it underestimated the Greek reality. And now we see politicians running behind developments, unprepared and with communication as their only preoccupation.
The same is true of mayors. Many islands face huge problems due to over-tourism, lack of infrastructure and climate change. But mayors continue to be elected in most cases on entirely personal or local criteria: how many christenings they have been to, how many buffets they have done. The result is predictable. Mayors are exhausted in dumb management and the problems wait.
But we live in a time when management is a complex and difficult job. It requires managerial skills. A district manager or a mayor has to take a project from A and walk it to Z, take advantage of funding resources and have a plan.
The central state cannot do its job effectively if local government lacks competence and professionalism. The functions, from cutting branches to cleaning manholes, are so entangled, moreover, that they allow the lazy or the incompetent to hide behind bureaucratic excuses.. The disasters come next, along with the sixth-rate headlines about the confusion of responsibilities. Nothing changes, however, and the inadequacy with name and signature is lost in the general and pointless «hubbub».
The central political system is also responsible, of course. Candidate selection needs to be done seriously and on the sole criterion of answering the question «can he do the job?». We all have a responsibility too. At some point we have to consider whether we want mayors or regional mayors for the fairs or for the floods and the hardships.
By Alexis Papachelas
