The shame of the vice – mayors overshadows the redistribution of power

It’s about that Development / About / Progressive (APP) received the chairmanship of four council committees without a mayor, but The New Unity (JV) as a result of this redeployment took over the management of two key committees. In turn, the National Union / Association of Latvian Regions (NA / LRA) and the New Conservative Party (JKP) each received only one committee chair plus vice-mayor positions. Interestingly, judging by the public reactions, the redistribution of committees has little interest.

The division of the positions of three vice-mayors, so that each member of the new coalition would have a chair at the table in the presidium of the Riga City Council, has been exaggerated to the extent of a century of insignificance in a couple of days. Depending on the critic’s political orientation, what has happened proves either that the winning parties are no better than the outcasts, or at least make them sigh – “Come on, that’s why we elected you.”

In reality, neither has happened. Not after the anecdotal pursuit of the positions of vice mayors, we will judge the operation of the new power of the capital for the next five years. In that sense, of course, the childish reading of cherries from the cake has been the right time – better soon, because in five years it will be forgotten. Or, paraphrasing the famous joke among students about the difficult process of defending a diploma thesis, “five minutes of shame, but five years of vice mayor”.

If all the unfortunately few public officials who came to us on a promise of corruption could be accused of seeking office, status, secretary, official car and office with free coffee, it could be said that there is no problem in the country. Speaking of similarities, as we can see from the accusations, neither the Governor of the Bank of Latvia nor Latvian Railway a president with many tens of thousands of annual salaries or status privileges is far from enough.

Therefore, it would be unforgivably naive to imagine that the position of the deputy mayor of the Riga City Council itself hides it for a single politician, after which the parties spent several months fighting and fighting for the municipal elections. The real danger lies not in the brilliance of the title of the second, third or fourth vice mayor, but rather in how the winners will manage the farm of Riga municipality, the redistribution of which has also taken place partly with the vice mayor and the responsible council committees.

After all, in the past, politicians have struggled and come to terms with much more modest and less vocal positions, such as parliamentary secretary or even adviser, or even freelance adviser. The main idea – it is a pass to enter the door, as well as serves as a status and business card, which from a distance shines like a red light for those who are looking for where to go “fix your problem”.

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