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Catholic mayor linked
to gay brothel scandal
Madrid, 10 May 2008: Javier Rodrigo de Santos, until last year deputy mayor of Palma de Mallorca, was renowned for his political ambitions and Catholic-inspired conservative policies. Friends did not think him arrogant when he boasted that one day he would be government minister and colleagues from his party, the centre-right Partido Popular (PP), applauded his refusal to officiate at same-sex weddings, even though they are legal under Spanish law. The mayor and his wife, also a conservative politician, were known to have prayed together in his office. However, the image of a hard-working town councillor and pious father of five was wiped out when Mirko, a Brazilian male prostitute, described how de Santos took part in sex and drug parties often involving two or more rent boys, all paid for by the ex-mayor using his council credit card.

Spain’s public prosecutor alleges that Javier Rodrigo de Santos spent more than 50,000 euros of public money to satisfy his cravings for male company and illegal substances. The politician has admitted that between January 2006 and June 2007 he used his official credit card in the gay brothel Casa Alfredo. Witnesses say he often spent more than 1,500 euros a night several times a week. Mirko described his high-profile client as a really friendly guy who, after some drug taking, often booked two or three rent boys.

Mallorca’s fiscal authorities began their investigation when they noticed that de Santos had regularly paid a laundry service substantial sums of money in the early hours of the morning. It transpired that the laundry ‘Miele’ was directly connected to the brothel Casa Alfredo.

De Santos is reported to be currently in hiding in Madrid, while being investigated for embezzlement of public funds. Friends said he had paid back the money.

Former Athens mayor
wins European prize
Brussels, 9 May 2008: Greek Foreign Minister and former Mayor of Athens Dora Bakoyannis has been awarded the 2008 Emperor Maximilian Prize of the Land of Tyrol and the City of Innsbruck. The European prize for regional and local politics is awarded to personalities and institutions of outstanding merit, working in the field of European regional and local politics. Dora Bakoyannis was unanimously elected by the jury for her work as Athens' mayor.

During her term she has used her vision to transform the city and to make tangible changes to benefit its residents. She was the first woman to serve as a mayor of a city hosting the Olympic Games and she continued her commitment to improve the image of the city in the post-Olympic period. One of her key priorities was a building façade renovation programme, which has proved to be a great success. In 2005, she was presented with the World Mayor Award.

In 2007, the Emperor Maximilian Prize was given to Michael Häupl, Mayor or Vienna. Winners of the World Mayor Award include Edi Rama, Mayor of Tirana (2004) and John So, Mayor of Melbourne (2006)

Rome’s new mayor considers
tearing down modern museum
Rome, 7 May 2008: Rome’s newly elected mayor Gianni Alemanno re-emphasised his determination to have a modern museum in the centre of the city torn down and re-located. The museum, designed by American architect Richard Meier, houses the 2000-year old Ara Pacis temple, which was originally commissioned by Roman Emperor Augustus to celebrate the pacification of Rome’s Spanish and French provinces. During his recent election campaign Alemanno agreed with those critics who described the new building as a giant petrol station.

Mayor Alemanno told reporters that Meier’s building was a construction to be scrapped. “While it isn’t one of our top priorities, we are committed to looking at a number of buildings constructed in Rome’s historic centre by my predecessors. Some could be dismantled and re-erected at less sensitive sites in the suburbs of the city,” the mayor added.

Supporters of the glass, marble and steel structure praised the museum as a welcome addition to Rome’s more traditional architecture, while Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi described it as monstrous. Meanwhile, Richard Meier indicated he was willing to travel to Rome to explain his design to the mayor. “I am told it is the third most visited building in Rome after St. Peter’s and the Coliseum,” he also said.

Berlin mayor relieved as
airport referendum fails
Berlin, 28 April 2008: A referendum on keeping Berlin's iconic Tempelhof Airport open has failed to gain the necessary support. The vote, conducted in the German capital Sunday, April 27, secured the support of 21 per cent of the city's electorate, against the 25 per cent needed for it to be valid. Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit said ahead of the plebiscite, pushed through by Tempelhof supporters, that he would in any case ignore the non-binding vote.

