Dominic Fritz, the mayor of Temesvár/Timișoara, made it clear six months after being elected that a city simply cannot flourish one day to the next: “One must understand, there is no way to turn Timișoara into Munich one day to the next.”
He also added that the municipality has become “much more open toward its citizens” and asked the people living there to be more patient. He said that he is getting a lot of positive feedback on Facebook but also a lot of criticism, with some of the latter being more of a political nature.
He admitted that among his supporters are people who want the things he promised to happen earlier. To these residents, he would like to say that transformation is happening but will take years. All the ongoing projects will be implemented, Fritz said, adding that in the first months of his mandate, his team has been more focused on correcting the mistakes made by the previous administration.
“One has to understand that all investments take time — preliminary studies and technical plans are needed and tenders must also be made,” he explained. “So all of the investments we came up with can start happening only next year. We are already working on problems related to public services. We are working with the same men hired up until now, but a reorganization is also underway. We are trying to bring in new people also and change the mentality, but these things take time,” said the mayor.
Featured photo: Mayor Dominic Fritz (Orașul Timișoara)
