A year after the oath: about the expectations and possibilities of the residents of the district

Exactly one year ago – on April 25 – the first meeting of the newly elected Alytus District Municipal Council was held, where the mayor Rasa Vitkauskienė and members of the council were sworn in. “I will be the mayor of the people of my country. I will not look down – I will communicate, listen, discuss and solve the problems together”, R. Vitkauskienė, who replaced the long-time head of the district municipality, said during the inauguration. We ask Alytus district mayor R. Vitkauskienė how she is keeping her word, what has changed during this time and how she evaluates the first year of her term.

– Exactly one year has passed since the inauguration ceremony and the presentation of the mayoral regalia. Dear mayor, what were they like for you?

– It’s hard to believe that the year has passed so quickly. To be honest, during this time there were all kinds of days: both joyful and very difficult. I remember the first days after the oath like a dream – many people, flowers and beautiful words of congratulations. But with the joy of winning the election came duty and responsibility, the desire to live up to the people’s trust and hope. After all, the people of the district have been waiting for changes for more than 20 years.

First of all, it was necessary to form a team, to get acquainted with the current situation in the municipal administration and its subordinate institutions, to delve into many new things, the most diverse problems. Last year there was a lot of work that was not visible to the general public. We analyzed what we found, planned what we could do. Without analysis, projects, preparation, you cannot create, build, or repair.

Constantly actively communicating with residents, listening to their opinions and requests, we set priorities. I have no doubt that every resident will feel more changes this year or the next.

– You pay a lot of attention to the residents of the district: not only do you welcome them to your office, but you also actively visit them in the wards. What problems do the people of the district live with?

– Politicians often forget, it seems, a simple but essential thing – for whom and why they are elected. Our main employer is a person. The residents elected us and gave us the opportunity to represent them. Therefore, we must create such a self-government that meets the expectations of the residents, is open and transparent.

Therefore, I pay special attention to the residents of Alytus district. After all, this is exactly what I promised – to be the mayor of the people. First of all, I doubled the reception time for residents, because there were and still are a lot of people who want to meet, present their region’s or private problems and ideas.

Together with the team, I actively visit wards, communities, and institutions. We come not only to talk, negotiate, discuss, but also to assess with our own eyes public spaces, street and road infrastructure, small architecture, the situation in municipal institutions, the quality of services provided.

Residents of all 11 wards are concerned about similar issues. One of the most sensitive problems is roads, their asphalting, maintenance, and repair. They also inquire about the maintenance of public spaces, lighting, installation of pedestrian and bicycle paths, improvement of the quality of public transportation services, maintenance of cemeteries, renovation and expansion of water supply and sewage networks, renovation of children’s playgrounds and many other things. I also understand the residents – they have been waiting for so many years, there is little patience left. What we can do is roll up our sleeves and work together.

– You mentioned that residents of the Alytus district complain most about unpaved, poor quality roads. What is being done about this?

– We have about 800 kilometers of gravel roads. Not only that, we have asphalt roads that are also already in need of repair. Residents also complain about the low-quality asphalting work done just a few years ago. In situations like these, the question naturally arises, where have you been before?

Over the past year, almost 16 kilometers of asphalt was laid in the Alytus district, 5,120 kilometers of gravel roads were profiled, and the reconstruction of roadsides began. For residents, this means less dust, more quality of life. This year, we plan to allocate significantly more investments to roads.

We also started to take care of adapting the inland waterway for tourism and residents. Last year, we signed a tripartite cooperation agreement with the Directorate of Inland Waterways and the Alytus City Municipality, in which we unanimously agreed to adapt the inland waterway from Rajžiūnai to Rumbonii – a total of 23.5 km of the river section. The work of cleaning the riverbed is already underway, the mayors of the entire region hope that in the future it will be possible to sail from Birštonas to Druskininkai by boat.

– In the public space, practically everyone who has children appreciated your initiative to present a gift to the district’s first-graders – a first-grader’s suitcase, which contains everything needed for the beginning of the school year. How did this idea come about?

– I am raising three children myself, so I know what it means to send a first grader to school. We wanted to ease the financial burden on parents, and to congratulate and motivate the children on the start of the school year. This is the first time children in the district have received such a first-grader’s suitcase, which contains only high-quality and ergonomic stationery. I am very happy that this idea worked out well.

However, this is not the only incentive for families and young people. After the birth of a baby, we gave one-time payments of 500 euros to 77 families. We ensured equal funding for all children of the Alytus district attending kindergartens in the district or city. We allocated 700 euros each to university and college students, and 350 euros to vocational school students. A total of 30 young people received support.

We can be happy that the timely and comprehensively provided social services for families led to a decrease in the number of socially sensitive families in the Alytus district. As the most beautiful winter holidays are approaching, together with the team, elders, and social workers, we visited half a dozen children under care, more than 500 lonely seniors or living in nursing homes. We also appreciated those who nurture and beautify the environment in the Alytus district, and promote the name of our region in the world.

– In addition to being a mayor, you have more responsibilities. You are actively involved in public charitable activities, and you are also a mother of three children. How do you balance everything?

– To be honest, I had promised myself to start doing sports, but I can’t find either the time or the energy. So, I don’t match everything (laughs). However, I give my best at work. Meetings with residents, various events, commemorations take place on weekends or after working hours. I also dedicate my free time to people and volunteering.

The last year was not the easiest not only for me, but also for my family. Fatigue, stress, the desire to meet the expectations of others, obligations take their toll. However, I am very happy and proud of my family – my husband Neri and children Ben, Lukas, Urt, who are always by my side. Sometimes they just come, hug, hang out together – and strength and motivation appear again. Family is the greatest value for me. I am the happiest and richest person with her.

The environment is also inspiring. A kind word from the residents, even a simple thank you, a smile, sincerity – such things make the time and effort spent worthwhile. But one is not a warrior in the field. I definitely wouldn’t be able to do everything alone. Therefore, I am grateful to my entire team, who work without counting their efforts or hours. These are people I can trust.

– And now about future plans. What is your vision of Alytus district?

– I think that the critical areas should be fixed first. We have more than one of these, and after all, a house is built from the foundation, not the facade. We plan to improve the infrastructure: build roads, pedestrian and bicycle paths, manage public spaces, kindergartens, schools, beaches, children’s playgrounds.

Renovation and development of water supply and sewage networks are also planned, medical services will be expanded, and the quality of education will be improved. We will pay more attention to children’s informal education, culture, tourism, and business.

We want young people to return to the Alytus region, to create and flourish families, communities and businesses. I want the Alytus district to be safe, cozy and tidy. We want every resident of the Alytus district to be able to honestly say: “It’s good to live here.” And not because he heard or read somewhere. And because that’s what they really think.

– Thank you for conversation.

Information from the Communication Department of the Alytus District Municipality Administration