Bucharest mayor presents 1-year-balance sheet. Liberals slam Firea

Bucharest mayoress Gabriela Firea has presented on Friday a report of the her first-year at the helm of the Capital City Hall, boasting as the biggest accomplishment the fact she has cleared tens of building sites in Bucharest.

Firea also reminded that Bucharest Municipal Holding has been set up comprising 21 joint-stock companies, owned by the city hall, which, in the mayoress’ view, will provide “higher quality services, at lower prices”.

“The biggest accomplishment is that we have cleared tens of building sites in the Capital where work was slow: the Arch of Triumph, Sudului Passage, Ciurel Passage, Victor Gomoiu Hospital and Ambulatory, etc. We have the courage to put a stop to the unprofitable contracts in several fields: the traffic management, the street repairing and signaling, the National Arena, legal practice. We’ve removed the mites from RADET and RATB (the Capital’s thermal energy supplier and the public transport operator). We decided the biggest investment in hospitals and school medical and dental private practices – EUR 90 M,” said Firea.

She voiced hope she would be heard by the new Government and that the new Cabinet would be more responsive to the Bucharest’s problems.

“We have serious payments to the national budget and Bucharesters deserve the auhtorities’ respect”, the mayoress argued.

Gabriela Firea was the first SocDem leader to launch attacks against PM Sorin Grindenau, accusing him of blocking certain projects of the municipality.

Among the projects concluded in the past year, Bucharest mayor cited the Urban Sustainable Mobility Plan allowing the Bucharest and Ilfov local administrations to access EU funds of up to EUR 220 million, the Integrated Plan of Urban Development related to setting up several underground parking lots, squares and boulevards in the city’s center, the inauguration of the Astronomic Observer and of the Romanian Literature Museum, the thermal heat supplying strategy, completion of the upgrading works on the Arch of Triumph, etc.

Among the ongoing projects cited by the Bucharest mayor there are Foisor and Gomoiu Hospitals, Sudului Passage and Ciurel Bridge, upgrading Floreasca-Tei lakes, revamping of the Flamaropol skating rink or the Glina project.

Firea also announced that six new council estates will be built in all Bucharest districts, as well as a metropolitan hospital, nurseries and kindergartens and event halls.

All district mayors of Bucharest, as well as seven ministers have attended the City Hall’s balance sheet meeting.

In retort to Firea’s activity report after one year since she won Bucharest City Hall, chairman of the National Liberal Party’s Bucharest branch, Cristian Busoi, has slammed the mayoress, stating in a press release that her only achievement is “the image of a chatty, inefficient mayor, who has not direction for Bucharest”.

Busoi pointed out that after one year with Gabriela Firea as mayoress, “no millimeter has advanced forward to solve the problems affecting Bucharest”.

“Gabriela Firea’s first year of mandate is a lost year: the same huge losses in the heating system of the Capital, the same chaotic traffic, the same washed-up infrastructure,” Busoi added.

Vegetable gardens near schools in sight

At the same time, Bucharest general mayoress wants to develop a project to set up vegetable gardens near schools. The project is to be developed together with the Agriculture Ministry.

“Together with experts within the Agriculture Ministry, we want to set up vegetable gardens near schools and kindergartens. The vegetables are to be used in the school canteens so that our children should benefit of healthy food. It’s a very important goal,” Gabriela Firea said