Andrii SADOVY: I am ready to help

Lviv – One of a newspaper’s roles is organizing things. The Day agrees with this statement. In an interview with Anna Lysyk, a renowned Lviv ceramicist of great talent (No. 2, January 20, 2011), we discussed the problems of the ceramics branch not only in Lviv, but all over Ukraine. Sadly, Ukrainians have shown little interest in maintaining this part of their heritage.

The Day is also aware of the fact that Lviv’s mayor Andrii Sadovy pays special attention to the problems and needs of Ukrainian culture. Therefore, after the interview with Lysyk, The Day cast its look toward the city’s mayor’s office. It seemed that in that very place we could find understanding and join together in supporting Lviv’s ceramics. Certainly, we took advantage of the opportunity and discussed the current economic, social, and political situation with Andrii Sadovy.

Mr. Sadovy, this is already your second term as mayor. Can you tell us how you have changed over the past five years?

“There is an essential difference in terms of physical shape. I have lost 10 kilos (laughing). As for experience… There are no books in the world that would teach the profession of city mayor. Therefore every day is a great schooling for me, great knowledge and experience. Most interestingly, this is an occupation one should master every day, till the last day of your work at this post. Why? The reason is that there are notions that change rapidly, like economics and politics. On the whole, doctors consider people who do several things at a time not quite healthy (laughing). And we mayors have to deal with questions of housing utilities, humanities, historical legacy and politics. This is both interesting and difficult. But I was born in Lviv, and I want to grow old in this place. Therefore for me it is a great honor to be working as the city’s mayor and creating, together with its residents, a city where one wants to live.”

No Leopolitan will deny that over the past years the municipal authorities have done a lot to improve the life of Lviv’s residents. In particular, I am speaking about the 24-hour water supply, road repairs, and the OSBB (Association of Owners of Apartment Blocks). What are the authorities going to do in the near future in order to make life in Lviv as comfortable as possible? Does Lviv already have a development strategy, which can be a guideline for the executive bodies of the Lviv City Council, the deputies, as well as the numerous NGOs?

“Before giving an answer I want to thank The Day for this question. There are many cities in the world, some successful and some less so. I want Lviv to be a successful city and keep to a positive track, with comfortable housing, social security, new jobs being created, high-quality medical services and education, and modern technologies dominating in business and the production spheres. Much ought to be done in this respect. Speaking about comfortable housing… Indeed, we have resolved the problem that had been on the agenda for several decades in succession — the 24-hour water supply. The next set of issues concerns the roads: we have repaired 60 kilometers of roads. Several times more still require repair, because Lviv is a big city. New tasks lie ahead: we are building a new stadium and a terminal. Incidentally, the first match will take place on the stadium as soon as in September, and at the end of the year we are going to launch the new terminal. We are also addressing the issue of transport: we are buying 92 buses and 60 trolleybuses. And by the end of 2011 we want to have trams, which would cost us around two million euros. The trams we need are not manufactured in Ukraine — Lviv has a narrow track. Therefore we are doing this jointly with our Polish colleagues, and this will reduce the price by half. I can talk for hours about this, but every direction has its range of plans. Many things are being done, but there are also many problems. For example, in what concerns heating, we are working actively on modernizing our heating system. As for social issues, the departments responsible for subsidies are doing good work — the prices for energy are going up and we need every person to be able to receive guarantied reimbursements from the state. Several years ago we launched a revamped department in the emergency hospital. Good work has been done, but it is not the end. Lviv is a city of education and we have invested 160 million hryvnias to renovate schools and kindergartens. But all of this is not enough.

“I want to resolve the most burning issues during this term and then have a chance to deal with prospective matters and improvements. For me it is important that we are moving forward. It is important for me that companies come to Lviv with a desire to open their offices here. In particular, I am talking about the company Nestle, which plans to invest 26 million dollars in Lviv. Alas, we often lack understanding on behalf of the state: questions that could be solved on a local level have to be solved by the center, which requires time, money, and is followed by corruption. So, it is not worthwhile asking why the heads of land resource management change so frequently. Our proposals are heard out by both president and prime minister. Let’s hope to God they hear us.”

Svoboda has won the majority in the city council. Its members have recently discussed the possibility of dismissing the mayor. Is it hard for you to work under such circumstances?

“There is a law ‘On local governments,’ which clearly defines the powers of the mayor and deputies. In the 2010 elections Lviv’s residents placed their trust in me. This is enough. So, the political party Svoboda, which enjoys a majority in the city council, should prepare its deputies to work actively for the good of Lviv’s community. Many young deputies have come with little relevant experience to speak of. Of course we as a city help them. I want to believe that my colleagues from Svoboda, as well as other new deputies, are willing to serve the community. If I notice that some actions of the deputies go against Ukraine’s law, I will publicly appeal to the community and tell it about this. I wanted to be a city mayor and enjoyed support in 2005. For me it was important to go on with this course in 2010. Today I am a free man. I have obligations only before Lviv’s community. I am not a subordinate to anyone, neither in Kyiv nor Lviv. I funded both election campaigns out of my own resources. Therefore I have no baggage. Maybe some do not understand this. But that is their problem.”

