The annual World Mayor project aims to raise the profile of mayors worldwide as well as to honour those who have served their communities well and who have made contributions to the well-being of cities nationally and internationally. 2005 results
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Comments in support of
Dora Bakoyannis
Mayor of Athens (Greece)
The top 10 mayors in World Mayor 2005 were selected equally on the number of votes received and the quality and conviction of supporting statements. Below we publish an edited selection of comments received in support of Dora Bakoyannis - Mayor of Athens (Greece).Comment: As the first native-born American of Greek origin elected to the Congress of the United States - my late father, Stephen J. Brademas, was from Kalamata - I have naturally known many Greek political leaders over the years. I have long been impressed by the achievements of the distinguished Mayor of Athens, Dora Bokoyannis. Not only do I understand that she is the first woman mayor in the history of the city that has proved crucial to the development of Western civilization but she also performed splendidly in hosting the recent Olympic Games.
I admire Mayor Bokoyannis, too, for her courage in combating terrorism in Greece, a threat she has known in her own family with the assassination of her husband in 1989 and her having herself survived such an attempt three years ago.
For all these reasons, I am glad enthusiastically to support as 'World Mayor 2005' , Mayor Dora Bakoyannis of Athens, Greece.
Comment: Mrs Dora Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, Greece, is an extraordinary human being, who has performed amazingly in all important areas. She is the really the epitome of what a mayor should be.
Comment: Mayor Bakoyannis is one of the women who really rocks! She's smart, efficient, honest and capable to govern, not only the city of Athens but eventually Greece. She will probably become the first woman Prime Minister in Greece in the near future. She comes from a family of priviledge but she has made a name for herself as a succesful politician in a country dominated by males, by working hard to achieve her goals. She's also a great mother and an inspiration to a younger generation of Greek women, trying to break all kinds of glass ceilings. We should also not forget that she was in charge when Athens hosted the amazingly succesful Olympic Games in 2004, the first woman mayor of Athens ever! She deserves to be chosen as World Mayor 2005 and I hope that she will! GO DORA!
Comment: The Mayor of Athens, Mrs Bakoyannis has managed to convey the true spirit of a modern, changing capital. It is thanks to her imposing presence, her bright personality and her innate gift to turn words into action. Thanks to Bakoyannis the world finally saw that Greece can boast of a Mayor that is educated, charismatic and ready to give the harshest of critics answers to their questions. Furthermore, she is the first female mayor in Athens history, paving the way for women across the country to change the male domination of a country stuck in between the East and the West.
Comment: Dora hat in nur zwei Jahren Athen zu einer modernen und sehenswerten Stadt gemacht. Früher kam ich nach Athen, um die nächste Fähre zu nehmen, damit endlich der Urlaub beginnen konnte. Nun komme ich nach Athen, um hier Urlaub zu machen! Bravo, Dora!
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis is a role model, a leader and a visionary. Never before has a woman occupied a position with such command, competence and compassion. She successfuly hosted the first summer Olympic Games after the terrorist attacks of 2001, a personal victory I'm sure since losing her husband to a terrorist attack in 1989. Dora Bakoyannis exudes a type of courage and leadership that I hope I will have someday.
Comment: I like how she has treated Athens while she has been mayor. Every summer I visit family and I am impressed of the changes that have happened since she has been mayor.
Comment: I would like to vote Dora Bakoyannis for the World Mayor 2005. Dora, as we simply like to call her here in Grece, has managed to change not only the 'face' of Athens but also the way of living in a capital of Europe.
Taking the opportunity of the 2004 Olympic Gammes and using the help from the central Government, Dora has managed to make 'people and their way of living' the center of her politics. Nowdays Athens is smiling at its citizens. Everyone can go everywhere in the city within forty minutes, children can play and swim just outside their homes, people can see the marvelous sunset when traveling by tram from Glyfada to Syntagma.
Of course, the whole project is not over yet. Many things have still to be done. But for the first time Athens has a Mayor who is capable to give our modern city the same place she had in history as the 'mother of democrasy and civilization'. Go for it Dora, we are always beside and behind you.
Comment: Mayor Dora Bakoyannis of Athens, Greece is the natural pick for this race. She prepared a 3,000 year old city for the 2004 Olympic Games that proved to be the safest and most successful in history.
Her spirit has instigated a progressive movement among Athenians for the preservation of a sound environment. She has taken up fights with "big business" for the betterment of the people and the city's economy.
Her program for the disabled has empowered those with disabilities in ways that only they could effectively describe. Finally we see people in wheelchairs walking the streets of Athens and enjoying a stroll in areas where they never could prior to this great mayor's dedication to their needs. Also, as a result of the projects for the disabled, parents are able to actually go on walks with their infants fearless of their ability to go up and down sidewalks.
