My service as Mayor

       The first free local elections following the fall of Communism were held on May 27th 1990. I was elected member of City Council. A week later, on June 4^th the Council elected me the Mayor of Wrocław. Zygfryd Zaporoski, Krzysztof Turkowski and Andrzej Olszewski were elected as Deputy Mayors while Sławomir Najniger and Jarosław Obremski were named members of the City Board. We were joined later by Bohdan Aniszczyk and served until the end of the term.

 

During my first term as Mayor the following tasks were undertaken and completed:

 

1. The city commissioned and completed a full accounting of city-owned property.
2. First comprehensive program of road, bridge and tram track repairment. (Trzebnicki Bridge, Grunwaldzki Bridge, Oławski Bridge,  10 kilometers of tram track annually – for the first time in Wrocław’s history,
3. We introduced competitive and open process of selecting high-level city managers as the first city in Poland.
4. Wrocław social programs quickly became the yardstick for all of Poland. We executed positive changes in charitable foundations, found a new location for the shelter for homeless people etc.
5. The City Hall was built from scratch. It had functioned as a part of  Urząd Wojewódzki i.e. the central government representative Office.
6. Competitive tenders became the sole form of awarding communal property use to entrepreneurs such as restaurants, shops, service establishments..
7. Constructed about 100 buildings  to fill  various empty lots scattered around town.
8. Allocated city funds to build New terminal at Wrocław Airport and attracted first international route to Frankfurt.
9. My administration succeeded in balancing the city budget.
10. We privatized most of construction-related services.
11. Wrocław was the first city to initiate a professional promotional campaign outside of Poland. We participated in EXPO 1992 in Sevilla, signed cooperation agreements with Breda, Poitiers, Charlotte and renewed partner-city status with several cities such as Dresden or Wiesbaden.
12. Oder River embankment repairment  program was started.
13. We established the City Police (Straż Miejska)
14. The City government came to the rescue of several important cultural events such as Wratislavia Cantans festival as well as the Actors’  Song Festival. We provided significant levels of financing to the Polski Theater, Pantomime Theater, BWA as well as numerous cultural centers and libraries.
15. We created proper conditions to attract entrepreneurs to invest in restaurants, microbreweries (such as Spiż), cafes. A series of tenders led to creation of many attractive establishments which are still in existence.
16. I was honored to host a significant number of VIPs from all over the World. (Vaclav Havel, Prince Edward, Prime Ministers, Ministers from several countries).
17. Communal services at city cemeteries were regulated and improved.
18. Some new landmarks appeared such as  "kamienica pod złotym psem" and „Solpol I”,
19. New Year Eve outdoor parties organized at the Rynek attracted in excess of 40 thousand people.  
20. As the first major city in Poland we introduced some order and civility into activities of street vendors.

 

II term (1994-1998) resulted in following principal accomplishments:

 

