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World Mayor Nominations 2021
Matús Vallo, Mayor of Bratislava, Slovakia The 20/21 World Mayor Prize and Commendations will be conferred on mayors who have been showing leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and who are now aiming to make their cities more resilient economically, structurally, socially and environmentally. In fact: Stronger | Fairer | Greener. The organisers of the World Mayor Project are looking for mayors who have shown exceptional leadership skills but also, and more importantly, acted at all times with compassion towards those most affected by Covid-19. The pandemic has shown how vulnerable even the richest cities are when confronted with a disaster like Covid-19. Forward-looking city leaders will now begin to re-think how their communities can be better protected against future threats, both natural and man-made. Matús Vallo, Mayor of Bratislava, Slovakia, has been shortlisted for the 2021 World Mayor Prize. |
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| FRONT PAGE About World Mayor City Mayors Foundation    WORLD MAYOR 2021 - The Winners - The Project - The Finalists - The Shortlist - The Longlist - Selection criteria - Covid-19 - World Mayor history - World Mayor Sculpture - Poverty - Code of Ethics - Press & Media INTERVIEWS - Mayor of Ankara - Mayor of Braga - Mayor of Bratislava - Mayor of Grigny - Maire de Grigny - Mayor of Rotterdam - Mayor of Saint-Omer - Mayor of San Bellino - Sindaco di San Bellino - Mayor of Villa del Conte ESSAYS - Mayor of Ankara - Mayor of Braga - Mayor of Bratislava - Mayor of Grigny - Maire de Grigny - Mayor of Mannheim - Mayor of Raqqa - Mayor of Rotterdam - Mayor of Saint-Omer - Maire de Saint-Omer - Mayor of San Bellino - Sindaco di San Bellino TESTIMONIALS - Mayor of Amsterdam - Mayor of Ankara - Mayor of Arnhem - Mayor of Bergamo - Mayor of Bogotá - Mayor of Braga - Mayor of Bratislava - Mayor of Buenos Aires - Mayor of Carmignano - Mayor of Cascais - Mayor of Compton - Mayor of Dantumadiel - Mayor of Freetown - Mayor of Grenoble - Mayor of Grigny - Mayor of Guarulhos - Mayor of Kuala Lumpur - Mayor of Mannheim - Mayor of Mexico City - Mayor of Milan - Mayor of Raqqa - Mayor of Rostock - Mayor of Rotterdam - Mayor of Saint-Omer - Mayor of San Bellino - Mayor of Villa del Conte - Mayor of Warsaw WORLD MAYOR 2018 WORLD MAYOR 2016 WORLD MAYOR 2014 WORLD MAYOR 2012 WORLD MAYOR 2010 WORLD MAYOR 2008 WORLD MAYOR 2006 WORLD MAYOR 2005 WORLD MAYOR 2004 |
Nominations for Matús Vallo Mayor of Bratislava (Slovakia) This page | Page 2 Nominated by Alexandra Z., Bratislava: Mr. Vallo became a mayor two years ago. His vision for Bratislava is to be a modern capital, providing the best services for it's citizens. The pandemic hit Bratislava in the first wave strongest of all country, with it being the major travel hub. In collaboration with the mayors of the city districts he ensured fast response to the possible avenues of the virus spread. He ensured regular testing in retirement homes, helped organize a quarantine quarters for the homeless people, supported numerous non-governmental organizations in organizing charity actions such as mask production for those that needed them (masks were in short supply and mostly sewn by the citizens). After the second wave hit, again he, in collaboration with city district mayors, helped in organizing the global testing that was ordered, but unfortunately not well supported, by the government. He was a strong proponent of keeping the protective measures in place, keeping on informing the public about the necessity. Thanks to that, Bratislava was keeping the numbers of infections low much longer than expected with the city of our size and density. As Bratislava is not only the Capital, but also major business and manufacturing center, a large number of the people working here live and travel from municipalities all over Slovakia, as well as Hungary and Austria. Since then he was active in lobbying for measures that would enable the city and the city districts to establish free public testing centers for both permanent residents, as well as for people arriving for work, so that the citizens could get tested as necessary without the risk of getting infected in the process. In addition to his, and his team's response to the pandemic, his work continues to bring Bratislava to be a better place to live. He enabled decrease of lumber production in the city forests, putting the value on the recreational function of the forests rather than production, and encourages the work of NGOs that promote conservation of the natural areas in and around the city, as well as regulated expansion of outdoor sports and recreation. Under his leadership the city's waste management is increasing the capacity of recycling, encourages the recycling to be simple (such as further separation of materials at the waste plants). His policy also includes regulation of street parking, promotion of acquiring permanent residence of people who actually live in Bratislava (as the income taxes are redistributed according tho the permanent residence of the citizens while it is not obligatory to change the permanent residence to the place where one lives most of the time) and other measures that would enable the city to provide better services without the need to increase the city income from it's residents. One of his goals was to reduce the visual smog in Bratislava, in which he is also being successful. Mr Vallo also provides high level of communication with his citizens - his team keeps a live communication with people at the social sites. Mr Vallo has made the year report of his work after the first year in February 2020 personally in several city districts, with citizens being able to either personally attend or to watch the meeting live on the internet or recorded on demand. He was ready to always discuss matters that were relevant for the city district where his report was given. This year he announced giving the report live online. I am sure this year was hard on many people and that many mayors have made a great work trying to help their citizens and lead their city in a way to make life better for