And let's not even mention the awesome Metro and public transportation system she has developed. Would you mind creating one of those for the residents of Los Angeles and Orange County California? Residents there would greatly appreciate it, I am sure!
What makes Mayor Bakoyannis the winning ticket for World Mayor 2005 is her commitment to making sure the job is done and done well - no matter what the job may be. She is determined to improve and mobilize her city at unprecedented levels and more importantly she has earned the "buy in" from her people within the government and private sector to complete these great works. Mayor Dora Bakoyannis of Athens, Greece. The only pick for World Mayor 2005.
Comment: The Olympics are not simply a tradition of the ages, but a reflection of the best humanity can be. During a time of extreme global unrest, the 2004 Olympics in Athens turned out to be an awesome representation of peace, love and unity. Many people feared the worst for the Games, predicting terrorist attacks, unmet deadlines and an unprepared and unsafe city. But Mayor Dora Bakoyannis always maintained faith in humanity and faith in the fact that the Games would be the best ones ever. She not only knew what she was doing, but also did it well. She is an intelligent and capable leader who gave the World a short respite from all the chaos and destruction and sadness that fills our lives today. For that I thank her and I applaud her.
Comment: Ms Dora Bakoyannis is an excellent example of a person with dreams and visions that can overcome serious personal problems and situations.
After the assasination of her husband, Mr Bakoyiannis, by terrorists, every citizen in Greece thought that she will give up and live a quite and desperate life. However, her dynamic tamperamento didn't allow rumors to become true. Soon she was in front of every action against any kind of terrorism and violence. She inspired Greek women to show the dynamic part of their personality. Women organizations have become stronger, in terms of memberships, grace to Ms Bakoyiannis example.
As a mayor she didn't only focus to issues affecting only woman. She unfolds her personality as a woman, a mother and a politician in every opportunity. She cared about homeless people, offering food, shelter and opportunities for work. She shaped Athens in a human-friendly city, something that no one else before had achieved. She motivated youngsters to participate to actions against drugs, terrorism and racism but most of all she gave them another way of living. More places for kids to play, colourful neighborhoods and a aesthetic point of view, for a city that was never beautiful to live, at least the last two decades.
A lot of Greeks hope that one day she will become the first woman Prime-minister. The main reason is that she is not motivated by political or personal profits, but by a vision for a better world to raise children and a family. She never stood as an obstacle to other persons with different political points of view. In fact she is a modest politician, just like her late husband, respecting the opinion of others. The best example is the election body that supports her, which includes minorities, young people, and dynamic people of both genders.
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis is the epitome of a modern woman. Confident, intelligent, resourceful, empathic and a true survivor. She commands world attention and appreciation. Mayor Bakoyannis' presence in Chicago breaking ground along with fellow finalist Mayor Richard Daley for The National Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center on October 24 is a testimonial to her gracious spirit of brotherhood.
Comment: I vote for Mrs. Dora Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, Greece. I have moved to Athens quite recently and I can honestly say that life in Athens has impressively improved since Dora Bakoyannis was elected Mayor almost three years ago. Mayor Bakoyannis has focused on upgrading the everyday life of each and every Athenian. Greenery has been planted citywide, streets and pavements have been repaved and made accessible for people with disabilities, the cleaning equipment and services have improved and entire neighborhoods have gained new color with the program for renovating the buildings' facades. I come from the "rival" city of Athens, Thessaloniki. And I can admit that I now envy Athenians (I never did before!). Under the leadership of Dora Bakoyannis they seem to be more optimistic, they seem to be more cheerful while walking in the city's streets, they seem to look towards their future with new confidence. They seem to have taken something from their Mayor's warm smile.
Comment: Mrs. Dora Bakoyannis is not only the first woman to serve as mayor of a city hosting the Olympic Games, but she greatly exceeded the expectations of the world by holding the most successfull and spirited Olympics in modern history! With all the improvements that took place in Athens, i.e. the new metro system, the new international airport, more tourist and pedestrian friendly access to the historic sites in Athens, Dora Bakoyannis is the mayor of the most inspirational, dynamic, and, as always, proudest capitol city in Europe!
Comment: Mrs. Bakoyannis is an extraordinary women who has endured personal loss and is motivated to rid Athens and Greece of terrorist activity. As a American-Greek women of the baby boomer generation I have a acute appreciation for the will, energy, intellect that it takes to have acheived the position she has. I am impressed with her energy and the political stature she now possesses. She speared headed and incredible Olympic experience, which helped to bring a very positive attitudeto the modern abilities and opportunities in Greece. We need people like her in these very critical positions of power. Her popularity in Athens is remarkable for a women, we must be proud and encouraged by the agenda this women can acheive in a pivitol location like Greece. Bringing Athens and Greece into the positive fold is very important for all of us. She is amazing and should be highly supported and acclaimed.
