Chaos reigns here, the elderly politician Bohumil Zoufalík said about his candidacy
photo: Archive of B. Zoufalík/Bohumil Zoufalík
INTERVIEW Bohumil Zoufalík is running for mayor of Prague 10 in this year’s elections in the colors of Prague without chaos. He spent 20 years in the management of Prague 10, of which 16 were under his leadership. “For the last 4 years, I took a break from municipal politics and had the opportunity to observe it from the outside, from the other side. So I have a clear idea of the direction in which the development of Prague 10 should go,” he says.
Are you a candidate for the post of mayor of Prague 10, if successful, in what condition would you take over the town hall?
Vcim ends the election period with a series of events and changes that I have a big problem with. This mainly concerns the cancellation of health and social services, which were mainly used by the neediest and most vulnerable residents of Prague 10, the elderly and parents with children. Even considering that in the coming months we are likely to face the most difficult period in our post-war history, it is necessary to restore these services very quickly. It is also a 100 percent increase in property tax. The effort of the Prague without Chaos movement will return the tax to the original amount before this increase. We will definitely not increase the names in municipal apartments either.
What are your electoral ambitions and why Prague without chaos?
I spent twenty years in the Prague 10 council, sixteen of which in its leadership. For the last four years, I took a break from municipal politics and had the opportunity to observe it from the outside, from the other side. I therefore have a clear idea of the direction in which the development of Prague 10 should go. After careful consideration, I therefore accepted the offer of the Prague without Chaos movement to become its leader on Ten.
Do you think Prague 10 is chaotic?
We encounter chaos more and more often throughout our metropolis, and chaos can also be seen in a number of decisions in Prague 10.
Prague 10 is often referred to as the dirtiest part of the city, we have written about the mess in Prague 10 many times, do you agree? How to get out of it?
I noticed the dissatisfaction of our residents with the mess in the public space. Cleanliness is, of course, the basis of every healthy community. How to secure it? Monitoring, control and continuous evaluation to the most problematic places to send a cleaning service according to the current need. It’s a daily, never-ending job.
At the end of June, the mayor of Prague 10 Renata Chmelová was dismissed, what did you say about her management of the town hall?
I was really surprised by the fact that she was dismissed by the votes of the coalition partners. I can proudly say that I see this as the culmination of a war that has been going on for a long time.
With whom can you imagine post-election cooperation and with whom not?
Post-election cooperation is concluded after the elections. The voters will decide, and those who are dealt good cards will try to play them as well as possible. I know most of those who are candidates in Prague 10 today personally. So I can say only one thing for myself: if we were to receive a mandate from the voters and have to deal with some entity, then only fairly and openly.