Wowereit's Social Democrats (SPD) and their Left Party coalition partners mounted an energetic last-minute campaign against retaining the airport, characterizing it as "elitist." The airport's city center location is a problem, say critics. Others, who have called for its closure, say Tempelhof's central location is a nuisance for residents and a security risk due to low-flying planes in a heavily populated area.

They have suggested the creation of a cultural and media center in its terminal and a park to replace its runways. Tempelhof, Adolph Hitler's showpiece airport built in the 1930s, is said to be the third-largest building complex in the world. It played a crucial role in the 1948-49 Allied airlift to save West Berlin from being strangled by Russian forces at the start of the Cold War.

The facility only served 630,000 passengers in 2006, compared to 12 million for Tegel Airport on the city's northwestern fringe, and 6 million at Schoenefeld to the southeast. When Tempelhof and Tegel are closed, the expanded and modernized Schoenefeld facility is to become the capital's sole airport. (Report by Deutsche Welle)

Blue is the
new green
Tübingen, 24 April 2008: For Tübingen, home to one of Germany’s most prestigious universities, blue is the new green. For weeks citizens have been puzzling over posters showing a young woman in a meadow with the slogan Tübingen macht blau (Tübingen acts blue). Yesterday, the city’s mayor, Boris Palmer, revealed that he was behind the campaign.

“Blue stands for safeguarding the environment,” he explained. A year ago, the mayor, who is a member of the Green Party, caused furore in Germany by leasing a Toyota as his official car because no German model matched its CO2 emission rating. Last week, however, he again satisfied national pride by switching to a Smart Hybrid, currently the ‘cleanest’ car in Germany.

As part of the initiative Tübingen macht blau, all new cars in the city will be given climate ‘passports’ showing their CO2 ratings from dark red (very high) to dark blue (very low). The mayor also published details of how the city hoped to achieve reductions of CO2 emissions of 10 per cent by 2010 and by 70 per cent by 2020. “The city will lead by example,” the mayor said. The council had already agreed of doubling, to five million euro, the amount the city spent annually on insulating it’s building against heat loss.

Gay socialist student elected
Germany’s youngest mayor
Munich, 23 April 2008: While sexuality is no longer an issue for mayors in Germany’s larger cities – after all the mayors of Berlin and Hamburg are openly gay – few would have thought that the people of a small town in conservative and Catholic Bavaria would replace their incumbent mayor with a young, socialist and openly gay man. But they did. In last month’s local elections, Michael Adam, 23 years old, became Germany’s youngest mayor, winning the support of 56 per cent of voters.

Adam’s defeated opponent, a member of the conservative CSU party, which opposes same-sex marriages, was for 18 years mayor of Bodenmais, a town in the Bavarian Forest with some 3,500 people. Normally the CSU takes its support in the region for granted, winning, usually, without much campaigning, around 65 per cent of votes. Last month’s election campaign was hard fought and sometimes dirty, with Michael Adam trying to stick to bread-and-butter issues, while the conservative camp played up his homosexuality. But voters largely rejected the innuendos – after all, the new mayor had never made any secret of his sexuality.

Adam, who studies economics and politics at Regensburg University, wants to bring modern leisure facilities to Bodenmais, a spa town which still relies heavily on traditional tourism. He told reporters that town and the region needed to attract younger, affluent visitors from metropolitan areas. “They demand more than lederhosen, bratwurst and beer,” he said.

Dalai Lama to become
honorary citizen of Paris
Paris, 22 April 2008: The decision to make the Dalai Lama a honorary citizen of Paris has been denounced by the Chinese government as "grave provocation" on the part of the city council. The measure, approved by socialist allies of Mayor Delanoë and the Greens, was voted against by conservatives on the city council, in accordance with President Sarkozy's recent overtures towards the Chinese government.