Comment: My husband and I visited Athens in the spring before the Olympic Games and the spring after the events. What this mayor accomplished was truly Heroic. The ancients would be proud!! We take public transportation whenever we can in Europe and found the metro in Athens to be right up there with the best; however, it it more "beautiful" than the rest. Whenever people traveled to Greece in the past, they considered Athens a stopover for the islands. NO MORE! It's a fabulous city to stay in and enjoy. I'm sure Pericles would vote for Dora if he were here.
Comment: My chosen mayor for The World Mayor 2005 is Mayor Dora Bakoyannis of Athens, Greece. She has shown that she is qualified by the way she handled her duties as hostess of the Olympic Games. She has also conducted herself in a caring way after the death of her husband at the hands of terrorists and the assassination attempt on her life 3 years later. Many would have given up but not Mayor Bakoyannis. She continues to serve her people of Athens were she was the most popular politician in Greece by her being elected mayor by a larger majority than any Athens mayor in the history of modern Greece. I believe she would serve as World Mayor 2005 in a very dignifide manner.
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis' fresh, dynamic vision for Athens and her amazing successes transforming Athens into a Capital city that rivals any other is undeniable. The physical transformation of Athens is obvious, but what is more important, is the way she involved Athenians. They no longer think along individual lines and now feel a great sense of pride for their city, working together to make the Olympics the success it was. With her dedication in continuing the re-birth of Athens, with the disabled, environment and Athenians at the forefront of her mind, she is the perfect candidate for World Mayor.
Comment: Having Dora Bakoyannis as Mayor of Athens and how she successfully made the Olympics such a seemless effort should be enough to name her world mayor. As a greek female, I look at Dora Bakoyannis as a true mentor of how a female figure can be looked at in such a powerful role. After watching the olympics and just hearing how she turned it into the success it was, made me very very proud (even more so than usual) to be not only a "greek" but a "greek female" living in the world today. Dora has made Athens a more respectable city and has turned it around to where EVERYONE has interest in going to visit now, more than ever!
Comment: I attended the 2004 Summer Olympics. Wow! It was spectacular. The city had transformed since I was there last. The woman and mayor behind and in front of the Oympics, Mayor Bakoyannis. Women in Greece and from this culture are very strong. I have seen it demonstrated time and time again as my blood is 100% Greek though I was born in America. She demonstrated her skills, love, kindness, motivations, passions and beliefs through the Olympics, and her city was evidence of what can happen with the right person as mayor. She leads with her heart and soul, fully engaged! My vote, Mayor Dora Bakoyannis.
Comment: A tough choice, but I'm going for Dora. Why? Because as well as being a high-profile Mayor, with bucket-loads of charisma and presence, she is also finds the time to be a dedicated member of the Committee of the Regions, the EU consultative assembly which acts as a voice for local and regional government in Brussels. In short, she has star quality.
Comment: I would like to congratulate Mayor Bakoyanni for the exceptional work she has done over the years as Mayor of Athens.
Comment: Mrs Bakoyannis is a very dynamic and strong woman with an outstanding personality.She "opened" Athens to the world and she brought the city closest than ever in the recent years to its visitors and to the citizens of the world. And that's exactly her strongest weapon, among others, against terrorism. A beatiful city, which dances, sings, laughs, learns and teaches, lives and feels with all the citizens of the world. The ones who are in Athens and the ones who have Athens always in their mind, heart and soul.
Comment: My husband and I took our 13 year-old grandson and 8 year-old granddaughter to Greece for the Athens Olympics last summer.
What a phenomenal opening ceremony and what fantastic, well-organized, well-run, orderly and, above all, safe events we witnessed. We had no long waits going or leaving the various stadiums. The volunteers were most courteous, cheerful and helpful -- they went out of their way to accommodate our every request.
Athens is the cleanest city we have visited in a long time and the people in Athens were all as courteous, cheerful and helpful as the volunteers at the various events. My grandchildren were impressed with the outstanding treatment they received everywhere they went. Mayor Dora Bacoyannis prepared Athens like no one believed possible and is continuing her work to improve Athens for the future generations. She has the vote of our entire family for World Mayor 2005.
Comment: Dora Bakoyiannis has brought a new face to the role of Mayor Athens and a warm friendly note to the city. A huge effort has been made to repaint buildings and plants trees and flowers and to encourage people to plant their balconies and roofs. During the Olympics and again this year, the streets of Athens have been filled with artists and free entertainment creating an atmosphere where complete strangers sit and talk to each other and join in the dancing.
But it has not been simply entertainment and beautification of the facade. She has been very practical and particularly strong on issues that until recently were not high up on the agenda of most Athenians. For example, access to public space and buildings for the handicapped has greatly improved, though it still needs to be pushed. Volunteering in the city has really taken off and looks as though it will be long-term, not just a one-off effort for the Olympics. She has been battling with the problems of refuse disposal and the terrible problem of parking in Athens and she has not been afraid to take on strong interest groups. A large proportion of Athenians are immigrants, many making a living selling products from their home countries. Mrs Bakoyiannis organized a special market for them to sell their goods.
