I think there is no more beautiful and honorable job than working for the local communities and for one’s own environment. I really liked this. You could learn a lot from direct human relations, from the feedback of our decisions, from the critical opinions with the appreciative and improving intent – Zoltán Erdész begins the conversation.
At the request of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Dr. Bence Tuzson, Secretary of State for the Government, Member of Parliament of Pest County Constituency No. 5, was appointed Minister of Justice by President Katalin Novák with effect from August 1, 2023. Dr. Bence Tuzson asked Zoltán Erdész, who was a municipal representative for 28 years and served Dunakeszi as a deputy mayor for 25 years, as a strategic associate of the Ministry of Justice, which – as he put it – is an eternal love for him.
Zoltán Erdész stated at the beginning of the conversation that, in his opinion, becoming a member of the government is the pinnacle of politics. It is an honor for him that, thanks to the invitation, he can help our member of parliament as a strategic colleague to become a successful member of the government. He is convinced that he has earned this trust with the work and vast professional experience he has gained in the Dunakes municipality in recent decades.
– I think there is no more beautiful and honorable job than working for local communities and for one’s own environment. I really liked this. You could learn a lot from direct human relations, from the feedback of our decisions, from the critical opinions with the appreciative and improving intent – Zoltán Erdész begins the conversation.
I really fell in love with the diverse local government work
– I took the oath of office twenty-eight years ago, I became deputy mayor 25 years ago after the state exam for my second degree. The municipality of Dunakesz was my first and only job so far. I was young, full of ambition and started working. I got to know the tasks, I learned about the wide-ranging, multifaceted municipal work. I really loved him, he says with a big sigh.
Then he lists the buildings, educational and health institutions, the sports halls, the renovated sports fields, the swimming pool, the three industrial parks and other developments that embody the hard work of the municipality in the past period.
– It was a very good feeling and an honor to take an active part in this beautiful city-building work. I served Dunakeszi in seven municipal cycles. Although each of them had a completely different image, their party political composition was different, and their opportunities were also different. There were more combative and combative periods, since after the change of regime, the parties sought their place in the multi-party democracy, which was also felt in the representative bodies – he mentioned the historical times.
– I have been a municipal representative continuously since ninety-four until my resignation on September 6. In that period, from 1994 to 1996, the mayor was László Villási, whom I respected even from the opposition benches, and I recognized his work, because in their time they also did a lot for the development of Dunakeszi. Even today, we still consider the construction of the Radnót high school and the SZTK as a serious achievement. László Villási was succeeded in the mayor’s seat by Géza Kecskeméthy, with whom I became deputy mayor in 1998. It was then that I got my degree in economics. I learned a lot from Géza, he was my true mentor and fatherly friend, whom we lost a few days ago, to our great sadness. Dunakeszi’s road network and institutional system developed a lot during his mayorship, to highlight only these two significant areas – he explains the historical threads of the past decades.
Zoltán Erdész was a municipal representative and deputy mayor for almost a lifetime. Looking back at his active public life, it is clear that he was one of the representatives who ensured continuity in the work and operation of the municipality. This is an enormous value and recognition, but it is also a political and professional responsibility, I suggest.
The creative tranquility helps the development of the city
“It certainly is.” Everyone who has public ambitions and wants to work for the community must win the trust of the voters. This in itself is a big challenge and responsibility! But whoever is given a mandate by their votes must stand up as a representative every day and prove that he is worthy of the task both professionally and personally. From the point of view of the operation and development of the city, it is optimal if the majority of the representatives recognize that Dunakeszi’s interest overrides the party’s political goals. If you can create a balance in the representative body, if both the majority and the minority recognize it – as I used to say – then the city can develop at an unheard-of pace in creative peace. After the first two terms, the greatest experience of my life was the need to go far beyond the political battles for the sake of creative peace. As the elections approach, individual ambitions always increase, but in the interim period of the cycle, political opposition and struggle are pointless. This provides the background for calm development, the construction of schools, kindergartens, sports halls, nurseries, parks, and roads. Even today, I think back with a good feeling when our former political opponents said with the same joy that we built the sewer network, built roads, developed our institutions – Zoltán Erdész summarizes his experience, and according to him, the greatest realization of the 25 years is that from the generous agreement, the representative and the city both benefit.
Zoltán Erdész firmly asserts that the quality of life of the people of Dunakes has improved to the greatest extent in the recent period among the developments and developments implemented in recent decades.
– It is enough if I just point out how many gymnasiums there were twenty years ago, which provided the opportunity to do sports in the autumn and winter. Nowadays, three sports halls are being built in the city at the same time, and three others have already been completed. I consider it a huge achievement that our children will soon be able to play sports in six sports halls. We have a swimming pool, and a swimming pool suitable for international water polo matches and swimming competitions in the Student Quarter, which is currently being built, will welcome students and people from Dunakes who want to play sports. This unheard-of development, this leap in quality is due to the well-organized and conscious work of the local government, the creative calm – he lists the results of the joint work of the past years, adding: it was a tight feeling when Csaba Dióssi and I informed the council of representatives and the mayor’s office about my decision. office workers, my colleagues.
– I will not say goodbye to the city, Dunakeszi is everything to me, my roots are here, I live here with my family, my father, dr. I will carry on the legacy of Mihály Erdész. In the future, I will do everything for the development of Dunakeszi and the prosperity of the people of Dunakeszi. I love my hometown very much, so when I accepted the invitation of the Minister of Justice Bence Tuzson, we agreed that I would continue to help the development of Dunakeszi.
The city is in good hands
With such vast knowledge and experience under his belt, how does he see the future of Dunakeszi – I ask the politician, who continues his career as a government official after working in the municipality.
“The city is in very, very good hands.” I say this with the greatest appreciation and respect. Mayor Csaba Dióssi, as an engineer-economist, organizes and manages Dunakeszi excellently. I say this with the sincere appreciation and good feeling that our joint work has been characterized by the best human and professional relationships in the past two decades. To the best of my ability, I continue to support Csaba in everything, because I firmly believe that he is the most suitable to manage Dunakeszi. He is an excellent mayor and runs the city professionally. I trust that the citizens of Dunakeszi also highly appreciate the enormous progress that has been achieved in Dunakeszi over the past decade and a half under Csaba’s leadership. Whenever I can, I will come as a strategic colleague of the Ministry of Justice, as a friend, as a local patriot, and I will help to the best of my abilities and abilities, because Dunakeszi is an eternal love for me, said Zoltán Erdész with emotion.
Imre Vetési
Photo: filmkovacs.hu