How are the preparations for the Euro-2012 going? How will Lviv’s infrastructure change, both in general and in terms of its historical environment?

“As for the historical environment, there are many problems, because we did not receive a hryvnia in 2010, nor in 2009. At the moment, besides promises, I can’t see any real prospects to get funding in 2011. Speaking about the city budget, the situation has grown worse, because the city budget is funded from the income tax, with 75 percent kept by the local budget and 25 percent going to the oblast budget. But this year the state imposed assessments of 65 million hryvnias, which means that Lviv’s budget (and those of other Ukrainian cities) is a cash till for employees of government-financed organizations. There is no money for development. I’m trying to persuade the country’s leaders that what concerns Lviv is that the money will be wasted. This is money [that would be invested] in the historical environment and infrastructure, which increase the flow of tourists to Lviv. One tourist brings on average 100 dollars of income per day, or even 100 euros. And we can accept up to 10 million tourists, which means 100 million dollars (or even euros). That is why it is profitable to invest in Lviv. Once our leadership comes to this understanding, it will be good. So, the state has undertaken financial obligations concerning the stadium and airport. There are people willing to invest money in the objects that will be involved in the 2022 Winter Olympics [Ukraine is expected to bid for their hosting – Ed.]. But let us keep in mind that 90 percent of all Ukrainian UNESCO objects are located in Lviv [in fact, Lviv is the location of one of Ukraine’s five world heritage sites. – Ed.]. And we have received no hryvnia from the state budget. A couple of days ago, while I was on a visit to Kyiv at the Council of Regions, I met many MPs and spoke about the need to draft a law that would give a clear possibility to allot money for historical environment. After all, it is not a problem to put down the expense items: corresponding projects should be created and organizations found to implement them well. The thing is that restoring one or another shop is sometimes several times more expensive than building a new one. We are speaking about a proper attitude from the state. I can see that the state is willing to help, but mere will is not enough. Incidentally, I want to thank your newspaper for raising these important issues and taking care of Ukraine’s historical heritage.”

After Borys Kolesnikov visited Lviv for the first time the contractors who were building the Euro-2012 stadium were replaced by a Donetsk company. How is working with them?

“Let’s not forget that a company from Mariupol started to build the stadium before it was replaced by the one from Donetsk. But as we previously agreed, half of the contractors are companies from Lviv. So the ba-lance is preserved. On the whole I have positive impressions; we are working according to a schedule that meets all the UEFA demands. And today the question ‘to be or not to be’ is not on the agenda anymore. So I invite all people willing to come to see our new stadium in September — it will be the heart of the city’s new area.”

Ukraine’s bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics is the talk of the town. Of course, it would be a positive event for Ukraine, due to the development of infrastructure and sport, as well as because of the investments and economic gains not only for Lviv, but the whole country. But winning the bid is still far off, and already there is talk about some politicians having certain interests regarding land, property, or business in this direction.

“First, it is Lviv, not Ukraine, that should bid. Second, before submitting the bid, which will happen in 2014, the state would have to build half the sport infrastructure, which requires four billion dollars. This money will be invested in Lviv and Lviv oblast, which is good, because with such a serious investment one can count on private investors. So, it is advantageous for the city. I think it is beneficial for the state as well. Why is Lviv region so interesting? Looking at the competitiveness ranking of Ukrainian regions seen at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Lviv region ranks first thanks to the proximity of the EU, a highly qualified work force, and nature. We can offer a very interesting triangle: Lviv-Truskavets, Morshyn, Skhidnytsia-Tysovets. Incidentally, do you know why Ukrainians go to Austria for leisure? Because it is cheaper than in Bukovel. But all this money should stay in Ukraine! And it does not matter who will invest in this project, it will still be important because all the money will stay on our territory. Therefore I support the idea of the 2022 Olympics, given the prospects, both for Ukraine and Lviv region. This is no waste, but a big investment.”

Last year in Lviv you laid the foundations for the World Ukrainian Garden, which is an important cause. As far as I know, the International Institute of Education, Culture and Liaisons with the Diaspora, which actually founded this garden, is now looking for funding to maintain this garden, because the garden should be kept in an ideal condition. Are the city authorities going to support this initiative?

“Since the garden is located on the territory of our Shevchenko Grove, surely the administration of the latter will take care of it. We will strive to maintain the World Ukrainian Garden in proper state. Immediately after the interview I will give instructions for the head of the culture department to take this question under his control.”

The Day wants to draw your attention to the state of Lviv’s ceramics. The outstanding ceramicist Anna Lysyk in her interview to The Day stated pessimistically that ceramics is fading away in Ukraine. Can you believe this? Can the city assist the development of Lviv’s ceramics?

“I am ready to help the ceramicists. After our conversation (I am already putting this down) I will invite all persons interested for a discussion. Maybe we will make an interesting project. I won’t go into details at the moment, but I will emphasize that Lviv’s ceramics are a special thing. Therefore we will do all we can to help them develop. Maybe we will propose something to our ceramicists for the Euro-2012. I will discuss this with the organizing committee. Maybe we will discuss other offers too. I thank The Day for drawing my attention to such an extremely important question.”