Veterans of politics left without power: it is important to feel the balance

Gave way to others
Jonas Dromantas, the former director of one company, who is now on a well-deserved rest, was a member of the Council for four terms and belonged to the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) all the time. The politician “Bangai” said that it is already old and it is time to leave. “Life consists of three stages: youth, maturity and “You look good”, and I’m already in the third stage,” joked J. Dromantas. Another social democrat, former civil servant, now also retired, Andrii Adomaitis, can be called a political veteran, as he has worked in the Council since 1993. The interviewer said that he had already decided to retire from political life in 2019, but his comrades urged him to run again. “I said that you can only write me under number 44. I finished seventh and I don’t regret it at all”, said A. Adomaitis. Businessman Vaclovas Macijauskas entered politics in 2000. worked with the New Union and under the banner of this party for two terms. Later, in 2015, as a non-party candidate, he cooperated with the Žemaitsi Party, and in 2019, when the opportunity to create committees arose, he and his team established the committee “Together is better”. The politician admits that he did not ask his good friend, who said four years ago that he would not elect him, that he was demanding too much. Lawyer Raimondas Simonavičius worked in the Council for three terms – 12 years. During his entire term, the politician was elected according to the lists of the Žemaičiai party/committee. When asked why success did not smile this time when he went with the list of social democrats, R. Simonavičius answered briefly: “It’s just that the political force with which I participated in the elections received very little support from the voters.” Businessman Jonas Dumašius, who was a member of the Council for four terms, also accumulated considerable political experience. , in the last term he ran with the list of the Fatherland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats. He participated in this year’s elections with the Democratic Union “Vardan Lietuvos”. “All of us must have a sense of moderation. Let’s not think that we are living for 200 years, we need to make room for others,” said J. Dumašius during the interview.

One job does not stand out
Politicians who spent more than one term in power contributed to decisions that were supposed to improve the lives of the people of the district. According to A. Adomaitis, one of his and the coalition’s biggest achievements is the start of construction of a multi-purpose center in Gargždai, on Darius and Girėnos street. He was seconded by J. Dumasius, who emphasized that the children of the district will learn to swim in a modern swimming pool with a raised bottom. J. Dromantas did not boast of a specific job. “If I name only one job in four terms, I will look ridiculous, I will discount other jobs,” said the politician. R. Simonavičius testified that he tried to ensure that all decisions made were beneficial to the people of the district. And here V. Macijauskas singled out his active social activities, which have already become a tradition: “Gargžda” festival, Lithuanian zeppelin cooking championship, 250-meter flag carrying in Gargždai. “I think one of my greatest works is the control of the financial situation in 2000, when the salaries of teachers and other employees of the district were delayed for several months, and there was a set of unmanageable financial debts,” the politician recalled.

Vote – through the bottom of the table
There are good and bad days in every job, and when working in the Council with colleagues with different values ​​and experience, conflicts are sometimes inevitable. When the interviewees were asked to recall at least one funny or pleasant event while being a member of the Council, V. Macijauskas did not hide his disappointment. “It’s always fun in the Council when there is a “battle” of ideas, which are won not by those who propose them, but by those who appropriate them from others and present them as their own,” he said. R. Simonavičius remembered the tense meetings of the Council. After the comments of his colleagues, the politician sometimes did not understand where he ended up – a meeting or a bullying party. J. Dumasius tries to live in the present moment and not dwell on the past, so he did not remember any funny incident. Only A. Adomaitis emphasized that several international seminars and sports competitions with colleagues from other municipalities were pleasant. “Once, as a newcomer to politics, old-timers prevented me from voting by roll-call in the Municipal cafeteria and I had to rush to vote under the table,” the politician shared a funny memory.
The interviewees, who have been in the district’s political arena for decades, have accumulated a lot of experience, so we asked them what they would like for the new Council. “Prepare for the meetings, delve into the decisions and make them beneficial to society, not to individual groups,” said R. Simonavičius. Other interviewees tended to focus on each other despite differing political beliefs.

I did not get the star disease
Klaipėda district municipality administration deputy director Č. Banevičius is a veterinarian by education. Having also worked in his professional field, he dedicated most of his life to his political career: he was first elected on the list of the TS-LKD, and a few years ago he switched to the ranks of the Social Democrats. He is probably the only politician in the district who has tried various political positions – he was not only in the position of vice mayor. 1997-2000 Ch. Banevičius had reached the peak of his political career – he became the mayor of the district. Later, he became the director of the District Municipality Administration, for several years he was the deputy director of the Administration, and he was elected a member of the Council seven times in a row. When asked what helped not to become a star, holding such a high position, Č. Banevičius said that the most important thing is to remain yourself. “If your relatives, friends or acquaintances do not recognize you after the elections, such a person will not be elected to power a second time. I would never divide responsibilities – high or low,” he said. in 2019 re-elected as a member of the Council after reforming the coalitions, having already taken a well-deserved rest, he was again invited to work as the Deputy Director of Administration. To the new term of the District Council Č. Banevičius no longer claimed. According to him, life has put everything in its place and it is time to leave. The politician is known as a great storyteller, so when asked to tell even one anecdote about government or politics, Č. Banevičius promised to do it when they met on the street.

He promised, but did not answer
“Banga” submitted written questions to all long-term members of the Council, who were no longer elected to the new Council, and spoke with them by phone. Until Thursday next week, they remain politicians and must adhere to the principle of publicity. It was not possible to contact only businessman Martyn Pocius, a member of the “Kuriam kartu” faction, the long-time chairman of the Youth Affairs Committee, who fell ill this week. Council member, businessman Alfredas Šaulys, who was elected on the basis of the TS-LKD list, is also a Council member, and in 2019 Rūta Cirtautaitė, who was elected on the basis of the Žemaitsi party/committee, is now on a well-deserved rest and ran for the Council on the list of the Democratic Union “Vardan Lietuva”, who was vice-mayor for certain terms of office and later worked at the Children’s Library, promised to answer the correspondent’s questions. However, both politicians did not keep this promise.
2019-2023 The Klaipėda District Municipal Council will hold its last meeting on March 30. The first meeting of the Council of the new term is planned for April 17.

Augustė JAŠINAUSKIENĖ
“Banga” archive photo.