everybody and it is heard to evaluate who is better. No matter who wins in the end, I am certain Mr. Vallo deserves to be one of the mayors considered for the prize. Nominated by Marosh, Bratislava: When Mayor Matus Vallo took power, it was in a way unforeseen before. He had assembled a team of experts, commissioning a study named plan B(ratislava) with solutions and a roadmap for major challenges the city faced. Mr. Vallo also led a coalition of similar minded representatives to gain majority in city council, evading fate of last mayor, who although elected, was in conflict with city council and failed to realise any tangible change. I personally value these changes our mayor so far made: 1) reduction of visual smog - many of the illegal advertising billboards were cancelled, and negotiations with the rest were led to successful end, that the city would be renting them for market price for some time and then, they would be cancelled too. 2) planting of trees - magistrate plans to plant thousands of trees and is already doing so, cooperating with many stakeholders, this is collaborative effort which managed to get ordinary citizens involved, who can fund the planting of trees 3) architectural competitions for public spaces, such as grossling spa had already yielded designs from world renowned architects, this is welcomed change following nepotistic public procurement which plagued preceding mayors 4) quick-fixes of current public space, such as adding benches, 5) cooperation with regional cities, such as using Prague’s design bench in Bratislava 6) well-done COVID response and mass testing of population with cooperation with mayors of city quarters 7) participation of citizen in city projects such a enlargement of tram into Perzˇalka quarter 8) transparent selections procedures for managers of city utility companies 9) disentangling the corruption laden contract obligations inherited from former city management 10) active communication with citizens For all these reasons, Bratislava is becoming a better place to live. Therefore I think Mr. Vallo is the right man for the award. Nominated by Silvia K., Bratislava: 1) Great, caring mayor with a well-thought-out plan for the restoration of the city of Bratislava surrounded by experts from various fields 2) A person with high expertise, strong principles and character. 3) Perfect, patient, decent and correct communicator and discussion not only in the field of promotion and explanation of city plans and implemented changes, successes and failures of the City of Bratislava. And not only towards their supporters, but also towards their opponents. 4) During the entire covid pandemic, he actively acts and acts in the interest of protection and preserve the health of the inhabitants of the city of Bratislava. He actively cooperates not only with the Association of Towns and Municipalities of Slovakia (ZMOS) and the Union of Towns of Slovakia, but also with several mayors and mayors abroad.I keep my fingers crossed for Mayor Matus Vallo in the competition, he deserves to win Nominated by Klara J, Bratislava: Matus Vallo is the best that could happen to Bratislava. It is not only the great deal with covid but its the whole urbanistic, ecological, people friendly and people really helping approach that we can really see in the city itself. Bratislava is finally changing, it is possible. I am very thankful for Matus Vallo to be the best major for Bratislava we could imagine. The world wide recognition could open eyes to those people who cannot see this and demonstrate to Mr. Vallo that Slovak people respect him a lot. Nominated by Daniela B., outside Slovakia: I would like to vote for Matus Vallo as the best Mayor of Bratislava. I come from Bratislava myself, but living in Spain for past 5 years. Therefore every time I visit my hometown, I can see all those changes that has been made, especially those made by Mr. Vallo during past 2 years since we elected him. You know, when you are not there on a daily basis and you make it home only once in a few months, changes become more obvious. Mr. Vallo has been working with his team, consisting of experts, since the very beginning. He has dealt with the massive parking crisis we had in the capital city, he and his team have made loads of reconstructions happened, for example reconstruction of tram routes around the city. These activities continued during the covid pandemic and their work is very effecfive. He is also very active on social media, he runs multiple accounts on Instagram and Facebook and he himself replies to people's comments and questions when they tag him (even if these comments might not be always pleasant). I also really appreciate how he is getting rid of the "media pollution" such as (often illegal) billboards everywhere, adverts, posters etc. Our city looks better and cleaner. Also, one of the most important projects that Mr. Vallo and his team ran was the reconstruction of the main bus station in the centre of Bratislava, which has now been finished and I cannot wait to see it next time I visit. Thanks a lot for reading and I hope Mr. Vallo gets my vote and keeps representing us as well as until now. Nominated by Katarina T., Bratislava: Bratislava ,till now, didn’t have such a smart person as a mayor of the town. Mr. Vallo is able immediately react to the problems, specially in this pandemic time. I strongly appreciate his vision concerning of reparation places, cleaning Bratislava from billboard smog, building places for people to meet, cycling roads, his clear communication and strong will to change things to make Bratislava a beautiful place to live. Nominated by Petra S., Bratislava: I vote for Marus Vallo as the best Mayor in the World. He is probably the first mayor we have that really cares about the city and its inhabitants. Before it was bunch of mafia morons. He is originally an architect and also plays in a really cool and popular local band. During the pandemic, he managed to organize some top class Covid testing – they are using public transport buses for example, and also trams were used. Everybody was thrilled. It is very well organized. They also made a website where you can register etc. For our country it is a big