Mayoral candidates are enticed by subsidies and the Olympics
Party committees are registering crowds of would-be mayors in numbers that are breaking even the 1998 local election record. On the eve of political parties’ announcements of preferences for candidates, the electoral landscape in Athens’s municipalities remains unclear, as the two major parties are having to choose between two or three interested candidates in each municipality. Even though such tactics cost the two main parties a number of municipalities in the last elections, announcements of support for candidates are late in coming and bargaining is rife. Yet it is clear both from the large number of would-be candidates and from the desire on the part of the overwhelming majority of incumbents – most of whom have been in office for more than two terms – to run again, that the institution of local government, particularly at municipal level, is particularly interesting at the moment. And it is especially important given that during the next four years Athens will be hosting the Olympic Games, and major public works are under way in most of Attica’s municipalities, with more to come, whether directly or indirectly connected with the Olympics. While the mayors and municipal councils may not be directly involved in these projects, they will have to both adminster funds and be involved in the planning of projects as well as participate in the approval process. Over the same period, distribution of funds from the 3rd Community Support Framework (CSF III) will be under way. As part of the Regional Operational Plan (PEP) for Attica, its municipalities will have a say (in that they will be able to launch bids for the projects) in the measures to be undertaken, under a total budget of 1,109,041,869 euros. Given its potential significance over the next four crucial years, and apart from the political interest it generates, this fall’s election involves several other factors for at least some municipalities. Maroussi is one of the largest of these, and naturally all the parties and many of the prospective candidates have shown a great interest in it. Incumbent Mayor Tzannis Tzanikos, who is considered sure to run again, has often been criticized for his handling of projects under way or being planned in his area of jurisdiction. Former athlete Sofia Sakorafa, municipal councilor on Tzanikos’s ticket, has often spoken out in public about these practices, chiefly regarding the construction of the nearby Olympic press village. As for main opposition New Democracy, apart from its «traditional» support for Makis Iosifidis’s candidacy, the party is also considering Kelly Bourdara, a former parliamentary deputy for ND, as well as another former ND deputy. Maroussi is where many of the major Olympics projects are sited as well as other works that are attracting a number of activities to the area, including the building industry, following legislative amendments favoring construction. Another large group of municipalities drawing attention are those around the new international airport at Spata. Attiki Odos and new amendments regarding land use on the surrounding Mesogeia plain are attracting profitable activities, raising land values in the process, while several projects in the area are to be subsidized by CSF III.