Finally, apart from her direct contribution as Mayor of Athens, Dora Bakoyiannis seems to keep herself extremely well-informed on all kinds of national and international issues. She appears very frequently on TV talk-programmes and makes me feel proud as a woman to hear her informed and balanced views. Regardless of whether or not one agrees with her politics, she always bases her comments on sound evidence and tempers them with humour, raising the profile and status of women in Greece
Comment: Un passé héroique, un présent olympique, un future que je souhaite présedentiel car Dora Bakoyannis en a l'étoffe et le charisme.
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis, Mauor of Athens, Greece, has the intelligence, poise, sophistication, cultural and political know-how to not only run Europe's oldest city successfully, but to administer the affairs of her country as it's Prime Minister. The masterful job she did to help save the now highly acclaimed 2004 Athens Olympics from certain disaster shortly after taking office is well documented. She is the only woman (besides the godess Athena, of course) ever to lead Athens and enjoys an amazing approval rating of over 70 per cent. A victim of terroism herself, she is in the vanguard of he world wide battle against the scurge. Most importantly, she is an eloquent, powerful, convincing, often charming speaker who would represent the ideals of the World Mayor Organization globally with great aplomb and grace.
Comment: Smoggy central Athens? No more! Pedestrianised and crime free streets, super rail and metro links...life is sweet in the new post Olympic Athina!..Melina Mecuri would have been PROUD!
Comment: I have been going to Athens almost every year for the last 10 years. The change that I have seen very recently, is incredible. The city looks very clean, and very easy to navigate, which is particularly important for a woman travelling alone.
Comment: My vote goes to Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyannis. Since the beginning of her term in office, she has managed to make Athens a modern, lively European Metropolis, without loosing the glamour of its 3.500year long history. She has managed to host gracefully the 2004 Olympic Games, and to show to visitors from all over the world a new, friendlier, more beautiful and more humane Athens. Everyone who had the opportunity to be in Athens during the Games,saw a city celebrating its greatest moments.She has managed to inspire Athenians and to make them believe in their city again. I vote for Dora Bakoyannis for World Mayor 2005 because I believe that she is the kind of leader our cities are in need of. From Italy, I wish you GOOD LUCK DORA!
Comment: As a visitor of Athens in 1991 and again in 2004, it was a pleasant surprise to see how much the city had changed. Such changes can only be made when a suitable leader is in place that can execute the required programs to pull of what has obviously transpired.
Mrs Dora Bakoyannis is definitely the "iron lady" of Greece, and to be popular amongst the Athenians, she would have to be a serious contender for World Mayor.
Improvements in appearance are just the first taste when one lands in Athens, but moving throughout the city is now a breeze. From the efficient and modern metro railsystem, through to the many bus routes available, travel to and from the many sites and festivities are as fluid as ever.
There are many positives in Athens that have occured with Mrs Dora Bakoyannis in charge, and it looks like the old city has finally awaken, and it's future looks brighter than ever with her at the helm.
Whether she wins the World Mayor of 2005 or not, it won't change her passion for making Athens a long term great city of the world, and this reason alone is why she should win!
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, Greece, has helped contribute to the modern look and reputation of Greece and its people. She has helped get rid of the stereotypic attitudes of the international audience, by portraying that Greece can put on a memorable Olympic Games which displayed its archaeology, history and modern appeal. By being a woman, she also helps display that Athens has broken its old mold of being a Patriarchical society with a "man steering the ship".
Comment: Mrs. Dora Bakogiannis is indubitably a politician of public acceptance. Her popularity may not be as "high" as it was at the Olympic 2004 period but one has to take into consideration that the "Olympic mania" has passed.
Though, Dora Bakogiannis is a politician that even today - a period that the "lights" and the interest of the mass media is no longer on her- remains in the top ten most popular politicians in Greece. She is the favorite "girl- mayor" of Greece and she has managed to do so just because she was honest towards the Athenians. It' s not luck that she has managed to enjoy the acceptance not only of her voters - or the voters of her political party - but even from her opponents. She deserves to be awarded as the "World Mayor 2005". She was MISS OLYMPIC GAMES 2004 and she did a great job. She achieved to "implant" to the Greeks and the whole world her cultural background, her class and elegance. She transfigured Athens into a capital equivalent to its past. After all, Mrs. Bakogiannis brought the famed Ancient Greece into the world of 2004.
Personally, - and given the fact that I have lived Athens before and after the Olympic Games- I strongly believe that her greater achievement is that she managed to make the Greeks and particularly the Athenians to love their capital from scratch. And we all now see a better Athens, an Athens we love due to her "benevolent obduracy".