step forward, into new millennium, finally! At the same time, the city doesn’t sleep and still continues to go on and bring improvements to public spaces and overall quality of life here in Bratislava such as visual pollution, trees planting or art in public places. He is definitely doing his best. Nominated by Miroslava K., Bratislava: I would like to vote for our mayor of Bratislava to be chosen for the best mayor in the world. In Slovakia there is a lot of chaotic decisions from the parliament, and it is very difficult for our mayors to follow up on them. We had to take several rounds of mass testing by antigen tests, that had to be organized by our mayors. I have to say that living in Bratislava we had the best possible organization - although sometimes they only had few days to do such a huge event. He is permanently working on improving the situation in the city, taking steps that are not necessary from the legislation perspective, but are good for health and safety of people of Bratislava. Also his communication is excellent - we, people living in Bratislava, always know what are the next steps and what we can expect to happen in the near future. I hope he will be awarded for his initiative and responsible approach. Nominated by Magdaléna, Bratislava: I support Matus Vallo for his courage to solve the problems ignored by his predecessors and for his strong resolution to remove the corruption from the public life in our city. I support him also as a multifaceted personality as this is the property suitable to lead a multi-cultural city as Bratislava. Nominated by Lukas H., Bratislava: Hello, voting for Matus Vallo, definitely best Mayor this is city ever had since our generation lives. Amazing work within pandemic, organization of testing and info campaign about social distance and Covid rules Our city is changing visibly from month to month, removing advert billboards around city, planting trees, supporting cycling and public transportation, spreading public areas and improving existing and many more! Finally we see what our local government can be capable of within its resourcing and limits. Nominated by Livia, Bratislava: I am voting for Vallo because: He is type of person that tell things how they are and face it his execution of structural changes, infrastructural changes are of the very few positive things happening nowadays (and so satisfying to watch and experience) Fearless in "fight" with developers, as architect, he knows the rules of game, and stands behind his vision of Bratislava with strong focus on ecology (there is no week, month without him substantially change, improve piece by piece our city, streets, squares, all topic related to traffic, there are evidence of his effort anywhere you turn your head on) He is transparent and communication is his strong skill He works hard, despite not everyone is appreciating it during the "covid times" despite the government chaotic covid management, he leads covid precautions and testing in Bratislava (every week antigen covid testing with time slots and sms notifications) He cares about homeless people, created so called "little town" for them to accommodate sick homeless people, he helps with food and basic supply he answers personally every question you send him i dont want him to go to higher politics (government) as we need him to keep protecting our city and to keep changing it to modern and functional one Nominated by Peter K., Bratislava: the price should go to Vallo. He changed the people in Bratislava most the way how they look on the city, how we can change not just him but we all. He is architect and he make changes on old buildings that nobody wanted before. He is fighting with corruption because before was Bratislava know as corrupt city from the developer side. Nominated by Martin H., Bratislava: I live in Slovakia in Bratislava and I would like to vote for our mayor because now there is a nationwide testing for Covid 19 in Slovakia and our city manages it really great without unnecessary waiting and problems. At the same time, the overall development of the city is excellent. Such a good mayor has not been here since the establishment of an independent Slovakia. Nominated by Lucia P., Bratislava: Matus Vallo has done in two years so many improvements in Bratislava city, as many mayors before were not able to do all together. He has great ability to attract great people to join his team and help him on the journey. His city hall now has excellent communication, support of representatives of the city. I am proud to have him as mayor of Bratislava. Nominated by Simona H., Bratislava: I vote for Matus Vallo, mayor of Bratislava, Slovakia. The reason is very simple!!! Finally somebody started to work for "my city". Until he came on his position I did not see any changes. I think the previous mayors were taking just their payment and were not take care about city at all! Everything was neglected. Since he took his position of Mayor, the changes began. I am very proud for him. Nominated by Roman M., outside Slovakia Building the team that builds a better city - greener, quieter, more walkable and less dependent on cars - is what makes a great leader and mayor. That's what I observe Matús Vallo is doing in Bratislava. And by staying nimble, focused and dedicated, he set an example for other mayors to do the right thing. Challenges: A city that invites people or all ages - be it 8 or 80 - to walk or take a bicycle while getting around is a city with a great quality of life. Because all other issues - prosperous retail, affordable housing, quality schools you name it - stem from this simple yet profound priority. Less car dependency, more vibrant city. Nominated by Nada C., Matus Vallo is excellent progressive mayor without ties to the post-Communist era in Slovakia. Which is a big thing around here! He is not susceptible to bribery and nepotism. Part of his agenda is to end dysfunctional ties of the city, cancel unprofitable contracts with friends and family of previous management and same goes for the employees of the municipal authorities. Young and creative visionary who is very sensitive to how to make our city a better place to live. He can balance demand