The civic gesture follows protests throughout China at the recent actions by the Paris city council during the passage of the Olympic torch through the French capital, with many Chinese boycotting French goods, including the supermarket Carrefour. The Chinese foreign ministry welcomed the French government's recent attempts to foster closer ties with China but urged it to end "conniving" in its internal affairs.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said: "For the Paris city council to make the Dalai an 'honorary citizen of Paris' now can only be considered as another grave provocation of 1.3 billion Chinese people, including the people of Tibet, and it will further encourage the arrogance of the Dalai and Tibet independence elements."

Lille mayor to take
charge of metro area
Lille, 18 April 2008: Lille mayor Martine Aubry has been chosen as the new president of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole at the post-municipal elections AGM for the city region assembly. Aubry, a labour minister in the socialist administrations of the 1990s and the daughter of former EU president Jacques Delors, succeeded her mentor and predecessor as mayor Pierre Mauroy, the Socialist Party (PS) heavyweight and former prime minister.
 
Aubry won election over her UMP challenger, Lambersart mayor Marc-Philippe Daubresse, 134 votes to 32. A total of 170 delegates from 85 communes participated in the election for the successor to Mauroy, who had served in the post since 1989. Her recent re-election as mayor and her elevation to succeed Mauroy as president of the urban community is being interpreted by some as a stalking horse challenge to the top job in the PS, currently sought by last year's presidential candidate Ségolène Royal and Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë.
 
The Lille Métropole, France's second largest after Lyon, is responsible for a range of services throughout its core city and surrounding city region, including transport, housing and the environment. It also oversees the Transpole transit authority for the city region. In addition to the debate surrounding cross-border co-operation with the parts of the conurbation which sit in Belgium and outside the jurisdiction of the urban community, there is also some controversy of Aubry's support for a €800m sports stadium.

Blacks and Greens agree
to share power in Hamburg
Hamburg, 18 April 2008: Germany’s centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) and the centre-left Green Party agreed on a power-sharing deal in Hamburg, one of the country’s three city states. While ‘black-green’ coalitions already exist at some city halls, notably in Frankfurt and Freiburg, it is the first time that such an agreement has been reached at regional level. In February’s election, the CDU lost its absolute majority, while its preferred coalition partner, the Free Democrats, failed to gain any seats in the Hamburg parliament.

Alternatives to a black-green city government would have been a ‘grand coalition’ between the CDU and the Social Democrats (SPD) or a three-party coalition between the SPD, the Greens and Germany’s new left-wing party, the Linke. However, during the election campaign the Social Democrats ruled out power-sharing with the Linke, pointing to the party’s communist-inspired policies. The CDU, meanwhile, preferred a smaller coalition partner even though it’s programme for Hamburg was closer to that of the SPD than that of the Greens. Before the elections, the Greens had rejected the building of a new coal power station and the deepening of the river Elbe, which is deemed necessary to allow the latest generation of container ships to reach Hamburg port.

According to the coalition agreement, the Greens have now given ground on both issues. In return, the CDU agreed to a demand from its future partner to extend the time young children learn together, from four to six years. In German states, with the exception of Berlin and now Hamburg, children spend the first four years in comprehensive primary schools before they are selected, according to ability, to attend either highly-academic high schools (Gymnasien) or more vocational-orientated colleges (Realschulen).

Serbia insists on holding
local elections in Kosovo
Belgrade, 17 April 2008: Despite warnings from the UN, Serbia’s government has insisted that local elections to be held on 11 May would also take place in Kosovo. UNMIK (UN Mission in Kosovo) chief Joachim Ruecker said only the UN had the right to conduct elections in Kosovo. However, he confirmed that Serbia could help organise UN-run local elections in Serb-dominated municipalities this year, and he acknowledged Belgrade's right to conduct parliamentary elections in Kosovo.

