Can a councillor control the authorities while simultaneously working for an entity dependent on those authorities? Formally—in many cases, yes. But questions about conflicts of interest, independence and residents’ trust keep returning.
The issue is presented by the kazdymusigdziespracowac.pl, website, run by Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska. It is a map of cases in which municipal councillors are employed by municipal companies and other entities dependent on local governments. As its authors stress, the website is not intended to assess specific individuals, but to show a systemic phenomenon.
The list also includes names from Bolesławiec County.
Two cases involving the Bolesławiec City Council attract the most attention. Łukasz Aleksander Jaźwiec, chair of the Bolesławiec City Council, is listed alongside Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Samochodowej w Bolesławcu sp. z o.o.. The status of the data provided on the website: March 20, 2026.
The second name is Leszek Franciszek Chudzik, also a councillor on the Bolesławiec City Council. His name is listed alongside Zakład Energetyki Cieplnej sp. z o.o.. Data status: May 8, 2026.
These are precisely the situations that provoke the strongest reactions. Councillors are supposed to oversee the actions of local-government authorities, adopt the budget, assess the decisions of the mayor or commune head, and represent residents. If they simultaneously work for a company or entity dependent on local government, residents may ask whether such a person will always remain completely independent.
The Watchdog Polska map also includes other people from the region:
Renata Kuczyńska, a councillor on the Gromadka Commune Council, is listed alongside Centrum Usług Społecznych Gminy Gromadka. Data status: April 15, 2026.
Jadwiga Teresa Rybicka, a councillor on the Osiecznica Commune Council, is listed alongside Zespół Szkół im. Unii Europejskiej w Świętoszowie. Data status: April 15, 2026.
Krzysztof Waldemar Sadowski, a councillor on the Nowogrodziec Municipal Council, is listed alongside Szkola Podstawowa im. Józefa Piłsudskiego w Nowej Wsi. Data status: March 20, 2026.
Michał Marcin Sudoł, a councillor on the Nowogrodziec Municipal Council, is listed alongside Szkola Podstawowa im. Bolesława Chrobrego w Nowogrodźcu. Data status: March 20, 2026.
A councillor’s employment by a municipal company or an entity subordinate to the commune does not, by itself, necessarily mean that the law has been broken. However, regulations impose restrictions. For example, a councillor may not sit on the supervisory board of a company in which municipal legal persons hold shares. But the issue does not end with legality alone.
In public debate, the question is increasingly being raised whether such connections weaken genuine oversight of local government. Critics point out that employment, promotion or continued work at an entity dependent on the commune may be perceived as a form of dependence on the local authorities. Even if everything in a particular case was carried out in accordance with the law, transparency and public trust remain concerns.
This is particularly important in Bolesławiec, where Łukasz Jaźwiec is not an ordinary councillor but the chair of the City Council. This position provides considerable influence over the organisation of the council’s work and the conduct of sessions. Residents may therefore expect full transparency and a clear explanation of how such connections affect—or do not affect—the performance of his mandate.
Similar questions may also be directed at the case of Leszek Chudzik and his connection with Zakład Energetyki Cieplnej. ZEC is an important company for residents because it concerns heating costs and the operation of local infrastructure. A councillor who works for such an entity may be perceived by some residents as occupying a dual role: on the one hand, a representative of citizens; on the other, an employee of an entity dependent on local government.
Watchdog Polska stresses that the website is a pilot project. For now, it covers one type of situation: the employment of councillors by entities dependent on the same commune in which they hold office. It does not analyse other connections, such as work for entities of other local governments or family ties.