LUTSK RESIDENTS ARE GOING TO...EUROPE OR "FEEL THE CHANGES-1"

The mayoral elections in Lutsk have ended. Formally. A feeling of some incompleteness remains. And not only because the outsiders of the race cannot calm down, not only because the difference in votes between the winning candidate and the second position does not make an impression. The problem is something else, in the fact that somewhere between the lines of official protocols and emotional "analytics" and "counter-analytics" some essential things got lost. Certain philosophical doctrines claim that every populated territory, like a person, has its own soul, that is, a kind of energy field that is composed and filled by the emotions, thoughts, feelings of its residents, the energy of churches and parks, the shadows of ancestors and the dreams of children. Forgive the lyrical digression, but to explain with dry logic the contradictory feeling from the recent elections in Lutsk, agree – it is not easy. In addition, subjective impressions from communicating with the race leaders leave their mark, since I have known both for a very long time. Anton Kryvytskyi over the long years of administration has become, as it were, an integral part of the city, a part of its soul, its social space. Of course, his figure is controversial, angels do not govern cities and, in general, in Ukrainian politics they are not very plentiful. But...But attempts at "demonization" of Anton Fedorovych for some reason evoke nothing but a bitter smile. "The more light – the denser the shadows," say the philosophers, and in this case, the larger, more significant the figure, the more those who wish to magnify themselves by criticizing him or, on the contrary, by adoring him, as the "freethinker" of Volyn journalism Mykola Panasiuk does. Almost the same can I say about Bohdan Pavlovych Shyba. A difficult man. Those colors from the black-and-white spectrum that the guys from Lytvyniuk's team or the eternal outsider of Volyn politics Hennadii Kozhevnikov use do not even reflect a tenth of a percent of Shyba's personality. What can be stated unequivocally is only that it was precisely Bohdan Pavlovych from the entire list of candidates who was a genuine, worthy competitor to Anton Fedorovych. Two problems accompanied Shyba during this campaign: constant shadowy fuss around him and his certain foreignness specifically for Lutsk. Although the second problem, as I see it, was resolved by the specifics of perception. The new is always the unknown, and Bohdan Pavlovych's campaign gave a clear signal to voters – it is he who personifies the new. As for the first problem, it has not been resolved to this day. A candidate from part of the BYuT, half-supported by "Our Ukraine" in the presence of candidates from KUN, "Sobor," UNP, two "Yulianites" in the ballot – whose political program will he implement, on whom will he rely in forming a new team? The near future will give answers, but direct political logic suggested that these answers should have been received by the community even before voting day. Then, perhaps, the winning margin of votes would have been more substantial. A separate problem, which for now they prefer not to mention, but which will make itself known already in the first days of work of the new ruling team – the composition of the deputy corps of the city council. It is no secret to anyone that the mathematical majority of BYuT has the same relation to a single political team as a pack of wolves to civil society. The intricate weave of business interests represented in the future faction of the Lutsk bloc of Tymoshenko will first of all hit the head, that is, the mayor. The moral principles of Bohdan Pavlovych known to me and the predictable plans of the newly elected BYuT deputies are things so different that the very first draft decisions of the city council could lead this representative body into a dead end. What roads are there when holes need to be patched in business budgets, what transparency is there when such tempting pieces of city land are already nearby, just – "open the window," that is, reach out your hand... Of course, it has never been so that it was not so at all. I mean that Bohdan Pavlovych is an experienced manager and also a wise man, and compromises are an effective thing, especially in politics. The first tension can be relieved with personnel "prizes." To someone – "their own" deputy, to another – an attractive department, to another – the leadership of an important deputy commission. But how all this eclecticism will work is already a second question. And in conclusion – about the community. There is, they say, also such a "man" with whom the newly elected mayor promised first of all to consult. A good chunk of this very community voted "not for Shyba," that is, all the successes, and mainly the failures of the new government will be viewed through the prism of criteria "...but Kryvytskyi would have done it differently," "...and if Melnyk had been elected, then...". Therefore, the main task of Bohdan Pavlovych for the first time will be, not even concrete actions, but their explanation, clear motivation, specifics of causes and consequences. Then, in the event of a possible conflict with the council, it is the community that may side with its head, or against...the head. I think I will not be mistaken if, with a claim to conclusiveness and finality, I express the wish of the majority of Lutsk residents – it is time to put an end to the elections and get to work, Easter is at hand, and in the house...

P.S. I ask that any positive characteristics of officials not be considered grounds for improving the attitude toward me or the political force I represent. Without claims to status, other than that granted by the community.