Chisinau, June 1 (Infotag). Number 3 candidate for Chisinau Mayor’s post, Chairman of the Patria-Rodina Labor Union George Sima, convened a news conference in Infotag today, and stated, in particular, that the capital city needs a principally new program of development.

He said his Labor Union is energetically drafting such program, and will make it public before the July 10 elections. The program is targeted at making the Moldovan capital an up-to-date European city. At the initial stage of its implementation, emphasis will be put on fair shaping of tariffs on utility services.

“Currently, these tariffs are overrated by minimum 30%. I guess it would be correct to unify economic entities – the utility service providers – into a separate concern to be working under the Chisinau Municipality’s auspices. Only that can ensure setting utility tariffs right”, George Sima said.

He also touched on a topic which has lately been becoming increasingly close to practically every Chisinau citizen – fares in route taxi minibuses. He said, “I think that even the current tariff [2 lei per a voyage no matter its length] is obviously overrated. The thing is, many officials in the city administration are the owners of one or several such minibuses, so they are certainly interested in increasing the tariff [up to 3 lei]. Our program contains principles and mechanisms of an efficient management of the municipal transport”.

There is yet another thing which the candidate utterly dislikes: an unhealthy atmosphere developing in the Chisinau Municipality lately.

“Bitter differences between the Municipality [the city government] and the Municipal Council [city legislation] have by now sharpened to an extent when they have become a serious impediment to city development. Political ambitions have entered into a collision with city needs. As a result, citizens are the losers”, stated the Patria-Rodina Labor Union leader.

He spoke out for increasing investment in the municipal education sector by 50% and for increasing salaries to its employees by 30%, and even indicated sources for this – the local budget, commercial banks, economic entities, “and even some grass-root citizens”.

George Sima stated in conclusion that if he loses the election, he will sacrifice his city development ideas to new Chisinau Mayor.