1. Rebuilt the City Center – Rynek, Solny Square, sections of Świdnicka, Oławska, all of Ostrów Tumski.
2. New Bridges: Dmowski, Mieszczańskie, Średzkie.
3. Construction and opening of the most technologically advanced  sewage treatment plant in Poland.
4. Wrocław as the first Town in Poland achieved a fully competitive structure of garbage removal contracts.
5. We hosted the Eucharistic Congress  graced by the participation of Pope John Paul II.
6. Just a week before the flood of 1997 the anti-flood levee at the Piaskowa Island was completed.
7. I led the defence of Wrocław during the flood of 1997. We succeeded in preserving the most important landmarks, works of art as well as city archives.
8. We broke the impasse regarding the most critical road investment Project such as Karkonoska (with rail overpass crossing), Legnicka, Grabiszyńska, Piłsudskiego.  
9. Attracted quality new corporate investors placing Wrocław in the top percentile of Polish cities. Among the investors: Volvo, Alfa Laval, Danfos, several pharmaceutical firms.  
10. Wrocław initiated the first professional promotional campaign comprising of albums, other publications, advertisements in major Press titles such as The Times. We hosted visits by distinguished foreign gusts such as Queen Beatrix, Queen Paola, Presidents of the Czech Republic, Germany, Prime Ministers of Sweden, Chancellor of Germany, World-famous artists.  
11. Wrocław was nominated as a „city worth investing in” as the first major Metropolis in Poland..
12. The daily newspaper “Rzeczpospolita” ranked Wrocław as having  one of the Best 100 local government administrations in Poland (regardless of size) Wrocław was the only city of more than 100 thousand inhabitants listed in the ranking.  
13. Most of local newspapers throughout Poland  named Wrocław as having  the best mayor and city government among large cities.
14. Completes the total overhaul of the city bus fleet as the first town in Poland (followed by Gdańsk and Gdynia).
15. Construction of a professional city light system at Ostrów Tumski.
16. Creation of 100 model inter-building spaces at high-rise housing districts. The program stems from a series of urban architecture symposia devoted to the subject.
17. Wrocław receives virtually every prestigious award for city greenery: Szczytnicki Park, Japanese Garden, Brochow Park with „the maze”, Southern Park, Klecinski Park, Western Park and others.  
18. City-sponsored artistic institutions receive highest marks in Poland and abroad. (Polski Theater, Puppet Theater, Wratislavia Cantans led by Tadeusz Strugała, PPA – under the direction of Roman Kołakowski etc.  
19. Changes  in promotional strategy. New logo was adopted.
20. Completion of Piaskowa Island Boulevard.
21. The City embarked on another „first in Poland” program. This time to support sports. A series of either new or revamped sport installation is completed: swimming pool at Kłokoczyce, Wejherowska, Lubińska. Spiska, Gwarna, Morskie Oko, Glinianki etc. .
22. Solving of acute burial space problem. New land at the Grabiszyńska cemetery is secured coupled with some re construction. New cemetery at Kiełczow, changes at Osobowice and Pawłowice. The City supports parochial cemeteries. According to demographical estimate the problem is fully solved for at least 15 years.
23. Absorption of European funds (ISPA, PHARE, first in Poland EBRD loan without the guarantee of the central government)
24. Solution to the "garbage problem”. Closing-down of dumps at Maślice,Żerniki, Swojczyce.  
25. Investment in a massive recycling program
26. Wrocław receives the „Flag of Europe”
27. Construction of several modern shopping and entertainment malls (e.g. Korona)
28. Funding of an experimental program to aid visual artists – allocation of city properties for artist studios.  

 

III term 1998-2001:

1. Program to expand Wrocław’s hotel infrastructure by securing private investment. Construction and opening of : Plaza Hotel, Holiday,
   Dorint-Sofitel , Accord, Redisson, Campanilla, Art.-Hotel, Exbud-Hotel, Best Western, Marii Magdaleny, etc).
2. First Multi-level car parks (next to Wrocław Hotel, Kazimierza Wielkiego/Szewska, Sukiennice, Rzeźnicza).
3. Construction of Helios.
4. New road infrastructure investment projects: Traugutta, Piłsudskiego, Zielińskiego, Podwala, Drobnera, Poniatowskiego, Sądowa, Krupnicza, Hallera, Wiśniowa, Sobieskiego, Estakada Gądowska , start of the Millenium Bridge construction, Chrobrego, Trzebnicka, Szczytnicka, Pokoju Bridge, more than 40 new streets
5. Wrocław’s Millennium: series of promotional events receiving high marks for professional quality and effectiveness. New billboards, coins, series of concerts including Placido Domingo’s etc.
6. Construction of Gołębi Square fountain – controversial at first but later accepted by virtually everybody.
7. Next phase of the Wrocław promotion program: designing of EXPO Project positively assessed by the Parliament and the Cabinet, Norman Davies book on Wrocław.
8. The City underwrote the re-purchase of Adam Mickiewicz’s „Pan Tadeusz” manuscript  from the Tarnowski family.
9. Adoption by Wrocław as one of the first cities in Poland of the „Urban development strategy”.  
10. „Tax forgiveness” program for destitute Wrocław citizens.
11. Liquidation of outmoded state-run orphanages. Creation of a network of foster family care providers.
12. 1997-2000. Wrocław run a pilot program of family care providers which later became the model for other communities.
13. Connecting of Bielarska, Słodowa, Piaskowa, Malwowa islands by bridges and overpasses  to enable pedestrian traffic.
14. Millennium Park Project at Graniczna Street designet.