Five Civic Coalition councillors abstained from voting on a resolution to begin preparing a local spatial development plan for part of the city along Gen. A. E. Fieldorfa “Nila” Street. More on this in the material: Should there be more connections from the Kwiatowe and Przylesie estates to national road 94?
“Are you abstaining? Are you voting?” Piotr Roman challenged the Civic Coalition councillors during the session. “For some time now, I have not really understood the way you vote. If there are things that need to be supplemented, changed or withdrawn, I would ask to have the inner conviction that we have discussed them. Let’s not rush to meet a deadline. We are talking about fairly important, key issues concerning the city’s development and spatial planning. If that is the case and you have comments, I understand the role of the opposition, but for God’s sake, voice those comments, because I would like both Ms Gęsikowska (deputy head of the Property and Spatial Planning Department – ed.) and the planners to know that perhaps something is wrong with this plan. I would not want to hear later in the corridor that you voted this way because you were afraid of some condemnation on the internet. That is what happened in the case of the tax. Several of you said that you supported it (adopting the tax – ed.), but had to vote against it because you would be described on the internet. Ladies and gentlemen, that is not how the Council works. A man who has been involved in local government since 1990 is speaking to you. If we are to discuss and talk about the city, please take off your partisan badges and let’s discuss the city’s future. If you are against it or believe that you should abstain, I want to know why. Thank you,” the mayor said.
The mayor was clearly angered by the opposition councillors’ conduct. As we have already written, during sessions Piotr Roman often adopts a patronising and dismissive tone when addressing Civic Coalition councillors. He treats the councillors condescendingly.
The head of the City Council, Łukasz Jaźwiec, has also adopted a similar manner toward all councillors. At the last session, reacting to the councillors’ late return to the proceedings after a break, he addressed them as a teacher would address schoolchildren: “Next time I’ll call your parents.”