Martin Valovič

What would you like to tell our readers about yourself?

I became Mayor of Prague 10 two years ago, and since then I, together with my colleagues and coalition partners, have been constantly working on improving our district to make it an even better place to live.

As a graduate in architecture and a local patriot, I am responsible for urban development and the revitalisation of public spaces. This year, we are restoring the vicinity of the Botič creek. The pedestrian promenade will get a new surface, and new concrete terraces will be built near the Botič. All this will extend the recreational purpose of this popular leisure area.

Before entering politics, I had been in business for many years.

I have built two successful project and production companies. Therefore, I have also included the support of local small businesses in my list of priorities.

You are a member of the ODS political party. Do you draw your inspiration from there?

I have joined the Civic Democrats mainly because of the values and ideas this party represents. Its DNA firmly encodes such values as individual freedom, free market, and personal responsibility. In this concept, the state is a guarantor of fair and understandable rules, still able to show solidarity and offer help to those in need. It was the ODS that helped with the transformation of the Czech economy after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, and who had assisted in putting our country back on the European map.

As you said, you became the Mayor of Prague 10 two years ago. What brought you into local politics in the first place?

As a local patriot, I wanted to contribute my energy and ideas to improving the place where I have lived my whole life. As an architect, I was troubled by the condition of some public spaces, and by the lack of a clear urban strategy. Thus, I have entered politics because actions are better than words.

What actions do the responsibilities of your current position allow you to perform?

Being a mayor is a beautiful but demanding job that has no office hours. You become the face of the place where you live, and which you of course care about. The representative role is only a small part of my daily agenda, particularly when we speak of such a diverse and large district as Prague 10. In terms of population, it is equivalent to a regional city such as Liberec or Olomouc.

In addition, the mayor has to be a good moderator of discussions, as well as a mediator of disputes. There are various groups and diverse interests in the public space. Finding a compromise is challenging on some topics, but it is important.

An informal competence of the mayor is the ability to set the agenda. I would like to use this ability to popularise the beautiful villas in Strašnice, or to bring back the name Jindřich Waldes. In the First Czechoslovak Republic, this businessman’s name was known worldwide. He was nicknamed the Baťa of Vršovice. His snap buttons were produced and sold all over the world. Then World War II, and the Nazi occupation, came. Waldes died on his way to America. This disaster was then completed by the Communists, after the coup. I think this is our debt to him, to bring his name back from obscurity. Our first foray is the “Prague 10 Entrepreneur of the Year” poll, which we launched last year. The main prize is named after Jindřich Waldes.

“In terms of population, Prague 10 is equivalent to a regional city such as Liberec or Olomouc.”

Of course, you were already active before becoming mayor. As deputy mayor, you were the first to publish a detailed list of investor requirements. Was it helpful?

Thanks to specific and understandable rules for investors, the district has already gained CZK 250 million, and more contracts are currently being prepared. We are using the funds to increase school capacities.

When we were preparing the methodology, titled “Private Sector Participation in Public Expenditures”, in cooperation with the Department of Spatial Planning at the Faculty of Architecture, Czech Technical University in Prague, I was sure of the benefit of such a document. However, reality has exceeded my expectations. This methodology is also appreciated by investors, as they can cooperate with the city transparently.

In return, they have the assurance that the financial resources will be fully used for prearranged public beneficial purposes. In our case, we are mainly talking about the growth of school capacities.

If you could highlight one single project that you have on your agenda as mayor, which one would that be?

Time flies by unbelievably fast. As I said earlier, being a mayor is a beautiful job, and I appreciate the trust that the citizens and neighbours of Prague 10 have placed in me.

A lot has happened in those two years. Yet, I would like to highlight the project that will run through these four years like an ongoing thread, and that is the reconstruction of the villa of Karel Čapek.