New initiative in Plzeň aims to involve citizens more in decision-making

Plzeň - A new initiative called Change for Plzeň aims to increase citizen involvement in city decision-making and is seeking to gain 12 to 15 percent of the votes in next year's municipal elections. It was founded by the organizers of a referendum that rejected the construction of a giant shopping center in January. The first topics for which electronic petitions have already been announced are a complete ban on gambling in Plzeň and naming the new theater after native Miroslav Horníček. This was stated today by initiative spokesman Martin Marek.
    "One of the options for participating in the elections is to gather three percent of citizens' signatures in the city. We will also consider whether to utilize some political party or possibly register as a political party. For now, we are simply a group of citizens, and I think it will remain that way for a long time," he said. According to Marek, the current opposition at the city hall is insufficient and "small entities have already exhausted themselves and barely slipped into the elections."
    The motivation for forming the initiative was the success of the referendum. "During and after it, many people got involved and wanted us to create a Plzeň party that would focus solely on municipal politics and change what is established and what is not working here," Marek stated. Other known faces include the vice-chairman of the Children of the Earth Martin Hyťha and jazz composer Štěpánka Balcarová. "The referendum showed how much people in our city need change. Everyone said that the referendum was worthless, but it turned out to have value," said initiative member Renata Zoubková.
    The initiative aims to break the twenty-year monopoly of the ČSSD and ODS in Plzeň. "The city does not involve Plzeň residents at all in how the city should look. However, the demand from citizens is very high," Marek stated. According to him, the city hall must initiate debate meetings with citizens.
    Change for Plzeň intends to push for a complete ban on gambling before the municipal elections. They plan to collect 680 signatures by December, necessary for this item to be discussed by councilors at the January meeting. They also want to advocate for better public transportation and more pedestrian zones. Closing the center, similar to what has been achieved in Olomouc, can be done quickly and cheaply, he added.