for improvement of big topics like infrastructure and "little" things like making the city clean, pretty, billboard free... support culture and creating spaces for people to enjoy life - seniors coming out of their homes to rest on the benches in the shade of trees surrounded by playing kids. Little things that were never important enough for any other mayors yet vital for day-to-day quality of life of our citizens. Connecting politics and culture. However, his strongest suit is communication. Despite the government’s terrible management of the pandemic, Vallo and his team built strong relationships with mayors of the Bratislava's suburbs. Together they are creating conditions for citizens to feel save in this difficult situation. Creating points for Covid testing, increasing frequency of the public transport to allow people travel in half-empty busses, distilling government regulations in the understandable manner for all citizens (joke: Chuck Norris understood the Slovak government's regulations. On the second time.). Vallo is creating conditions to go above and beyond the government’s rules or recommendations. Vallo created "Team Vallo" - group of professionals who prepared a plan for improvement of our city and after winning the elections they rolled up their sleeves to make it happened. And progressing in spite of slow down due to the pandemic. Nominated by Pavol K., Bratislava: I would like to give you reasons why Matus Vallo deserves to be considered as the best major. It has been a long time maybe more than 20 years since someone brought clarity into the management of the city like Matus did. Every step he does he makes based on the plan and experts co-working with him what removed completely bribery and nepotism which was before present across whole country not city only. His main goal of greener city and city for people is getting shapes and by real examples we can see as cars are starting to be forbidden in city centre and projects for parks and social places are getting done. Planted more then 10,000 trees, new tram turf railways across Karlova Ves district and mostly got rid of visual smog in Bratislava (this was long time an issue for Bratislava as billboards were everywhere). I personally like step where new branches were replaced in city centre with real focus on budget by cooperation with Prague where city of Prague gave us old benches and city renovated them and used as a new. This shows green approach and recycling in the mind what is way to go. In regards to Corona Vallo always stood ground for citizens of Bratislava informing government timely and precisely about all the impediments and risks coming from nation wide testing or any other matter related to COVID 19 threatening the citizens. Under his leadership we passed testing like a charm with the smallest possible queues and great results of tested people. His work is not only green city and handling Corona though. There is a plan for building social houses for older people to live in dignity in cooperation with young architects, his cooperation with district mayors creates great view of leadership skills where whole Bratislava works as on team. There are many more things I could write here but i think you get the point. Last note maybe I did not vote for him, but certainly in next elections I certainly will do :) Nominated by Sandra S., Bratislava: At first I must confess, I work as an urbanist for the Bratislavas think tank - Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava. That is the reason to be biased or - at the contrary - to see the work and progress that has been done in the past 2 years from the inside of municipal institutions. Mayor Vallo has a very strong personality and (as an architect) is full of opinions, but, and this I would like to highlight - he surrounds himself with wise and knowledgeable people and listens to them. Bratislava has jumped into 21th century (finally!), the social policies that aim to achieve more equal distribution of our public good, the aim to improve the public spaces, the economic measures to make the municipal budget and public services more sustainable - I am sure it is worth the first price in your competition. Nominated by Daniel B., Bratislava: Matus Vallo is my and our Mayor. I go definitely for Mr. Vallo, mainly for 3 reasons. Inspiration this country need is more then a duty. - Firstly, the "Covid time” showed us, that we need leaders who give people confident and a certain reassurance in the times, where there is nothing stable. He did that. He was supportive when he supposed to be, decisive when it was neccessary, present when he should be. Slovakia does not have such a politician apart Mrs. President. - And this is the second point, he is truly an inspiration and that country need that. Inspiration is more then a duty. Doing something for community and your city should not be just about the politics, but heart and conviction. - Third, he has changed a lot in openness and transparency and the way city communicate with its citizens. He was not hiding with the unpopular changes, but he met people, faced people and explained to people patiently everything. He has changed parking policy, taxes, safety and traffic and still stayed a very popular. Truly a character. Nominated by Dana S., Bratislava: I'd love to vote for the mayor of Bratislava city and here are my reasons why. After decades of corrupted ones, Bratislava finally has a mayor that truly loves our city. His actions speak and prove the love. I have welcomed his transparent approach and the endless patience he has with the critics of his work. Over and over again he explains his visions and the decisions that have been made and why. It's a painstaking job and a challenge to convince the doubting citizens that his intentions are good - people in Bratislava have gotten used to lies and frauds and with our history of communism and a deeply rooted corruption it is difficult to make people believe that Bratislava finally has a mayor who genuinely cares about our capital city. I personally appreciate that he helps the city to get rid of the visual pollution in the form of illegal (and legal too) outdoor advertisements that have been defacing the