Serbian local and parliamentary elections will take place simultaneously on 11 May. A decision by Serbia's election commission published instructions on the organisation of local elections in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia on 17 February. It listed 16 municipalities, including Pristina, where polling stations for both votes will be established. Serbia rejects Kosovo's independence, although three dozen countries, including most EU member nations, have recognised it thus far. (Report by Southeast European Times)

Barcelona’s urban model
could become an export hit
Barcelona, 16 April 2008: Barcelona believes its urban model could be an international winner and plans to turn it into a money-making venture. The city’s mayor Jordi Hereu said that he received enquiries from other cities on a weekly basis. “The major challenges for the world’s cities are urban transformation, infrastructure, the environment, and mobility. Barcelona has broad experience in confronting these challenges and wants to export its model to solve them,” explained the Mayor.

The public agencies Barcelona Regional, the Zona Franca Consortium, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, and Ferrocarils de la Generlitat, and the private companies RACC and Abertis have signed an agreement to form a collective known as Agrupació d'Interès Econòmic (AIE), which will serve as a permanent instrument for urban planning collaborations at the national and international levels. This legally recognised body will assess proposals from other European and international cities on urban infrastructure and mobility projects.

Barcelona deputy mayor Ramon Garcia Bragado explained that the city was now an international reference. The newly-formed AIE will allow us to respond to requests that we have not yet been able to respond to," he added. (Report by Gregory Qushair)

St Petersburg and Japan
agree on direct investment
St Petersburg, 14 April 2008: The mayor of St Petersburg Valentina Matviyenko and Japan's foreign minister Masahiko Komura have reached a deal to promote the relocation of Japanese companies to Russia's second city.  The minister said that the city's favourable climate towards Japanese businesses had greatly benefited both countries' economic ties.  Matviyenko hailed the existing Japanese investment in her city, such as the newly-built Toyota car plant, and hoped other vehicle manufacturers would relocate to the city, which has access to some of the largest markets in the world.

Recent expansion of direct flights to Tokyo from the city would also enable this, she added.  Rising purchasing power in the region has seen a number of car manufacturing facilities open or begin construction.  The city has also seen additional inward investment from the far east in the form of a new car plant by Korean manufacturer Hyundai.  The plant's construction will be inaugurated at the 12th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum this June.

Paris mayor joins
pro-Tibet protests
Paris, 7 April 2008: Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë has led protests against the Olympic torch during its passage through the French capital. Amid scenes of chaos as pro-Tibet protestors stepped up their actions against China's hosting of the Olympic Games this summer, the Socialist mayor arranged for a banner to be draped across the capital's city hall declaring 'Paris supports human rights everywhere in the world'. French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner backed Delanoe as organisers were forced to extinguish the Olympic flame.

Echoing scenes in London the day before, where anti-China protestors had disrupted the official procession for the Olympic torch, the pro-Tibet campaign vowed to step up its dissent. However, in contrast, London's mayor Ken Livingstone welcomed the Chinese ambassador and the flame to the British capital, host city of the 2012 Games. Livingstone has also previously incurred derision for his statements downplaying the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Police in London were also told to treat Tibetan flags and anti-Beijing slogans as public order offences.

A day earlier Delanoë led a demonstration against the continued captivity by FARC guerrillas of Franco-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt, alongside Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Bernard Kouchner and human rights minister Rama Yade.

Symbolic Nicosia
crossing reopens
Nicosia, 4 April 2008: Greek and Turkish Cypriots have removed a blockade that has separated them for half a century. Ledra Street, a thoroughfare in the heart of Nicosia had become a potent symbol of Cyprus's ethnic partition. The mayor of Nicosia, Eleni Mavrou, called the dismantling of the Ledra Street barricade the first step towards the reunification of Cyprus. The UN is also optimistic about the chances of a definitive solution to the Cyprus issue.

