Please introduce yourself to the residents of Bolesławiec.
Grzegorz Kunecki: – I am a computer engineer by education. Bolesławiec is my hometown; my parents met here and raised me here. In 1992, I left for Germany, where I studied, lived and ran my own business. As a computer engineer, I began my professional career by writing software for small businesses, such as medical and dental practices. Later, for many years, I participated in projects at the cutting edge of global technology. Among other things, on commission from Siemens, I developed an alarm system—one of 12 systems installed aboard Airbus A385 aircraft. I gained experience working on mobile-phone operating systems and financial controlling systems. In 2005, I decided to return to Bolesławiec and begin developing in my hometown. For this reason, I founded a company that trains IT specialists who want to work abroad, focusing on their technical knowledge of German. My main aim was to pass on to young people my knowledge and experience in IT, knowledge I had acquired over the years.
I am currently studying public administration at the Wrocław University of Economics, and I also work as a director at one of the companies in Jelenia Góra. In the future, I would like to begin doctoral studies in economics at the Faculty of Regional Economy and Tourism.
Today I can say that I am a happy forty-year-old, a husband and father who also finds fulfilment in his professional life. Thanks to my wife, I know what difficulties young mothers raising children face, and I believe that we men should try to make their lives easier and more pleasant.
Why did you decide to run for mayor?
The best thing I could do for my city would be to help young people find their place in Bolesławiec, so that they would want to return after their studies and would not have to leave for larger cities in search of work. I would like to use the experience I gained abroad to make Bolesławiec a city that guarantees spiritual, cultural, educational and, above all, professional development.
My life has not always been a bed of roses; sometimes I encountered sharp thorns and had to deal with them. Very often I had to struggle with adversity. I know perfectly well what feelings are associated with going abroad for work and how much one must sacrifice to achieve one’s goals. At times, my efforts seemed like tilting at windmills, yet I never gave up—which is why I learned a great deal. I now know that when I fall, the most important thing is to be able to get back up. From my own experience, I know how difficult the longing caused by separation from one’s family, place of origin and friends can be. That is why I want as few residents of Bolesławiec as possible to have to experience these feelings.
My aim is to create conditions in Bolesławiec in which residents can work, pursue their dreams and develop in accordance with their plans and needs, while also having the opportunity to choose a good school and a good profession.
By running for mayor of Bolesławiec, I would like to create conditions here that would enable young people not to leave our city in search of work. I would also like to show young people that they should believe in themselves, have their own opinions and know how to express them. My main goal is to give young people a voice and let them contribute their own brick to the building of a new Bolesławiec—a city of prospects.
Please present the most important points of your election programme.
I believe that my programme will be able to engage young people, who, according to all polls, are the least interested in politics. I want to persuade them to go and vote in these elections—to vote for their candidate. Let them spend 30 minutes going to the polls that day. Because this is the only way anything can be changed.
I think one of the most important points of my election programme is the creation in Bolesławiec of the Mother and Child Centre. A young mother’s return to the labour market after a break connected with having a child, or even merely considering the decision to return, is a stressful situation for most women. Many of them ask themselves: How can childcare be organised? The construction of the Mother and Child Centre could solve not only this problem, but also all other problems connected with a mother’s re-entry into active professional life.
The Mother and Child Centre would consist of four modules connected by a single shared park with a centrally located fountain:
- Building A – nursery and kindergarten
- Building B – obstetric and neonatology clinic
- Building C – psychological and educational counselling centre
- Building D – child therapy centre
The architectural concept will be completed in a few days. A visualisation of the facility will appear on my website www.prezydentboleslawca.pl.
The entire project has been designed so that obtaining funding for its implementation would not be a problem. Money could be obtained from the Regional Operational Programme of Lower Silesia. I have already discussed this matter with Deputy Voivode Ilona Antoniszyn; funds for this type of purpose are still available. I think the former Eastern Railway Station site would be an ideal location for this purpose; it could be acquired completely free of charge by changing the city’s zoning plan and acting under the expropriation law. In my programme, besides the construction of the Centre, there are several other bold proposals, such as building an exit from the A4 motorway at Dobra towards Bolesławiec, constructing bicycle paths, and rebuilding the bridge so that it would not have to be renovated every few years. Important points also include creating a social and housing programme that would make it possible to subsidise rent, electricity or other things so important to older people. Another proposal is assistance in obtaining money for renovating homes for housing associations; under my system, immediate action would be possible.
