Through an all-encompassing interview with Phileleftheros, the mayor of Larnaca, Andreas Vyras, officially announces his candidacy for the upcoming Municipal Elections.
A candidacy that is not surprising, firstly because he has never hidden his interest in a second term and secondly because his popularity rate, according to the polls, is very high.
“From the day I took office I have said that one term is not enough to complete the work of a mayor. I believe that in this term we have finished projects, laid the foundations for a number of others and that it will take another five years to complete all that we have started. My candidacy will be independent. I believe that in the seven years that I have been mayor I have proven in practice that our party is Larnaca and I will continue to do so if I am re-elected, although I have never hidden that I come from the left-wing.”
It is rumoured that you may not have a runner-up and that the parties may come to some kind of agreement.
What pleases me is that it seems from the polls that the people of Larnaca appreciate the effort we have made. Beyond that, the cells of democracy are the parties and their decisions are respected. What concerns me, if I am re-elected, is that we continue with the same unity of effort for the good of the city and that there is consensus and cooperation. We have been proud in recent years because decisions are made with unity both in the City Council and in the various city institutions, such as the Development Commission.
It is well known that you are the first mayor elected in the city who is not from Larnaca. How difficult was it to convince the people of Larnaca?
It is a fact that the first time I ran for office my origin was a topic of discussion.
I said then and I still say now that as much as I love my place of origin, Vatili, the place where my parents grew up, I love the city where I was born and raised. It is the town where my children were born and raised and it is the town to which I feel we owe a double debt because it welcomed our families and gave us the opportunity to rebuild our lives. So I feel we are doubly indebted to Larnaca and we have a responsibility to repay the good it has done us. For this very reason, I have to be doubly committed.
You all say that the future belongs to Larnaca. What projects are planned in this direction?
If you look at the election leaflets since the first elections, you will see that the issues have been the same. It was the relocation of the oil tanks, the municipal market, the port-marina, etc. I think we changed the agenda. We are no longer talking about moving the oil tanks but about developing the area, we are no longer talking about investing in the marina port but about implementing it. The City Council has succeeded in completing projects worth tens of millions and laying the foundations for many more. A great success of the municipality was that, in addition to the fact that we finished projects that were in danger of not being funded, now, according to the statements of the relevant departments, the municipality has become a model in the use of European funds. The Municipality secured €30.3 million, even though the initial co-financing amount was €13.3 million for 11 projects, including the three parks that were started (Pattiheio, Salina and Chiakilero), as well as the projects in the shopping centre.
How much did your election to the Presidency of the Union of Municipalities help?
It is the first time that a mayor of Larnaca has taken the presidency of the Union of Municipalities, which has had great successes such as the reform of local administration, the computerisation of all municipalities and the smart cities programmes in cooperation with the Deputy Ministry of Innovation. He took over the management of the city’s municipalities and the Innovation Department. The Municipality of Larnaca benefited from this and the city became known on a pan-European level in everything related to local government and was treated equally by the central state.
Municipal apartment buildings for needy families
All of you had proclaimed that Larnaca was trying to avoid the mistakes of other cities and that the aim was to keep rents at manageable levels. Lately, however, we have seen a rapid increase in prices. Are you working on new measures?
We are concerned about this, mainly due to the fact that there has been a proliferation of demand from Cypriots and foreigners. The positive thing is that with the incentives given by the municipality, you can still find apartments of €170,000, which can house middle class families. We are trying both with the private sector and with the Cyprus Land Development Corporation. There are also the incentives given by the state for affordable housing and we already have some first developments in Larnaca.
But we are also planning to build three or four apartment buildings on land owned by the municipality in Piale Pasha. The apartments will be rented at an affordable rent, with strict income criteria. The project has been passed by the City Council and part of the European funds that the municipality will claim will go in this direction. Soon we will also announce the project for the homeless, which will be done in cooperation with the Deputy Ministry of Welfare and the Metropolis of Kition.
What is Andreas Vyra’s mea culpa?
He who does nothing makes no mistakes. Certainly mistakes were made and I am concerned about specific problems that need to be resolved. One example is the Shopping Centre, which is the soul of Larnaca and despite the projects that have been done and planned, we have to find solutions to restore its lost commerciality. I believe that I have a responsibility and that we must work more specifically to help the shopping centre.
The major projects and priorities
If re-elected, what will be your priorities?
We will continue to work hard on the projects we have started to implement and will continue to work to secure additional funds. We want proper development of the former refinery site and the port-marina project.
We also accomplished the feat of the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, a center of excellence that brought millions and young scientists to the city. The next step is to implement the President’s announcement of the creation of the School of Marine Science, Technology and Sustainable Development. At the same time, we will join with Livadia and Oroklini and work for the benefit of the residents. We are currently in the process of maturing projects for the next programming periods and will announce them soon. These are projects throughout the city, in the oil tanker area, as well as in Livadia and Oroklini.
When will we see the first projects in the area of the former refineries?
The first master plans have already been submitted by Petrolina and EKO. They are mixed developments for tourism, commercial and residential uses. At the same time, we are working with the relevant authorities on the infrastructure works that need to be done. Soon we will have concrete answers to all the infrastructure issues in the area.
Despite assurances about the marina port, whispers in the city about the investment continue. When, finally, will the major works begin?
In meetings we have had with the managing company, the position of both the City and the Ministry of Transport has been clear that the major projects should start in May 2024. The assurance that we have, and the actions taken in this time indicate that the projects will start. We have made it clear that we will not accept any more requests for delays.
