In these festive days newspaper meets guests with holiday mood and questions about what good and what bad was in the past and what is ahead? Oleksandr Popov, head of Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) received quite complicated “inheritance” from previous city authorities. However, despite all the difficulties, which they have to face, in a year and a half of being in office Popov has done a lot to sort that “inheritance” out. Besides he managed to create an image of himself as a lively man in the corridors of power. Popov is not afraid when others argue with him, acknowledges his own mistakes, and is open to a dialogue. That is why the New Year meeting with The Day’s journalists came out quite frank.
Answering the topical question about presentation of the new head of the State Tax Service in Kyiv Iryna Nosachova, Popov said: “In current situation we came to understanding that there is a need to replace the heads of the tax collection system for people, who are not related to business, administrative, or personal relations with those who work on the market. Huge amount of resources remains in shadow. From personal experience I know that a person from another city fits for such position the best. Time will tell.”
Naturally, the topic of scandalous building and plots of city land illegally allocated for construction came up during our conversation. Moreover, just outside the new office of The Day there is a small park named after Vasyl Stus. Activists struggled to preserve it since 2004. Unfortunately, they couldn’t protect it. In 2010 nearly a hundred of trees from old Sviatoshyn forest were cut down. “We want with the assistance of the Mayor’s Office and the Administration to plant new trees here. The more trees there will be the less temptation will be caused to encroach on this land,” said the editor in chief of Den/The Day Larysa Ivshyna, showing Popov the park from the window. As it turned out, Popov already knows about this situation and promised to take this issue under personal control.
At the meeting Popov presented Ms. Ivshyna with a Certificate of Merit of KCSA “for many years of conscientious work, considerable personal contribution in the development of national journalism and high professionalism” and with the gift watch from KCSA. In our turn, we presented him with books from The Day’s Library and the Photoalbum. In addition, Popov received as a present from the newspaper a very expressive photo taken by one of this year’s winners of The Day’s Photo Contest Oleksandr Burkovsky Can you imagine? It is Kyiv. We wished Popov success in transforming Kyiv from what it looks on the photo into a city of harmony, style, and gardens. To Kyiv – comfortable for living.
By the way, our New Year’s tree in the newspaper office is decorated in minimalistic style, has roots and is in a pot. In spring we plan to plant it outside. We drew Popov’s attention to it, to what he said that next year this idea might be useful.