Comment: Mrs Bakoyannis lead the city of Athens through the Olympic Games and turned it into a world capital with a lot of fun, cultural and sports events. She has a great personality, she works hard, and manages to overcom narrow party interests for the benefit of the city. Athens has become a much cleaner and better organized city since she has become its mayor.
Comment: Dora, the Athens' Mayor, is one of us!!! Represents the democracy - hymanity - idealism, joining the ahcient philosophy to the moderh Greek spirit. At the same time she is as much Greek, as European. Her virtue is that she insists with patience till the acheivement of the purpose. Her strong will to fulfill our visions, in combination to her honest character, is the evidence that all will come to a successful end. She is the capable politician woman who keeps going ahead with no fear or reconciliation.We trust and love her. Her winning smile, gives us hope. May God bless her!!!
Comment: We just returned form a trip to Athens and were greatly impressed with the improvements made since our 2000 visit; the subway, the clean look, the vibrant, healthy city, the friendliness of the people. With her efforts to secure the Olympics and what has transpired there since, she deserves the honor. We were in Athens July 17-30. And we look forward to returning again. This is the city to visit!
Comment: Believing in the empowerment of woman and having the first woman in a country dominated by men to become Mayor of the greatest city in the World...as an American of Greek Descent I am honored to place the name of Dora Bakoyannis for World Mayor. She successfully hosted the 2004 Olympics has endured tragedy when she lost her husband to terrorists... She is a gracious, courages, beautiful woman whose reputation is above reproach.
Comment: Mrs. Dora Bakoyannis almost singlehandedly turned Athens from a decrepit, old city into a beautiful, modern and cosmopolitan European Capital. Her office managed the best Olympic Games to-date and she has made the Athens bureaucracy efficient and accountable.
Comment: Ms. Dora Bakoyiannis has a lot to recommend her for this honor. She hosted one of the most successful Olympics in modern history; she has turned the city of Athens around with innovative measures to increase the green, put order in the parking chaos of the city, and bring civility to a tumultous city. She paid a personal price to terrorism since her husband was assassinated in the middle of Athens many years back. Despite this personal tragedy, she has involved hersolf in public life and is one of the most popular politicians in Greece with strong prospects for higher office, possibly as future Prime Minister.
Comment: You have to know Dora to realize how much she cares about Greece and all of Hellenes. I had the pleasure of meeting her before her husband was assasinated. The firt female mayor of the oldest City in Europe. She did a great job with tte Olympics. She fights terrorism. Most of all she is not the every day politician. She cares about Greece and freedom all over the world.
Comment: Mayor Bakoyannis is a tremendous trailblazer, having been elected the first woman mayor of Athens and successfully overseeing a well-run, spectacular Olympic Games in the birthplace of the Games. She is a staunch defender of democracy and anti-terrorist movements, having lost her husband to a terrorist attack herself. She is truly the best candidate for WORLD MAYOR!
Comment: I am proud to be able to vote for Mrs. Bakoyanni as World Mayor. She is a female mayor in the birthplace of democracy and was able to show the world that as small as Greece is, the Greeks worked together to host a safe and fabulous 2004 Olympics. She is well-liked in Greece and abroad.
Comment: Not only is Dora Bakoyannis the most popular politician in Greece, she is tenacious and determined to fight terrorism in Greece thus effecting worldwide terrorism. She will not back down on her beliefs even after she survived an assasination attempt.
Comment: The honorable Dora Bakoyannis is worthy to be chosen as World Mayor because of her efforts in pulling together the Summer Olympics in Greece. The event was sensational and demonstrated how peace can prevail when a worthwhile event is well organized and brings together the people of the world in peace and harmony.
Comment: The Athens Mayor did an outstanding job in staging the Olympics and transformed Athens in a beautiful, clean city. It was an herculean task and she performed it flawlessly. We were in Athens for two weeks this summer and the improvements to the city as compared with our past visits are outstanding.
Comment: Mayor Bakoyiannis should be selected as world mayor for many reasons. When we went to the Olympics in Greece we have never seen Athens more beautiful and well run. The events were well organized and made me very proud for Greece. She also has been active in the fight of terrorism. She deserves the position.
Comment: Mayor Bakoyannis has demonstrated her capabilitiies and compassion on the world front both from the past Olympics as well as the recent major tragedy of the Hellas plane crash. I understand that she is a pioneer interms of woman in politics in Greece and that recognition would serve as a continuing model for other countries where women haven't had the opportunity to raise themselves up to prominent political positions. I appreciate your consideration of Mayor Bakoyannis for this honor and award.
Comment: Have worked with her on various events and is a pleasure to work with. As well she has done a great job in her tenure as Athens Mayor with pollution, infrastructure, business initiatives as well as the economic status of the city
Comment: I proudly nominate Ms. Bacoyannis as World Mayor 2005.Her remarkable leadership and hospitality before, during and after Athens hosted the best Olympic Games to date will be talked about for generations to come. Congratulations Ms Bacoyannis on a job well done.