city for as long as I can remember. I have never been proud of our city's mayor. But now I am and I want the whole world to know! Have a wonderful day :) Nominated by Ron K., Bratislava: I live in Bratislava whole life. Iam married with two kids and iam active enough, using city servises a lot, so i think iam able to consider our mayor quality. I have voted in every elections in my town as soon as i could, so iam voting for mayors for more than 30 years. To be honest I have never been happy with their work, and never voted any mayor again. We have been affected of post communists thinking so we struggled with populism and empty promises, huge corruption etc. Matus Vallo, changed a lot if not all. He is the first Mayor iam going to vote again, hes communication is on another level, hes not afraid of any question and is obvious that he is doing his job as we all woud expect. He makes huge system changes, cut many lobists and business focusing groups out of the Mayorhouse. His work can be seen already despite the Covid situation and iam really happy that we have such guy on his position. Iam sure he deserves the nomination for World Best Mayor, and I believe and wish he will be winner too. Nominated by Jana H., Bratislava: I vote for my mayor Matus Vallo, because after years and years when nothing was changed in Bratislava, after Vallo took over, our city started to bloom, it works efficiently, it's more beautiful, every time you look around, you can see some new brilliant idea that has been put in action and improved our city. During the pandemic, our government is very chaotic. It's amazing, how Vallo managed to took over at least within Bratislava and he's organizing what he can. The system of testing is the best in Slovakia, you have many places where you can go for a test, you can register beforehand and then just come in specific time. Also, we receive structured and clear information, we hear encouragement and we feel that he cares. We couldn't have a better mayor! Nominated by Rudolf and Michaela, K., Bratislava: We have been living in Bratislava for 38 and 10 years respectively. Since the two last, since Matus Vallo is our mayor, we see the difference - there is a lot of projects to move up the city. We have now Metropolitan institute for city acceleration, is here project of 10,000 trees (with Dutch embassy), we have plans how to make roads and streets in reconstruction, we have plans how to clean the city from visual smog. And after only two years I see a lot of changes in our city. Matus Vallo is our mayor with his own plan, and he really realise them. Nominated by Tomas R., Bratislava: I live in Bratislava and after 27 years of my life in the capital city of Slovakia I am finally thankful for the mayor this city has. Matus Vallo is a former activist and his passion for the city stayed with him after elections. He loves his city and people in it. Thanks to his leadership Bratislava was the first city to take action against covid-19. He made sure that municipality employees were safe, that public transportation is safe for everyone (staff and passengers). Schools shut down immediately. The response was quick and cautious. Even now, in the second wave (or maybe third already) it is his priority to make sure the city is functioning well and is safe for everyone. Thanks to him, we have more testing stations than the state established. The best is that he is not alone in this and he surrounds himself with an amazing team of people he can trust. It took him two years to absolutely change this city and I can't wait for what he and his team prepared for us in years to come. Nominated by Andrea P., Bratislava: I do not deeply understand politics and city management and planning, but as a citizen, a human and a psychotherapist I know one thing: For me and for many of my friends and acquaintances, not only those living in Bratislava, but also those in other regions of Slovakia, even those admiring his work from the Czech Republic (where I lived for 15 years, before returning to Slovakia, Bratislava 2 and 1/2 years ago) Mr. Matúš Vallo is simply a reason to believe there exist politicians and public persons who we can trust, who's priority is the town and the society, who are perfectly apt to do the job we assigned them for, both professionally and humanly. There are not too many of such people in politics. Especially in our post-communist and post-corrupt society I believe this is an immense message. His offices communication is transparent and trustworthy even for those who disagree with his approach. I especially value his professional background of a successful architect - he is that mayor whom our town, years without an architectonic concept, needed. Also in all the issues around the Covid-pandemics he proved his competency and communication qualities, I do not hesitate to say in a way nobody else, our prime minister and our government included, did. In those almost 3 years of being back home I never regretted my return and never felt dissatisfied with the steps of Mayor Vallo. Pathetically said - such a Mayor is just the right reason for being glad you live in the city you live in. Thank you for having the chance to support our mayor by this vote, Nominated by Michaela, Bratislava: Matus Vallo is TOP of the TOP First of all, I really appreciate his approach to our city. At first glance - just walk through Bratislava - you can see a number of changes, for which we can thank Matus and his team. He is a capable man who was not afraid to replace the backward management of urban enterprises, made order in the offices (fits with corruption, solves disadvantageous contracts after his predecessors), takes care of greenery, planting new trees, gives face to public spaces and thus makes - us residents - that the city of Bratislava is truly our beautiful city. He is also at home here and he wants us all to feel comfortable here. Finally, the right person found himself in his place and began to solve the unbearable situation with billboards all over the city! Matúš is not afraid of unpopular decisions, he makes them elegantly, with top communication towards the public. Everything is absolutely transparent and without hesitation. He has my