“The handbrake is closed”, – this is how Seimas member Audrius Petrošius responded about the direction of the ruling election committee “Ištikimi Klaipėda“.
In the second round of the mayoral elections, the member of the Seimas, who lost quite strongly to Arvydas Vaitkas, was criticized after making public the plans to stop the construction of the new Jūrininkai polyclinic on Birutė street. Instead, the old Klaipėda city polyclinic building on Taikos avenue will be reconstructed. The member of the Seimas and the politicians working in the opposition in the council named the projects that were previously given the green light, but now they are being stopped: this includes the design of the bike path at Giruliai, the concession of the sports complex, and the reconstruction of the access to the Giruliai beach.
Council member conservative Andrius Dobranskis, who was the deputy director of administration in the previous term, says that the fact that only about 80% of the funds were used in half a year is also a cause for concern. planned funds. “The council had approved such a strategic plan. If it is not used, then, generally speaking, we are behind the pace, something is wrong,” said the politician.
This issue is also raised in the Finance and Economy Committee. Administration employees will be invited next week and will have to explain why such a significant sum was not used. “Looking a little ahead, I can see that this music has already started and I know what those in power will say: “The previous ones are to blame.” I foresee this already. This is a classic political act. We watch, we wait, we observe. But for now we don’t see anything good,” said the politician.
Vaitkus” rel=”content-image” src=”https://s1.15min.lt/static/cache/ODgweDU4MCwxMjM0eDMzMiw2MTYxNzgsb3JpZ2luYWwsLGlkPTkwNTI4MjAmZGF0ZT0yMDIzJTJGMDclMkYyMSwzODUyODEzNTU4/dviraciu-tako-atidarymas-64ba7373cba20.jpg” style=”width: auto; height: auto;”/>
Eriko Ovčarenko/BNS photo/Arvydas Vaitkus
At that time, the mayor of Klaipėda, Arvydas Vaitkus, was straightforward: “The principle of today’s government is to finally start counting and rationally use the money of Klaipėda citizens and make decisions based on competence and transparency principles.”
“It is understandable that some people do not like the revision of the projects of the former political government. However, ask the people of Klaipėda how they value the construction of a 4-year school for double the price on Senvagės Street, how the people of Klaipėda value the sale of the plot on Jankaus Street, where a kindergarten and school were supposed to be built”, asked A. Vaitkus rhetorically.
Main points
- Whose money are you saving?
- Conservative Andrius Petraitis missed logic
- Liberal Edmundas Kvederis: “This leads to provincialism”
- Former mayor, social democrat V. Grubliauskas: “The trend is becoming clearer”
- Arvydas Vaitkus: “There is no solution not to build”
- Those in power raise questions about transparency
#Province #rationality #direction #Klaipėda
What are the key reasons behind the stagnation of current projects in Klaipėda, as indicated by your comment about the “handbrake being closed”?
**Interview with Audrius Petrošius**, Seimas Member and Member of the Ruling Committee “Ištikimi Klaipėda”
**Interviewer:** Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Petrošius. You recently mentioned that “the handbrake is closed” regarding the direction of the ruling election committee. Can you elaborate on what you meant by that?
**Audrius Petrošius:** Thank you for having me. When I said that “the handbrake is closed,” I aimed to convey that there is a stagnation in our current projects and initiatives. This feeling has intensified following my loss in the recent mayoral election to Arvydas Vaitkus. It seems there’s a deliberate slowdown in the momentum we had established previously.
**Interviewer:** There has been criticism of the decision to halt the construction of the new Jūrininkai polyclinic. What are your thoughts on this change of plans?
**Audrius Petrošius:** It’s indeed concerning. The decision to stop the new polyclinic in favor of reconstructing an older building does not align with the health service improvements that our community needs. We already had the green light for various projects, yet they are being re-evaluated or canceled which raises alarms about our future planning.
**Interviewer:** Can you tell us more about the specific projects that are currently being halted?
**Audrius Petrošius:** Certainly. Projects like the bike path design at Giruliai, the concession of the sports complex, and the accessibility improvements to Giruliai beach were all initiatives meant to enhance our city’s infrastructure and community well-being. However, they are now at risk, and this is deeply frustrating for many of us who worked hard to get these plans off the ground.
**Interviewer:** What concerns do you have regarding the use of allocated funds by the council?
**Audrius Petrošius:** As highlighted by Council member Andrius Dobranskis, there’s a significant issue with fund usage—only about 80% has been utilized over the past half year. This inefficiency means we are falling behind in our strategic objectives. If we don’t act swiftly to address this, we could be jeopardizing our city’s development.
**Interviewer:** Looking forward, what steps will the Finance and Economy Committee take to address these issues?
**Audrius Petrošius:** We’ll be inviting administration employees to explain why such a significant amount of funds has gone unspent. We suspect that the usual pattern will emerge, where the current administration blames past governance for these issues. However, accountability is crucial, and we need to ensure that we are taking responsibility for our present actions and not deflecting blame.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for your insights, Mr. Petrošius. It seems the coming weeks will be critical for Klaipėda’s governance.
**Audrius Petrošius:** Indeed, the next steps are vital for our community’s future, and I hope we can steer things back on track for the benefit of our citizens. Thank you for this discussion.