Comment: Mrs. Dora Bakoyannis is obviously the right choice for World Mayor 2005. Her dedicated efforts towards education, the Democratic Party and civil rights have caused change in Greece. She spent her life learning peoples needs and earned a place in everyones hearts. Dora has showed the characteristics of an exeptional leader. She overcame the assasination of her late husband and turned a personal loss into a reason for making a difference. She took the Olympics, a crucial and critical time in Greece, and executed it to its fullest potential. Mrs. Bakoyannis has made Greece a safer, better, and more beautiful place! She has the strength and spirit of a great leader! Mrs. Dora Bakoyannis stands out and deserves to be World Mayor 2005!!!!
Comment: She did a wonderful job with the Olympics. It was the first time I have seen such genuine happiness, joy and love as well as unification in all the athletes. She has shown Athens and Greece to be the great historic and modern miracles that they are.
Comment: I believe that Dora Bakoyannis deserves to be given the 2005 World Mayor Award because she has succeeded, in a very short period of time, to create a beautiful and clean city. Due to her, Athens has also enjoyed the best possible Olympic atmosphere in 2004. It was amazing, almost magical!
Comment: I remember the 'old' Athens, Greece - dirty, crowded, difficult to travel and often intolerant of visitors. The difference since Bakoyannis took office is incredible. She has enlivened the cultural scene with a city-sponsored slate of great free concerts and other events. She has virtually remade Athens and, in my opinion, has polished the spirit of the city to a gleam not seen since Greece's golden age. There is still much to be done, however, and I hope if she wins as World Mayor, she will continue to be inspired to lead Athens well into the 21st century.
Comment: As the first woman to be elected mayor of Athens, Mrs Dora Bakoyanni has contributed significantly to the beautiful City of Athens. She deserves credit for preparing Athens for the magnificent 2004 Olympic Games and preserving its beauty afterwards. She is a hard-working person with dynamism who understands what the people want and works from her heart. A role model for all!
Comment: The most dynamic woman mayor Athens has ever had that put Athens and Greece on the world map forever. Ms Bakoyiannis is the face of modern Greece and Europe.
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis is a politician with insight, foresight and vision for the future. Her charisma, heart warming smile, quick wit and multilingual talents equip her with the ability to disarm the most difficult critics!
Athens has been catalpulted to the forefront of European cities under her guidance. The city is greener, cleaner and better prepared for tourism and most importantly a better place for its residents to live. Dora combined smart finance management with generous spending on programs never before addressed such as immigrants, the handicapped, the homeless, stray dogs and a most controversial initiative to help drug addicts recover their lives.
In three short years under her guidance the municipality was able to absorb over 80 million euros in euro funding, a feat to be admired! She is a strong woman who possesses all of the qualities of a great leader. Dora is a beacon of light for women and young girls around the world, I am proud to serve on the city council with her!
Comment: Mayor Bakouannis is the one! From the very beginning she took over, the city of Athens became brighter, cleaner, more pedestrian-friendly. But apart from upgrading the living standards of the city, she also managed to upgrade the municipality's credit rating, thus facilitating borrowing in the future, meaning more infrastrucure projects and even better days to come.
Comment: Mrs Bakoyannnis is a very succesfull mayor. She has change the world's view of Athens. Within 32 months she succeded to in obtaining an A2 rating from Moody, which is the same rating as that of the Central Bank of Greece and the National Bank of Greece. She is the best and the most popular politician in Greece.
Comment: Mayor Bakoyannis lost her first husband to a terrorist organization, she was a single mother for years, she has been a courageous woman in a political bevy of men. Her achievements to rejuvenate Athens have been admired around the world.
Comment: When visiting Athens in the summer of 2004, I came to realise what a great job Mrs Dora Bakoyannis had done with the city of Athens. The Olympics in their birthplace of Greece were unforgetable and Athens stepped up to the task.
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis inherited a HUGE job and has handled it brilliantly. Athens is more traveller-friendly than ever before and is continuing the Olympics improvements. The Mayor has provided excellent leadership and focus, and should receive this well-deserved recognition!
Comment: At short notice Mayor Bakoyannis managed to establish and implement a program of beautification and cleanliness through improving building facades, illuminating the city and its monuments, producing world quality cultural events and revitalising transport, parks, green spaces, city supporting services for its citizens and its visitors and an impressive Athens during and after the 2004 Olympic Games. Her Athens has become a more vibrant a better place to live.
Comment: Mayor Bakoyannis has achieved a miracle for the entire free world! The 2004 Summer Olympics were a success for Greece and the world of sport.
