Bartashevich, Alexander Anatolyevich

The roots of the family of Alexander Bartashevich are associated with Latgale for several generations. The genus of his father, Anatoly Alexandrovich, comes from the village of Anzeli. They lived poorly, walked barefoot almost all year round, putting on boots only to the church. Pets - the so-called "cattle" - lived in the kitchen in winter. The post-war period was difficult, but Anatoly Alexandrovich learned and began to work as a civil engineer ^[1] in the Rezekne inter-collective farm construction organization (MSO). Two sons grew up in his family, Alexander was born in Rezekne on December 31, 1965.

Childhood and Youth

Alexander graduated from Rezekne High School No. 6 in 1983.

It is not customary to pamper children in Latgale, therefore Alexander was accustomed to work from childhood and believes that he received only positive experience from his father. Anatoly Aleksandrovich Bartashevich proved himself as a talented leader and for many years headed the Rezekne MCO. Thanks to labor and social successes, he entered the elite of Soviet Latvia - he was elected to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Latvia and to the Supreme Council of the country.

Sons chose the same profession as he, having entered the Riga Polytechnic Institute at the Faculty of Industrial and Civil Engineering. Alexander received his first experience in 1990-1991 as a foreman in the same Rezekne MCO ^[2] .

Perestroika and anti-communist ideas were gaining momentum in Latvia, therefore the high status of the father “under the advice” in the 1990s promised only problems to his sons. They created jobs for themselves: in 1991 they registered the Latgale company, which began to produce building materials, and then to take on construction contracts. Alexander worked there as a deputy director ^[2] and I am sure that builders are always needed, an efficient specialist will always be useful everywhere.

Alexander perceived the proposal to run for the Saeima instead of his father on the list of the party “ Equality ” in 1993 ^[1] as fulfilling his filial duty: there were much more opportunities in private business than in the parliamentary bench, and even in the dull opposition. "Equality" believed that it was necessary not to liquidate the industrial potential inherited by Latvia from the Soviet Union , but to develop it. However, the opponents were against it.

“The majority of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR in 1991 chose the road of deindustrialization , privatization and de-occupation, and these terms were then unacceptable to my father,” recalls Alexander Bartashevich ^[1] .

In the Seimas of the Republic of Latvia

In 1993, A. Bartashevich was elected to the 5th Saeima from the party “ Equality ”, which received 7 mandates in the parliament ^[3]. He worked in the commission on requests, the commission on the policy of national economy, village, environment and regional development, in its subcommittee on industry. and energy.

He participated in the parliamentary commission to investigate the receipt and use of state-guaranteed loans - this was the first Western money under the G-24 , allocated to the newly independent country and for the most part stolen or wasted, which required the intervention of deputies of the Seimas to find the culprits. Alexander Bartashevich worked in the economic subcommittee of this special commission, operating from 10/27/1994 to 09/21/1995 ^[4] .

In 1995, A. Bartashevich was again a deputy of the 6th Saeima, according to the list of the Latvian Socialist Party ^[5] . Until December 21, 1995, he was a member of the Socialist Party and Equality group, was an independent deputy for almost a year, and from November 13, 1996 he joined the Socialist Party faction, Equality , and from May 7 to May 21, 1997, was its chairman. He worked in the Budget and Finance Commission of the Sejm and the Commission on European Affairs, took part in a number of deputy groups that tried to establish cooperation between Latvia and the fraternal countries of the former Soviet Union : Russia , Belarus , Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan .

In 1998, he was elected a deputy of the 7th Saeima ^[6] , a fellow secretary of the presidium. He worked in the commissions for education, culture and science, in the audit commission. He participated in cooperation groups with Russia , Belarus , Hungary and the Czech Republic . He was involved in the commission to investigate the privatization of the Latvian Shipping Company and other strategic enterprises.

He spoke in debates on the laws “On the state language”, “On education”, “On the privatization of residential buildings of the state and local governments”, “On the rental of residential premises”, defending the rights of national minorities and social equality.

In 2002, he was elected to the 8th Saeima on the list of the political association “For Human Rights in United Latvia ( ZaPCHEL )”. Re-elected in Parliament as a fellow Secretary of the Presidium. From November 5, 2002 to February 19, 2003 he was a member of the ZaPcHeL faction, then transferred to the faction of the Center for Accord association, then became a faction of the Party of Popular Accord . He continued inter-parliamentary contacts with the deputies of Russia , Belarus , as well as Ukraine , Georgia , Armenia , and Central Asian countries . He worked in the standing committees of the Sejm: legal and anti-corruption, participated in the commission to investigate the financial activities of Einar Repshe .

He participated in the discussion of laws on land reform in cities and rural areas, on energy. With his participation, the parliament passed amendments to the law on the status of stateless persons and former citizens of the USSR, canceling the so-called “ naturalization windows ” in 1998 and opening the acquisition of Latvian citizenship to people who were deprived of any citizenship after the collapse of the USSR and the citizens of the Republic of Latvia declared only direct heirs of Latvian citizens who had such a status on June 17, 1940 .