admiration. The city began to come to life, to breathe ... unfortunately Corona hit it and he is the man in the right place who showed us the people of Bratislava how to take care of people. Not to cause panic, but to make decisions and thus protect people, even though the heads of state do not make it any easier for him. I think we should be grateful for him. And I'm proud that I chose him too. I chose hope for our city. Nominated by Veronica M., Bratislava: I would like to support the mayor of Bratislava Matúš Vallo. I have been living in Bratislava, Slovakia for over four years and I can see how much he has transformed the city. I would say his term is best defined by transparency (regular information about the things that were done in the city, website informing about new developments), development not only by new building projects but also by revitalising old ones (specific instructions for city planning and maintenance (Urban Planning Handbook) and foundation of Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava, revitalisation of former Grossling spa and public spaces, etc.), concern for the environment (planting trees - the 1000 Trees project, support of waste recycling projects and circular economy, removal of many billboards from public spaces) and I could cite many more positives. As for the Covid crisis, Mr. Vallo has always done his best to organize help, testing, vaccination, even in spite of sometimes very chaotic information from the central government. I would like to especially highlight his efforts to protect the homeless from Covid (setting up a quarantine town, organizing social and health services) and improving their living conditions. To sum up, I think Mr. Vallo is finally a mayor Bratislava deserves and he has my vote for the next term secured (hopefully he will run again). Thank you for your time! Nominated by Barbora M., Bratislava: This is why Vallo should win the prize. One of the first policies Vallo started to work on was the parking policy delays with the implementation of which he has previously criticised his predecessor for. Vallo initiated the establishment of the Metropolitan institute of Bratislava. The review of planning permission became stricter, with more projects being rejected. He openly supports the LGBTI community and has attended Bratislavas Prides. Vallo initiated 10,000 trees initiative that should help to plant and take care of trees in Bratislava as a part of fight of climate change. In a short time he managed to build and coordinate teams for COVID 19 testing across Bratislava to eliminate positive people to spread the virus unknowingly. Nomianted by Miroslav R., Bratislava: The main reason why Mr. Vallo should win the 2021 World Mayor Prize is that he helped us to keep our sanity in these insane times while the incompetent Slovak government was (and still is) in charge on national level. While our prime minister is constantly blaming other people who are responsible for the current situation (including the vice president of his own cabinet) Mr. Vallo with his calm and positive attitude tries to maintain the mood in our city at a more or less positive level. I did not vote for him in the last mayor election but in the case of his re-candidacy I will certainly do so. He did more for this city than any other previous mayor of Bratislava. No matter whether there is a pandemic or not. His main achievements (from my perspective): Our city has finally begun look like an European metropol. Less visual smog, more greenery and decent public transport for everybody. His vision for Bratislava: His vision was summarized in his election manifesto “The Bratislava Plan” But I perceive his vision mainly just as a confident city which is here for his inhabitants and not for any shady interest groups. Nominated by Andrea Z., Bratislava: I vote for Matus Vallo because Bratislava has never had such a mayor before. Despite the difficult pandemic situation and not much support from the Slovak government Mr Vallo stays positive supportive to the inhabitants of Bratislava trying always to find solutions and explaining the situation and steps the city will take in the near future. Thanks to him all the 17 mayors of the 17 city districts collaborate together with one goal to protect the people in the city and to help them overcome this difficult situation and fulfil the strength orders from the government. He also helps the homeless and has built a mobile city for the corona sock homeless. He together with Mr Droba was the first person in Slovakia taking measures by the outburst of corona in March 2020. I hope he will stay in this position longer so he can continue to change the city - renovate historical buildings, build cycling roads and car-free zones and much more. Nominated by FiFo, Bratislava: Matús Vallo is the best mayor Bratislava has had in a few decades. He cares about the city and wants to move him with his team and the citizens of Bratislava to a better, more beautiful and modern place / city for life. Challenges for Bratislava: Perhaps better support for residents and building managers to try to make a green strike during renovations. Faster construction and renewal of rail transport. Construction of parking lots at the entrance to the city. And introduce residential parking throughout the city. Nominated by Katka M., Bratislava: I would like to vote for Matus Vallo, Mayor of city where I live for 15 years. Since Matus Vallo won, the first and very important thing that changed, was communication. Communication from city to their citizens suddenly became very open, kind, polite, with sense, sensitivity to all communities and also very inclusive. Communication based on fact, respectful to our needs and questions. Also I value Matus Vallo for transparency of system and reasonability in steps. I very appreciated communication and steps from beginning of pandemic. Care about seniors, about people without home and also common sense with helping to culture communities. I think he really loves Bratislava and he has real interest in people here and their comfort in life. Especially I like many his descision (mosquitoes, Christmas market, snow, City honey, lawns and flowers...) which grows