Comment: Mrs Bakoyanis is a very responsible, very precise, very knowledgable mayor. She knows what the city needs and has done many things in many different sectors of life in Athens. She was particularly active during the Olympics 2004 in Athens, where her knowledge of foreign languages, her belief in the actual spirit of the Games were particularly obvious. She has seen to the ancient sites of the city centre becoming more known and, what's more important, easier to access by foot. She has seen to more musical and generally art activities taking place. Mrs Bakoyannis started a programme for improving older houses in the city, as well as a on collecting and taking care of stray animals in Athens. The possibility of citizens participating in the "common things" electronicaly via the City of Athens site is of great importance, too. It is not easy to put an order in a city which was meant for 1 million people and has 4 million instead, even if that includes the suburbs. Mrs Bakoyanni seems to manage fine in being the no. 1 Mayor in such an area. Very conscious of what she represents and what her work is, Mrs Bakoyannis does indeed deserve to be World Mayor 2005.
Comment: Athens is now a beautiful city, lovely to visit. Mayor Bakoyannis has overseen an amazing transformation. Anyone who comes to Greece and visits Athens only to see the Acropolis, is missing out on the city's many treasures.
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis has shown that women have the ability, foresight and expertise to bring thousand-year old cities like Athens into a new era. Athens, during the Olympic Games 2004, was a DREAM!
Comment: Mrs Bakoyannis is rightly being praised for the fact that she has managed to make Athens look as if the Olympic Games are still being held here. The Olympic Games have definitely left behind a sense of nostalgia, with all the celebrations the city enjoyed. It's hard enough hosting the Olympic Games, but it's even harder preserving the spirit afterwards. Well one thing is for sure, if Mrs Bakoyiannis remains Athens' Mayor this spirit will never leave.
Comment: Ms Dora Bakoyannis has managed to make Athens a more beautiful city, a place where quality of life has risen amazingly during the last fout years. The success of the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 has given the City a new dynamic.
Comment: My support of women anywhere it is an important reason for me to support Mrs Dora Bakoyannis as a mayor of the biggest city in Greece. I believe also that Mrs Bakoyannis should be considered as she is one of the most successful mayors of Athens. She took office at a very critcal time of the city, the 2004 Olympic Games. She did a great job then. No one felt any problem during that complicated task but a well organized, clean and friendly city. She used every possible way to keep and show the city as unique as possible. She didn't forget the immigrants, a controvercial issue in Greece. She made them feel part of modern Athens' greatest event. I must add that the city has changed completely since the Mayor take over. Good luck Dora
Comment: I was highly impressed by the Mayor of Athens as I happened to see her work during the Summer Olympic Games. I had a brief interaction with her at a reception held for media. She deserves to be the World Mayor 2005. Best of luck Ms Dora.
Comment: Ms. Dora Bakoyannis has been a very capable mayor for the Athenians and was able to host successfully and safely the Olymbic games of 2004 despite all the negative comments and concerns about the Games being held in Greece. She was also able to present the Games in a spectacular, wonderful way and she indeed became the WORLD MAYOR of all the WORLD CITIZENS who attended and participated in the Games by embracing everybody warmly and with great hospitality "Greek Philoxenia" and respect. I believe she clearly deserves the title of the World Mayor.
Comment: Dora has done a marvelous job ! And she has proved that a woman can do great things too. The organisation of the Olympics was an excellent example of that.
Comment: Mrs Dora Bakoyannis is the Mayor who has acted as a common citizen. She has done many things to make life easier for all of us. Adults, young people, children, handicaped people, old people. I hope she will remain Mayor for a long time as there is still a lot of work to be done.
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis has endeared herself to both Greek and foreign communities by responding quickly to their needs. She has improved the atmosphere of the city by introducing many ecological measures such as recycling bins in every neighborhood, new parking garages near Metro stations and planting of trees and greenery around the city, just to name a few. The planning of city safety and movement in and around the city during the Olympics showed how well she works with everyone in all facets of government. There was little congestion and no breaches in safety during the Olympics and people felt safe and happy to be a part of the celebrations and events. The face of Athens has changed for the better since Dora Bakoyannis took office and I would hope that one day she will become prime minister and do her magic on the entire country. She has done what no mayor has ever been inspired to do and for this reason she should receive the World Mayor award.
Comment: Mayor Dora Bakoyannis is the best Mayor Athens ever had. She has 'recreated' Athens, transforming it into a modern European metropolis, and at the same time making sure everything was ready for the welcome back of the Olympic Games to the land that gave birth to them and subsequently offered them to the rest of the world. More than that she 'looks after' her citizens in a very moving way. Athens would not be what it is today without Dora Bakoyannis, our Mayor that we all love and support.
Comment: Mrs Dora Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, besides other, has helped to solve the issue of the city's football team (Panathinaikos) not having a modern athletic center. She has greatly helped to reach an agreement on this issue, that not only benefits our team, but also creates thousands of new jobs and will offer big financial profits to the city of Athens as well as new metropolitan parks.