Piles of sand bags, soldiers with rifles and sentry points that have long been the visual symbol of this island's division have given way to the bustle of pedestrians crossing through the capital's oldest shopping street.

You still have to have your passport stamped when crossing from the Greek sector to the Turkish side, which takes a few minutes, so this is by no means an open and free crossing. But the technicalities were brushed aside Thursday as both Greek and Turkish Cypriots savoured the moment.

George Iacovou, aide to Cyprus’ newly-elected President Demetris Christofias, was the first to speak at the opening ceremony. "We aspire to the elimination of crossings and the opening of all roads in this country for all its citizens with no obstructions as a consequence of its reunification," said Iacovou.

Ozdil Nami the aide to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat was also upbeat. "We are witnessing the overthrow of one of the obstacles for the reunification of the island," said Nami. "It has been a very symbolic crossing point."

Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been divided since 1974, when Turkey deployed troops after a coup by Greek Cypriots who wanted union with Greece.

Cyprus' government demolished a wall and military checkpoint on Ledra Street last year. But plans to reopen the street were rejected by President Christofias' predecessor, Tassos Papadopoulos.

The removal of this barrier connects two different worlds - prosperous southern Cyprus, with its brand-name shops such as Starbucks and Marks and Spencer, to a row of tiny Turkish Cypriot traders selling fake jeans, carpets and the latest mobile phones at knocked down prices. The Ledra Street crossing is now the sixth barrier to open connecting the two communities. (Report by Nathan Morley, VoA)

Lanzarote hotels may
have to be demolished
Tenerife, 23 March 2008: Some one third of Lanzarote’s most luxurious hotels were declared illegally built by the Canary Island’s Superior Court. Last month, a tribunal annulled 22 building permits for new tourist resorts on the easternmost of the Canary Islands. The permits were issued by two city councils contrary to urban planning regulations.

The regulations were intended to protect the island’s environment – it is an official UN biosphere reserve – and to promote a higher class of tourism. In 2000, the Island Council limited the number of rooms and prohibited the building of new hotels with less than four stars. However, the city councils of Yaiza and Teguise ignored the restrictions and granted building licenses for thousands of tourist places, worth €270 million.

The Island Council and the César Manrique Foundation, named after the late Lanzarote architect and environmentalist, took court action against the city councils to force them to obey planning regulations. To date, the courts have annulled the permits for 7,721 beds, with the fate for some 8,000 others to be still decided by the tribunal. If all beds were declared illegal, it would reduce the island’s tourist capacity by 23 per cent with significant economic consequences. Among the affected hotels are some belonging to some of Spain’s major hotel chains such as Meliá and the tour operator Iberostar. Until 2002, the EU contributed some €36.5 million to some of the hotels to boost tourism on Lanzarote.

The authorities now contemplate whether to order the demolition of worst examples of the illegally built hotels or to offer an amnesty. Opponents of sending in the bulldozers argue that destruction would exasperate the environmental damage and cause economic hardship. The courts are also investigating whether the then mayors of the two municipalities, José Francisco Reyes (Yaiza) and Juan Pedro Hernández (Teguise) committed any criminal offences when permitting the construction of the hotels. (Report by Daniel González Herrera)

Irish PM considers
congestion charges
Dublin, 14 February 2008: Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern suggested that introducing a congestion charge in some cities would be the best way to reduce traffic and improve air pollution. “We have to face up to what other cities are doing, sooner rather than later. If we're serious about emissions and congestion we can't continue the way it's been,'' Ahern told the Irish parliament.

At the start of this year, the government approved higher taxes on the most polluting cars. According to Bloomberg Information Service, almost half of the 560,000 people who daily travel to work in Dublin use a car. Only 20 per cent of commuters travel by public transport. A spokesman for the Irish environment ministry said that road transport generated about 20 per cent of the EU’s CO2 emission, with cars being responsible for some 12 per cent.