from respect to climate change and our environment. For me, he definitely is the Best World Mayor. Nominated by Taisiya K., Bratislava: I moved to Bratislava in December 2018. Once I noticed an Instagram post made by some urban activist, who tells the story of removing the huge advertisement from historical building and saving the old city centre in a nice visual state. I've seen that ugly ad and I was so happy when it disappeared. It was good to find somebody who cares about the city so much and ready to protect it and keep in good looking and comfortable. So, I subscribed to that guy, and a few months later find out that this cool man is our mayor. Mr Vallo making a really good job. Bratislava is blooming. During the last 2-3 years was renovated few city zones and now it’s beautiful and comfortable examples of urban design. Few historical locations were also restored. Public transport working absolutely perfect and it has one detail, which I haven’t seen anywhere else - you can pay for bus/tram/trolley bus by SMS (in case is somebody forgot wallet). The city is full of eco-friendly initiatives and local farmers support. During hard COVID times Mr Vallo was supporting citizens and taking care of them. Even me, a foreigner, can feel that our mayor with us, he talks with people, he stays in touch, he working hard to make life better and he doing it well. For example, Slovakia provided overall free antigen-testing for the whole population. It was organized really well and if first time in Bratislava to get tested you had to wait a while in a queue, the second wave of testing city government and Mr Vallo managed so well, that it took only 5-10 min for each citizen. I’m sure that it’s a lot of good mayors in other cities, but I’ve never seen such a good guy in this position before. He loves his city, he wants to make it better, he knows how to do that and he actually doing it! Day by day! Oh, I hope he would win! Nominated by Eva K., Bratislava: Matus Vallo is a great mayor , a first actual mayor in our city. During Covid times he organised a large shelter for homeless people, testing points for majority of our inhabitants (0,5mil.), sanitary measures in public transport, etc Nominated by Stanislav M., Bratislava: Dear all: Our Mayor, Mayor of Bratislava is a new wind in our small city. In last 2 years the citizens of Bratislava can feel huge positive change of management of the city: - transparent procurement, - significantly improved communication with public, - new standards of quality by construction of public space, - successful reconstruction of tram radial, - large tree planting (10,000 new trees in our city), - proactive approach in Covid crisis (establishment of comfortable test points with online registration, providing appropriate information). Our city got a new vision after long years of stagnation. Although Covid crisis will likely slow down the positive changes due to expected decrease of tax income, there is no doubt that partial lack of money can be replaced by effective processes and by clever personnel policy. Nominated by Jan A., Bratislava: Hi, I am resident in Bratislava, living here for 10years. I think nothing better this town could get as our Mayor Vallo. Since he become mayor there were lots of changed that did not happened before, or at least happened very slowly. What i appreciated on his work: - consistency- his work in rebuilding the city is consistent, once agreed in doesn’t change - he keep promise- he said he gettin rid of many billboards around town and he did and still continue this - involving communities into discussion on which base he made changes- improving communal spaces for better living, new parks and many road/pedestrians improvement across the town - listen people, young, old - all are important for him, his team have regular neighbourhood walks with residence to listen for their requirements - progressive thinking- decisions is made with future generations in mind, new refurbish tramp - openness - thriving for feedback from anybody - communication - many politics should take Vallo as example of great diplomat with thinking outside of the box, role model for mayor of this century. Thats it from my. Even if he did not win, please share my feedback with him. It would be nice for him to know he is doing very fine at his job. Nominated by A. D., Bratislava: Pan Matūš Vallo, primáror Bratislavy je Top, ma veľmi rad Bratislavu a toto svoje srdce jej dava i vo svojej praci primatora...veľa zmenil, urobil zav tie 2 roky,,urobil ju krajšou, a hlavne vyhovujucou a vtejto ťažkej dobe cíti s ľudmi, bolo to cítiť a vidieť na Vianoce..proste veľký človek, s veľkym srdcom pre Bratislavu. ĎAKUJEME Nominated by Jana M., Bratislava: Matus Vallo is the best Mayor we could ask for. He lives by what he says, he has changed the communication style, he is transparent, puts the interests of citizens first, made the city greener, he stood up to developers, during pandemic he went beyond rules and established creative places for covid testing that were reachable for everyone. By doing so, he convinced many people that did not want to participate in testing to go for it. He cares and rides a bike :) He also established regular meetings with citizens to ensure opened communication and exchange of information. Nominated by I. B., Bratislava: Great communication during corona crisis, always flexible to adapt to new challenges, he makes decision process about Bratislava more visible, transparent and accessible to citizens through social media, frequently informing them about new changes, doing great visual campaigns around city and also makes Bratislava more greener and more friendly to cyclists and pedestrians, supports rich cultural life in the city and he himself is a great artist. All in all he is one of us, normal citizen doing great job in his position, right guy at a right place. He is a role model to all mayors of all cities in Slovakia. Nominated by Tigran A., Slovakia: I would love to vote for Mr Vallo. He is mayor of Bratislava where my studio is based. I live 15km away so I commute to work to the capital almost every day. For the last two years Bratislava has experienced a lot of boom - all the works are