Mr Chairman, Mr Starost, Ladies and Gentlemen Councillors, Dear All

This is the last time I will serve in this role, because today’s session brings the fifth term of the county local government to an end. The seventh term of the municipal local government is also ending. The 28-year period of the functioning of the re-established territorial self-government is coming to a close.

Allow me, in my final speech, apart from expressing my thanks, to share two reflections arising from my many years of experience.

I will begin with thanks, because they are the most important. I was fortunate and privileged to be present from the very beginning of these changes and to participate actively in them. Today, after twenty-eight years, I am bringing this important and fascinating stage of my life to an end. This is a good time to offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone with whom I had the opportunity to work. If we managed to achieve anything during this time, to accomplish anything important and good, it was thanks to the work and cooperation of many wonderful people.

It is impossible to name everyone here, because the list would be very long and probably incomplete. During this time, we worked together in various places and fields, up to the most recent one in which we have jointly participated for more than a dozen years. I kindly ask everyone to accept my thanks for your commitment, diligence, ideas, knowledge, talent and smiles, which are important too.

I would like to share my reflections. The first is connected with the momentous 100th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence. On this occasion, it is worth realising how much local governments contribute to this centenary. Their contribution consists of solid, grassroots work, from building pavements and wastewater treatment plants to the Centrum Wiedzy, Termy and Wiadukt Plaza, to use examples from our city. Through their activities over more than a quarter of a century, local governments have changed the shape of Poland. These changes were implemented both in small municipalities and in large cities. This is a major and valuable contribution to building our small homelands. It is a wise use of our freedom and a practical form of patriotism. I believe that, on the occasion of this anniversary, we should remember all those whose work and commitment are part of the centenary of an independent Poland. If we assess this period positively, then in the case of our city and county it is thanks to the residents who, through successive elections over the years, created and continue to create good and responsible local government.

The second reflection is quite personal. Recently, I was repeatedly asked why I am leaving and why I did not stand in the elections. It was a considered decision made long ago, and its inspiration, or beginning, is connected with our town hall. The town hall, which has been a symbol of local authority for centuries, has also been a symbol of the re-established local government for 28 years. There is a very interesting inscription on the façade of Bolesławiec town hall that has been there for 390 years. It was most likely placed there by the mayor of the time. The inscription is in Latin: “Deo et Reipubl. S. MDCXXIIX,” translated as “To God and the Republic in 1628,” and the second part reads “Modeste Accedendum, Modeste Recendendum,” meaning “Arrive thoughtfully, leave thoughtfully.”

This inscription, discovered and restored during the first renovation of the town hall, which we carried out at the beginning of the 1990s, made a strong impression on me. It was and remains an important motto in my life, which I also dedicate to you. Hence the need to share this second reflection—with regard to arriving thoughtfully and leaving thoughtfully.

To arrive thoughtfully means, above all, remembering that one day we will leave; there is no arriving without leaving. Power and positions are not eternal. Therefore, arriving thoughtfully means not complaining about one’s predecessors, but simply doing one’s job, because we are judged not by what we say, but by what we do. Complaining is a fruitless activity and cheap populism, although it has recently become very fashionable.

Anyone who remembers the 1990s will confirm that when we arrived at the town hall then, we did not complain about our predecessors, although there could have been many reasons to do so. It is worth recalling that at the time our city had neither a wastewater treatment plant nor a landfill and was on the list of polluters. The town hall building was at risk of failure... The list could go on for a long time.

When I left the renovated town hall building after less than eight years, the city already had a wastewater treatment plant and a landfill, and construction of the sports hall at I LO was nearing completion, with funding obtained from Totalizator (this was not our responsibility). Construction of a small bypass was also well advanced; we had secured the first EU funds, before accession. The office building was also being renovated, and these are just a few examples.

We simply did what we were supposed to do, what we had promised our residents. And despite the passage of time, I am always pleased that our successors, both in the city and in the county, have done and continue to do even more and even better. Bolesławiec’s dynamic development and the great care given to the affairs of Bolesławiec County are noticed and appreciated.

Finally, a word about leaving thoughtfully. To leave thoughtfully means always remembering not to burn one’s bridges, because we never know when we may need them.

Hoping that I have not burned any bridges and that I am leaving with due thoughtfulness, I will remember everyone kindly. Once again, I sincerely thank you for everything and wish you satisfaction in your work, which is important and needed, and may it be appreciated as much as possible.
All the best, and thank you for your attention

Józef Król

Bolesławiec, 6 November 2018