The new Irish car tax will take effect in July for cars that emit the most carbon dioxide, including sport utility vehicles (SUVs). The maximum annual tax on cars will increase to 2,000 euros (US$2,911) from 1,491 euros under the current system, which is based on engine size. The new tax will be levied on a tiered basis, with the highest rate applied to vehicles with an emission rate of more than 225 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer (0.6 mile). Vehicle registration tax, paid when a car is bought, will also be based on emissions.

Polluters must pay
says London mayor
London, 13 February 2008: London Mayor Ken Livingstone announced that driving large SUVs (Sport-Utility-Vehicles) and other luxury cars in central London would cost more. From 27 October drivers of high-powered vehicles will have to pay a daily congestion charge of £25 (US$45). The charge for medium-sized family cars remains at £8, while the least-polluting cars will be exempt from the charge.

The changes to London’s congestion charge are part of the mayor’s plan to ease traffic congestion in the centre of the city and to reduce air pollution. Previously, the mayor announced that he would like to see London to lower CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2025.

The mayor told reporters that nobody needed to damage the environment by driving a gas guzzling SUV in central London. “The CO2 emissions from the most high powered 4x4s and sports cars can be up to four times as great of those of the least polluting cars. The CO2 charge will encourage people to switch to cleaner vehicles or public transport and ensure that those who choose to carry on driving the most polluting vehicles help pay for the environmental damage they cause. This is the "polluter pays" principle. At the same time, the 100 per cent discount we are introducing for the lowest CO2 emitting vehicles will give drivers in London an incentive to use the least polluting cars available,” he explained in detail.

Sarkozy the Younger to run for
office in wealthy Paris suburb
Paris, 12 February 2008: David Martinon, the official spokesman of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, withdrew from his bid to become mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, the affluent Paris suburb, after he lost the support of influential members of the President’s UMP party. The opposition to Martinon was led by Sarkozy’s second son, Jean.

It was the French President himself who put his spokesman forward as contender. Sarkozy was mayor of Neuilly from 1983 to 2000. However, recent opinion polls had Martinon trailing behind another conservative candidate. Apparently, residents were angered by the fact that Martinon did not live in Neuilly and that, until he became Sarkozy’s anointed candidate, he had not shown any interest in the wealthy community. Responding to Martinon’s poor ratings, leading members of the President’s party UMP set up a rival bid.

Among those withdrawing support for Martinon was Jean Sarkozy. While not running for mayor himself, Sarkozy Junior, is contesting a seat on the town council, which he is very likely to win. Meanwhile, a UMP spokesman conceded that there had been some confusion. “We will be discussing how to proceed.”

This year’s French local elections, which will be held on 9 and 16 March, will be contested by a number of French cabinet ministers, including Francois Fillon, the Prime Minister. In France, it is not unusual for government ministers to simultaneously serve as mayors or local councillors.

Ken Livingstone announces
London version of Vélo Libre
London, 11 February 2008: London mayor Ken Livingstone has announced that he would like to see a bicycle-hire programme, similar to the successful Vélo Libre (Vélib) scheme in Paris, established in London. “The cycle hire scheme in Paris has proved a huge success, and I have now instructed Transport for London to work with the London boroughs and interested parties to develop and implement a bike hire scheme in central London, accessible to all Londoners,” the mayor told reporters.

The mayor also announced measures to create a new network of quick, simple, and safe routes for cyclists and pedestrians. “We will spend something like £500 million over the next decade on cycling - the biggest investment in cycling in London's history, which will mean that thousands more Londoners can cycle in confidence, on routes that take them quickly and safely to where they want to go,” Livingstone said.

With the introduction of a central London bike hire scheme with 6,000 bikes available every 300 metres, cycling could be accessible to many more Londoners and will become a fully-funded part of the public transport network for the first time. The mayor promised there would also be new commuter cycle routes from inner and outer London and cycle zones around urban town centres.

Ken Livingstone is currently campaigning to be re-elected for a third term as mayor. London local elections are scheduled for 1 May of this year.