communicated smoothly, all the initiatives make Bratislava a lovely modern city and the Covid related agenda makes people proud to be part of the capital. Myself I do resonate a lot with the skills, experience, heart and passion he puts into whatever he does for Bratislava. I hope that he will be a role model for other mayors and municipalities in Slovakia and around the world. Keeping fingers crossed for him. Nominated by Misa J., Bratislava: Hallo: I would like to vote for Matus Vallo, he is a very diligent, dedicated to his city and its inhabitants and responsibly trying to solve the problems that our city has Thank you for your nomination! Take care and stay healthy Nominated by Sean O’C., outside Slovakia It is with great pleasure that I submit the following nomination for Matús Vallo, Mayor of Bratislava, capital of Slovakia. Mayor Vallo is a multitalented person who was elected in 2018, but who in only two years has stacked up an impressive list of achievements and improvements for the benefit of his citizens. The below document provides details of all the measures and results related to resilience, fairness, social harmony, green transition, and opportunity. I believe therefore that he is a worthy candidate for the World Mayor Award. BRATISLAVA DURING CORONA CRISIS • Communication tools for citizens and employees during corona crisis • Communication campaign aimed at citizens: “We can do it!” (official web site with information and recommendations regarding the novel Corona virus and COVID-19) • Regular online video meetings with Mayor “Ask your Mayor” – set of questions and answers between Mayor and citizens • Phone line for parents who stayed at home with children and for seniors • Additional preparation works for the autumn second phase • City issued intern “corona” manual for its employees on how to proceed • Measures focused on homeless people • Measures focused on seniors FAIRER CITY • City street work and outreach team (MTT). Established in December 2019 and active provider of services since March 2020. Team of 6 street workers focused on homeless people in public spaces and youth at risk during the night. • Affordable housing – so called "housing first". In the first phase, 9 flats will be allocated to people staying in the city. The project also includes permanent social support (through regular visits) and focus on the client and his needs with an emphasis on maintaining housing. The number of flats is to be further increased based on experience gained and available resources. • Corona Help – assistance in the current pandemic situation. Coordination of all organizations dedicated to helping homeless people. Distribution of protective equipment, food aid and hygienic equipment by city social workers and city police directly on the streets. Provision of sanitary stations in selected locations in the city during the first wave of pandemic. • Food Bank – The City is currently working to build a system of cooperation with supermarket chains, which will donate food and groceries. These food resources will be stored in the city´s warehouse and subsequently distributed to organizations helping seniors, homeless people or socially disadvantaged people. • Safety in the city - Projects to increase safety in exposed localities. GREENER CITY • 10, 000 trees initiative Bratislava is working on a plan for systematic renewal and sustainability of plants and trees as a part of the 10, 000 trees initiative. Since 2019, the City has planted 1, 016 trees, 271 trees have been replaced by new ones and additional 745 trees have been planted. As part of the initiative, there is a map that contains implemented and planned planting. Companies, institutions, communities or individuals are welcomed to participate in this initiative. • Bratislava has become a part of a global initiative called Climathon. Its aim is to raise awareness of the climate crisis and to encourage the active involvement of residents in tackling it. • Bees on the rooftop of the Municipality building. We all know the important role that bees play on the planet. If there are no bees, we will also disappear. They maintain the ecological balance and also play an important role by improving the state of greenery in the cities. To have the city bees and to produce city honey was a challenge. That is why we entered into cooperation with the founders of the project “Uletená včela”, who asked us a year ago, if they could have bees on the roof of the municipality building. Before the summer, we have placed there two beehives with 120,000 bees, which have not disappointed us and produce tens of kilograms of healthy honey, half of which remains for the city itself. STRONGER CITY Activities towards EU institutions, European cities cooperation · Pact of Free Cities • Initiative of the V4 Capitals, its founding cities are Bratislava, Budapest, Prague and Warsaw. Officially signed by V4 Capitals Mayors on 16 December 2019 in Budapest. Although the Pact was initiated by the V4 Capitals, it is open to join for other cities with the same values. Main areas of cooperation currently include: • EU lobbying for direct funding of cities • Green agenda • Promotion and presentation of Pact as a political statement of cities in favour of liberal democracy The above text is an abridged and edited version of Sean's nomination document. The full text is available on request. Nominated by SR, Bratislava: Matus Vallo is doing a good job in improving our city reason why he should be awarded these recognitions Nominated by Roman, outside Slovakia: Building the team that builds a better city - greener, quieter, more walkable and less dependent on cars - is what makes a great leader and mayor. That's what I observe Matús Vallo is doing in Bratislava. And by staying nimble, focused and dedicated, he set an example for other mayors to do the right thing. Challenges: A city that invites people or all ages - be it 8 or 80 - to walk or take a bicycle while getting around is a city with a great quality of life. Because all other issues - prosperous retail, affordable housing, quality schools you name it - stem from this simple yet profound priority. Less car dependence, more vibrant city. This page | Page 2 |