Dear Editorial Team!
Reading the article “Discharge” in “GB” and carefully watching the report from the session of the City Council, I get the impression that something very bad is beginning to happen within the community of the current councillors, among whom doctors are taking the lead. How can anyone be pleased that the chair of the Committee for Economic Affairs and Finance has become the least qualified person, someone who has no idea about the economy, finances or financial transformations? Why was a specialist not chosen? What does this show? It shows the short-sightedness of the councillors who voted on the basis of personal motives, wishing to curry favour with Dr Bąk and bearing future benefits /pensions/ in mind. This absurd decision was brought about by establishing an open vote, which in such cases should have been secret. It was none other than Councillor Prabucki who allowed the open vote, conducting the session so “beautifully”—as the editorial office writes. From what I saw, the majority of councillors, together with Mr Prabucki, did not want to expose themselves to Mr Bąk and the entire medical coterie on the Bolesławiec City Council. I admire only the courage of the four councillors who were able to vote rationally, looking at the matter as a whole.
I am outraged that an incompetent person was chosen for an important and responsible position on the Committee for Economic Development and Finance, especially since a candidacy supported by a letter of recommendation from a councillor who is a specialist in financial and economic matters was put forward. That is why I am also surprised by the enthusiastic tone of your article; there is really nothing to be proud of—what I saw was a pathetic spectacle, a game of the councillors’ personal interests and manipulation at the expense of the city’s welfare and in the name of the electorate.
Our councillors are people belonging to a not particularly courageous society. What is a person worth if they cannot boldly and openly present their reasons and views?
Anna Szostak, 5 Staroszkolna St., flat 4
Sessions of the Bolesławiec City Council are indeed not spectacular; there is nothing in them of the games that inflame emotions. It is simply painstaking work, the toil of shaping local reality in accordance with the requirements of democracy, self-government and pluralism. It is also a school of tolerance, understanding and mutual concessions based on the strength of arguments, but not the argument of force. Fortunately, a culture of speech prevails, while demagogy and populism are pushed to the margins of interest by the councillors themselves. It is not the person who shouts loudest who is right, and the number of silver-tongued orators does not seem to be declining, at least in some committees...? Do you know why a bell rings loudly? Because it is hollow inside! This maxim is worth recommending not only to the councillors of the proud town on the Bóbr, where the “war at the grassroots” still has not occurred, despite being expected and announced by family prophets. Matters much more important in the hierarchy of importance remain to be resolved than the empty verbiage of polemics; therefore, the individuals chosen by the electorate work normally and calmly, to the measure of their abilities and talents, in accordance with their consciences and the principles of ethics. I firmly reject suspicions of dishonesty and manipulation and stand up for the good name of all—without exception—32 Bolesławiec councillors, regardless of their views or political affiliations /backgrounds. We were all elected by the local community, our own environment, our neighbours who have known us for many years, and we have nothing to hide from them while working in the open, as demonstrated by the television broadcast of the entire session—this one and all the others.
A separate issue is the subjectivity of receiving and assessing facts, as this is an individual matter connected with knowledge and experience. You are free to admire the courage of the four elected councillors; however, one cannot publicly deny the competence and substantive expertise of, for example, the committee chair elected by a decisive majority of councillors simply because she is a doctor rather than a financier. A letter of recommendation for a candidate for public office—also called a recommendation—was the decisive and final argument in the previous era; today, there is a democratic right of choice and the majority vote counts. I can assure you that Dr Janina Piestrak-Babijczuk is coping very well with the work of the committee she heads; there are, after all, specialists, experts and industry professionals here. Management is a more complex art; formal credentials and an official specialist certificate are not enough. It involves the conception, organisation, coordination and control of activities, as well as knowledge of the methodology of intellectual work—and doctors cannot be denied that. And one more thing—managing a human team is also a genuine art and a great skill, for which professional “industry expertise” is insufficient. So be more cautious in your assessments. Things are going well, and your candidate lost the election? I have much sympathy for him /my former pupil from “Number Four”/; he has already made up for that defeat by taking the position of chair of the Local Television Programme Council. He has a broad and genuine field for action in this new area of open activity. And so what if he lacks the appropriate formal qualifications in this field because it is a different “industry”? I am convinced that he will cope very well; moreover, neither I nor my fellow councillors will refuse to help him in this respect. There is therefore no reason for a holy war, accusations or demonstrations of hostility. In accordance with the biblical principle—“by their fruits you shall know them” /by the results of their work/. Or, quoting Wisława Szymborska—“We know as much about ourselves as we have been tested.” Let us wait patiently.
A few more sentences in defence of the dignity of the councillors and Dr Krzysztof Bąk. Why do you attribute base motives to all the councillors who voted differently from you? There are many pensioners here whose allowances no doctor will increase, as well as businesspeople and financially independent representatives of various professions. I doubt that any of my fellow councillors think in terms of quid pro quo. I have a son who is a doctor /outside Bolesławiec/ and know something about this professional environment. I value and like Dr Krzysztof Bąk, and on this occasion I would like to remind you that he is by no means a merely decorative councillor. His recent interpellation resulted in the construction of a car park at the market square on Jeleniogórska Street and the modernisation of vehicular traffic in that area. This is not the only example of his social activity, but this is neither the place nor the time to expand on the subject. In conclusion: courage has nothing to do with shouting, demagogy or blanket criticism. The Bolesławiec councillors are characterised by prudence and responsibility for their words. This is their great virtue.
And a few more remarks about the conduct of the session by Councillor Hubert Prabucki. I witnessed the event from the inside, as a participant rather than a spectator, and I can assure you that he conducted the proceedings exceptionally efficiently and competently; that too is no small art. He allowed the motion to be voted on openly with the councillors’ consent and in accordance with the law. Their will was decisive here, as it should and must be. Two lawyers were seated in the chamber /they are always present/, and all formal and legal doubts are raised with them beforehand or as they arise; moreover, resolutions are legally reviewed at the provincial level. Thus, despite our complete autonomy in decision-making, we are not a state within a state; every step we take is monitored openly, among others by the press and other mass media /of information/. And rightly so—these are the principles of democracy and the rule of law. I am not forcing you to change your views; I am merely trying to supplement the information in accordance with the facts. We can differ beautifully /paraphrasing a sentence by C. K. Norwid/ and there is no need immediately to build barricades, inflame passions, seek a battlefield and allies. Our most powerful weapon remains our electoral vote: in the future, you will cast it for the councillors who deserve it according to your subjective assessment. Today we work in this—and not another—team, and we all seek what unites rather than divides, always with the best solutions for the city and its residents in mind.
Yours respectfully
Press Spokesperson for the City Board