The leadership of the Ústí nad Labem region wants new directors for two galleries and a museum

Ústí nad Labem - The new leadership of the Ústí Region wants to select new directors for the Teplice Museum and the galleries in Lounech and Litoměřice. The regional governor Jan Schiller (ANO) told ČTK. The current three directors of the regional contributory organizations took office on September 1, with the former deputy governor Zdeněk Matouš (elected by ČSSD) becoming the director of the Teplice Museum.

"I was radical; I wanted all new directors, but in the end, we narrowed it down to three of the most prominent," Schiller stated. The new regional leadership intends to announce the selection process as soon as possible. "I think it will be by the end of the year," Schiller mentioned.

The region unexpectedly did not extend the contracts of the directors of its three contributory organizations in the past, which sparked criticism from experts and the opposition. A petition was even created against the termination of the directors of the Litoměřice gallery, Jan Štíber, and the Louny gallery, Alice Štefančíková. Radek Spála ended his term as director of the Teplice Museum.

Former governor Oldřich Bubeníček considers the announcement of new competitions an unfortunate step. "It shows a certain way of personnel management. I have said it several times; the committees that were knowledgeable always agreed on the same winner, so I believe the selection was fair," Bubeníček stated.

Five candidates applied for the position of director of the Teplice Museum, four contenders vied for the director's chair at the Louny gallery, and eight candidates aspired to lead the Litoměřice gallery. Only the director of the Litoměřice gallery did not attempt to defend their position. The North Bohemian Gallery in Litoměřice is led by Dana Veselská. Kateřina Melenová became the director of the Benedikt Rejt Gallery in Lounech.

There was speculation about Matouš as the new director of the Teplice Museum before the announcement of the selection results. "I think the commotion was unnecessary. The selection committee always decisively decided on the winner," Bubeníček stated. The former regional leadership denied that the conditions of the competition were tailored for any of the candidates. Matouš unsuccessfully attempted to defend his mandate as a regional councilor on the Better North ticket, and remains the mayor of Krupka.

The new regional leadership has already changed the board of the Regional Health, which oversees five hospitals, and will continue with personnel changes. "We will look at how the boards and supervisory boards are filled, and we will definitely intervene in something,” Schiller said, who spoke in this context about the Administration and Maintenance of Roads of the Ústí Region after the elections.