“We in the Sejm adopted many laws and amendments that facilitated the rights of non-citizens - in cooperation with the European Union , which forced us to accept our initiatives“ from the back door ”. This is the procedure for crossing the border, and visa exchange, the elimination of differences between citizens and non-citizens, a lot of decisions in the social sphere. We can be proud of all this. I consider myself a fairly pragmatic person. To lead a country requires a sober mind and a clear understanding of the consequences of decisions. Unfortunately, the parliament thought the least about the consequences. More was discussed - how it will be perceived in the coalition, how the partners will look at it, how we will justify ourselves, but in no case the arguments “what will this give the country” or “what will the country lose from it”. We still suffer from this. I think that if the Concord Center came to power, we would change this attitude. We still have a party of pragmatists and sober-minded people. ” A. Bartashevich. ^[one]

Home, in Rezekne

Bartashevich did not run for the 9th Seimas election. He returned to Rezekne to work in his specialty at the family company SIA Latgalija ^[2] .

In June 2009, he was elected a deputy of the Rezekne City Council on the list of the consent Center , which received a convincing advantage in the election over the rest: 43.51% of the vote and 9 out of 13 ^[7] . Out of almost 14 thousand voters, 8684 voted for Bartashevich, more than 3 thousand marked him especially, plus in the ballot. Being the undisputed favorite of the elections, on July 1, 2009 , Alexander was naturally elected the head of the City Duma. He also chaired the finance and budget committee and joined the committee on infrastructure, development and public order.

The economy of one of the largest industrial centers in Latvia, Rezekne, was in decline. However, the city had an asset in the Special Economic Zone , created on April 23, 1997 ^[8] on the basis of the law “On the Rezekne Special Economic Zone” - the only free economic zone in Latvia outside seaports. It has already attracted the attention of foreign investors, and added oxygen to the surviving local enterprises. In order to make better use of its potential, the management of the free economic zone was transformed from a private enterprise, whose desire for profit was ahead of the desire to use the free economic zone as an instrument for the development of the city, into a self-governing institution - more transparent, managed and beneficial for entrepreneurs ^[1] .

Under the leadership of Bartashevich, Rezekne began to attract European funding for the development of infrastructure and regional facilities. In 2010, half of the city budget was generated from EU funds ^[1] .

Knowing well the construction industry, the mayor set the task of screening out the dumping proposals, which turned around in other cities of Latvia, by default. “Now I stand on the side of the customer, but as a builder, I am able to calculate where the dumping limit is below which you cannot fall in negotiations with potential contractors,” he explained. - The problem is how to legally prove that below the proposed price conditions begin that are practically impossible. Specifically, for the Zeimuļs object (“Pencil”), we had 14 applicants, and we selected only the eighth in the price offer, consistently rejecting the cheapest ones. The main thing was confidence that the construction organization that had begun work would finish the job and we would not have to look for another contractor with the corresponding unforeseen expenses of money ” ^[1] . Life has shown that this approach was correct: all the urban objects played in the competitions were built on time and with the proper quality.

Zeimuļs ^[9] and Gors ^[10]

Latgale has suffered more than other regions of Latvia from the outflow of population in the EU and the economic crisis of 2008-2009 . The most important task of the Rezekne Duma of 2009 was the creation of jobs and conditions for the cultural and spiritual development of citizens. The two largest regional projects have breathed new life in Rezekne.

On September 1, 2012 the Center for Creative Services of Eastern Latvia Zeimu Восточнойs (“pencil” in Latgalian) was opened ^[11] . Of the 6.5 million lats spent on the construction of a modern building made of glass and concrete with the original roof structure, partially covered with a real green lawn, 85% was allocated by the European Union . The total area of ​​the Center is over 5 thousand sq.m. In addition to numerous equipped clubs and creative workshops, which are absolutely free for children in the region, Zeimuļs houses the Craftsmen House, specially equipped conference rooms, a shop for Latgalian souvenirs, and cafes.

The Tourism Development Center , put forward by one of Rezekne's priorities, was also created here.

In the same 2012, the construction of another landmark for the region was completed - the Gors Latgale Embassy ("Spirit" in Latgalian), a concert hall with the best acoustics in Latvia, equipped with the latest technology.

On May 29 and 30, 2013, grandiose concerts marked the opening of Gors, or the East Latvian Regional Multifunctional Center, the first newly built concert hall in the newly restored independence of Latvia, intended for professional (ballet, musicals, concerts of symphonic, choral and chamber music), and amateur art ^[12] .

The project of the concert hall was completed by the Duma led by Bartashevich, however, it achieved approval of a new financing scheme, having reduced the city's share to LVL 2 million instead of 9 million, which were originally supposed. Total investments in the construction amounted to 10.5 million lats.

Voter Support

At the next municipal elections on June 1, 2013, the people supported the changes begun under the leadership of Alexander Bartashevich: already 48.34% of the votes were cast for the list of the consent center headed by him ^[13] . The mayor’s personal support also increased: every third voter gave him an excellent rating (3685 pluses). However, the total number of residents (and voters) for the period between elections in the city decreased by 2 thousand.

