Leszek Socha (KO Nowogrodziec and Stowarzyszenie VETO) assesses Joanna Świder’s Joanna Świder governance in 2025.
How should one begin such an assessment? – Socha writes. – I have to do it objectively, because I was among those who demanded a change of power in the Nowogrodziec municipality. And changes did take place. So what? Nothing… The nameplate on the door of the Nowogrodziec mayor’s office has certainly changed.
Apart from that, practically nothing has changed. There were hopes and promises, but things are as they were. Audits were supposed to be carried out, but they have not been. The mayor justified the lack of audits by saying that she would not expose society to the expenses associated with them. Meanwhile, the municipal company Hydrotech is reporting a loss of more than one million. The municipality is spending further funds to cover claims by the company renovating the hospital building in Nowogrodziec—approximately a quarter of a million—and the staffing dispute with the director of SP ZOZ means additional costs.
There are also problematic healthcare centers in Zebrzydowa and Wykroty. Both are well located, known to the local community and situated on sizable plots of land. So why is there a proposal to build new ones? What does it mean that we will spend approximately 1.5 million on each? First, I do not think such a large investment can be completed for that amount; second, one of those sums would cover renovations at both existing facilities, which have considerable expansion potential, including reinforcing basement rooms for use as shelters. Will the municipality put these centers up for sale, making it possible to buy them for little money, as happened with the school building in Parzyce?
The mayor’s disputes with the Municipal Council have not changed, nor has the location of the Municipal Council’s plenary hall, which bothered Joanna Świder so much during the election campaign. The mayor’s policy of promoting herself has not changed either, although this had also bothered her earlier, when it concerned Robert Relich.
The policy of disregarding inquisitive residents who ask about details has not changed either. There is no specific answer to the written question addressed to the mayor about the cause of the loss reported by Hydrotech. We can speculate about what caused that loss. We also saw a change in the management of Hydrotech, and perhaps that is where the loss should be sought? Well, those who truly have privileges have them; ordinary people have the “privilege” of paying, not asking questions.
So it is also good, because, as the mayor suggested, we have the second woman after Jadwiga Śląska to hold an important position in Nowogrodziec. I happened to notice this during Joanna Świder’s election campaign and even wrote a rhyme for the occasion… I admit it. All the best in the new year.