As you can see, my programme is not only for young people; it is aimed at all generations. Although I do not hide the fact that I very much want young people to participate in the life of the city.
What do you think of the current mayor?
The current mayor of Bolesławiec has initiated several interesting projects, such as the construction of an aquapark and a Home for the Elderly. These are initiatives I support. If I had been mayor at the time, I would certainly have implemented similar investments with the residents in mind. The differences might have concerned only how they were carried out. For example, although the aquapark’s location is acceptable, if the decision had been mine, I would nevertheless have placed it somewhere with much easier access and parking. What is more, this would not have involved spending PLN 3 million on the construction of an underground car park. As for the Home for the Elderly, its location is entirely appropriate. My proposal, however, is to increase the number of places there, because I think the needs of Bolesławiec’s older residents are greater than previously assumed. I believe the number of places should be increased from 48 to 72; then there would be enough not only for Bolesławiec residents, but also for residents of the county whose children live in Bolesławiec. Personally, I believe that the current mayor faced a difficult task over the last eight years, and I will say that few politicians would have managed it without creating a budget deficit. I think the PLN 26 million shortfall in the city budget for 2010 is slightly overstated, but justified.
I believe the mayor of Bolesławiec should be a creative person, less focused on politics and more on managerial activities. Over many years of work, I learned to approach problems analytically. With such skills, one can achieve a great deal; I experienced this while running my company and working as a director. I also know how important communication skills and organisational abilities are. In my opinion, the mayor’s main task should be to understand people’s needs and then thoughtfully meet them, because a city is not only buildings and streets. A city is, above all, its residents, and the mayor’s task should be to meet their expectations.
Which political and economic actions of the current authorities should, in your opinion, be continued, and which should definitely be abandoned?
The construction and road investments already under way should be continued, as should discussions and work on building or expanding the bridge over the Bóbr. However, efforts to purchase the Eastern Railway Station should be discontinued. As I mentioned above, my aim would be to use this site appropriately for the benefit of residents. It is possible to acquire the Eastern Railway Station from PKP free of charge. To do this, the city’s zoning plan would have to be changed and the station site designated in it for public activity. The city could then apply to the voivode to transfer the site for municipal use. In this way, the approximately PLN 3 million saved could be used as the city’s own contribution to an investment subsidised by the Regional Operational Programme, giving us the opportunity to obtain PLN 16 million for the construction of the four buildings of the Mother and Child Centre. If only local companies were used in the process, the share of CIT and PIT paid would return to the city coffers.
You have many opposing candidates. Why should the people of Bolesławiec vote for you in particular?
The mayor should be an open person, able to reach compromises. Someone capable of cooperating with the County Office and working with limited financial outlays. I am the only candidate with technical and managerial experience who is also studying public administration. I have never been connected with any municipal institutions, which means that I am independent of the city’s networks that hold back its development. I am not afflicted by the local-government-official mindset, which means that I have many new ideas and know how to implement them. For example: building the Mother and Child Centre for young families, creating a municipal social and housing programme, and rebuilding the dam on the Bóbr so that we would never again have to fight such a force of nature as water. I believe prevention is better than cure.
Building a power plant so that penalties for exceeding CO2 limits would not burden the city budget, revitalising the Bolesławiec forest, reviving Blues nad Bobrem, and establishing a branch of Wrocław University of Technology—these are my proposals for the residents of Bolesławiec. I am someone who, as mayor, would truly bring something new to Bolesławiec. If the residents of Bolesławiec want the city to develop dynamically over the next four years, with more jobs, better social care, more nurseries and kindergartens, and more places where young people could develop their musical and sporting talents, they should vote for me.
I am counting on the votes of responsible and aware residents of Bolesławiec who want to give the city a chance to develop properly.
Candidate’s Election Programme:
www.prezydentboleslawca.pl/programwyborczy.php
(information commissioned and funded by the PSL Election Committee)