Comment: Ms. Bakoyannis exibited great leadership and dynamism during the planning and execution of one of the most successful modern Olympic Games, worthy of her ancient ancestors. When most of the world opinion was pessimistic about the Games, she was the driving power needed to see the Games to such a great successful completion.
Comment: Mrs Bakoyannis is rightly being praised for the fact that she has managed to make Athens look as if the Olympic Games are still being held here. The Olympic Games have definitely left behind a sense of nostalgia, with all the celebrations the city enjoyed. It's hard enough hosting the Olympic Games, but it's even harder preserving the spirit afterwards. Well one thing is for sure, if Mrs Bakoyiannis remains Athens' Mayor this spirit will never leave.
Comment: My vote goes to Mrs Dora Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens. Since she became Mayor, Athens is a much better city than it used to be. She is doing a great job. I am writing from Brazil.
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis has launched an initiative to renovate old neoclassical buildings in Athens and the city is step by step restored to its former glory. Moreover, she has turned Athens from a very dirty city to a totally clean one, thus proving that she was not just interested in cleaning the city for the Olympics last year.
Comment: Dora Bakoyannis has done an exceptional job in changing Athens into a modern and clean city where everybody enjoys living.
Comment: I had the pleasure of being invited to attend a private function hosted by Mayor Bakoyannis during the 2004 Olympics. She proved exactly why the Greeks are know for their welcoming hospitality, she conveyed her inate desire that we enjoy her city not only in her words but in her actions. What a gracious leader.
Comment: As the first female Mayor of an Olympic city, she has shown the world what Greek people are capable of.
Comment: Athenians have long complained about the fact that in Athens there were not any facilities tending to disabled people. The Mayor has changed that inhumane face of Athens and has made it possible for the disabled to move around the city.
Comment: The Mayor is a politician who understands the importance of both economic development and environmental protection.
Comment: Athens is now a far cleaner and more friendly city for inhabitants and visitors alike. Buildings are being painted, events take place all over the city and trees are planted everywhere.
Each year the most outstanding mayor is presented with the World Mayor Award. In 2004 the Award was won by Edi Rama, Mayor of Tirana. Dora Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, is the winner of the 2005 World Mayor Award. 2005 results
AFRICA
• Mayor of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Mayor of Antananarivo, Madagascar
• Mayor of Pretoria (Tshwane), South Africa
THE AMERICAS
• Mayor of Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Mayor of Belo Horizonte, Brazil
• Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Mayor of Mississauga, Canada
• Mayor of Montreal, Canada
• Mayor of Toronto, Canada
• Mayor of Vancouver, Canada
• Mayor of Guatemala City, Guatemala
• Mayor of Mexico City, Mexico
• Mayor of Akron, USA
• Mayor of Atlanta, USA
• Mayor of Baltimore, USA
• Mayor of Charleston, USA
• Mayor of Chicago, USA
• Mayor of New York City, USA
• Mayor of San Francisco, USA
• Mayor of Seattle, USA
• Mayor of Tinley Park, USA
• Mayor of Washington DC, USA
ASIA
• Mayor of Beijing, China
• Mayor of Shanghai, China
• Mayor of Tehran, Iran
• Mayor of Hiroshima, Japan
• Mayor of Kitakyushu, Japan
• Mayor of Karachi, Pakistan
• Mayor of San Fernando, Philippines
• Mayor of Taipei, Taiwan
• Mayor of Istanbul, Turkey
AUSTRALIA
• Mayor of Melbourne, Australia
• Mayor of Auckland, New Zealand
EUROPE
• Mayor of Innsbruck, Austria
• Mayor of Vienna, Austria
• Mayor of Grenoble, France
• Mayor of Lyon, France
• Mayor of Paris, France
• Mayor of Strasbourg, France
• Mayor of Berlin, Germany
• Mayor of Bonn, Germany
• Mayor of Düsseldorf, Germany
• Mayor of Frankfurt, Germany
• Mayor of Hannover, Germany
• Mayor of Leipzig, Germany
• Mayor of Munich, Germany
• Mayor of Stuttgart, Germany
• Mayor of Athens, Greece
• Mayor of Rhodes, Greece
• Mayor of Budapest, Hungary
• Mayor of Rome, Italy
• Mayor of Turin, Italy
• Mayor of Venice, Italy
• Mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania
• Mayor of Skopje, Macedonia
• Mayor of Tilburg, Netherlands
• Mayor of Lublin, Poland
• Mayor of Ekaterinburg, Russia
• Mayor of Moscow, Russia
• Mayor of Madrid, Spain
• Mayor of Saragossa, Spain
• Mayor of Stockholm, Sweden
• Mayor of Hartlepool, UK
• Mayor of London, UK
• Mayor of Kiev, Ukraine
More details on finalists