Therefore, in the next period of the Duma’s work, Bartashevich’s team focused on developing entrepreneurship and creating jobs. This strategy was approved by the Rezekne residents: in the municipal elections of 2017, 59% of the votes were cast for the Social Democratic Party “Consent” and it received 9 seats in the Duma, more than half of those who voted for this party (6,912 people) noted the merits of Mayor A. Bartashevich, putting him in the ballot pluses: 4790, which is almost a quarter more than in previous elections ^[14] .

One of Bartashevich’s first projects as mayor was the establishment of cross-border cooperation “ Russia-EU ”. He went on a visit to the neighbors in Pskov , received the Pskov governor A. Turchak . It was an application for the millions that are in the cradle of the cross-border cooperation program. “We have a free economic zone, unique opportunities to invest and enter the European market for Russians as part of international cooperation,” said the mayor of Rezekne at a meeting with regional leaders. “We are actively working with entrepreneurs who respond to this call, streamline the infrastructure to facilitate investments: we prepare sites and all the possibilities for the entrepreneur to come, rent premises or land and immediately start his own business” ^[1] .

Latvia is the leader in terms of investment in the Pskov region ^[15] . However, an “umbrella agreement” between the regional authorities is able to give entrepreneurship a new quality, Bartashevich believes. He initiated in Rezekne a number of projects with Russia without regard to the government, as he believes that the cooperation of neighbors should be intensified as much as possible, and Rezevne has something to show. For example, Vodokanal, where, thanks to European funds, a modern enterprise was created that increased coverage of centralized water supply and sewage services from 75% to 95% of city residents.

During the planning period of the EU from 2013 to 2019, Bartashevich and the Rezekne Duma initiated the ERAF 5.6.2 fund program. “The revitalization of territories with the restoration of degraded territories in accordance with the integrated self-government development programs” ^[16] (Teritoriju revitalizācija, reģenerējot degradētās teritorijas atbilstoši pašvaldību integrētajām attīstības programmām. - lat. ) 6 for which 6 6 municipalities. Latgale from this amount is due a little more than a quarter, and the main task of the program is the creation of jobs.

Rezekne participated in the emergence of the program, as the city had experience in disbursing funds in the previous planning period, with an emphasis on education and culture, road rehabilitation. However, the industrial zone of the Northern region in the framework of such programs was impossible to restore. Therefore, back in 2011, a proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Economy to put in order the degraded territories in order to finally put them into circulation. The idea was accepted and framed in the European program, as it was relevant for many.

According to the explanatory note to the program, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development ( VARAM ) in 2013 analyzed the situation on the ground and found that there are 5826 hectares of degraded territories in the regional centers, of which 891 hectares, or 14.1%, were planned to be brought back to life. . In reality, the program included 622 hectares of abandoned industrial zones; one of the largest is located in Rezekne - the Northern region. There, on the site of the former factory buildings, an industrial park will be created with a potential of more than 400 jobs.

Of the 70 hectares, 24 should be removed from the category of degraded, for which 12 million euros are provided. Providing a ready-made infrastructure, the city minimizes the costs of creating production facilities for investors, offering them assistance from EU structural funds, a well-developed education sector and human resources with good knowledge, as well as logistics - rail and road transport. The Duma even plans to develop air cargo services on the runway, taken over from the Defense Ministry by the Rezekne Territory.

“We are trying to adapt the work of self-government to the needs of entrepreneurs , we first of all ask what kind of help they need. To make the main decision: if you invest, then be sure to Rezekne. If you create jobs, then we have in the territory. This is our benefit. ” Alexander Bartashevich. ^[17]

Bartashevich put forward the idea to advertise Rezekne as a wonderful city, where it’s not just that you don’t need to leave - where you need to return and move to live, because you can make good money here. And it is interesting to spend leisure time. The cultural life in the city should be not only diverse, but also multinational, the mayor said.

World Stars

The scene of the Gors Cultural Center has become a platform for world-famous stars to perform - for example, Rezeknenka, Knight of the Order of Three Stars , soprano Christine Opoleis . By the way, she studied at the same high school No. 6 as Bartashevich. The mayor is proud that the singer is happy to perform and stay in her hometown, where her mother lives to this day, and the city can afford to pay a decent fee for this. Thus, in the calendar of the opera diva, along with the Metropolitan , La Scala , the Vienna and Bavarian Opera and other famous scenes, Gors is also listed. In November 2016, Rezekne awarded her the title of Honorary Citizen ^[18] .

On October 24-31, 2015, the first organ music festival “ ORGANISMS ” ^[19] was held at the Gors Latgalian Embassy, ​​the initiator and artistic director of which was the organist Iveta Apkalna . The theme of the first organ festival is the symbolic creation of the world. And its holding is possible due to the purchase of the concert electronic organ Johannus Eclessia in 2014. Iveta Apkalna combined organ music and dance improvisations on the stage of her native city, a theatrical reading of Rainis' poems accompanied by children's singing, organ sounds and percussion instruments. Her idea was supported by the Rezekne City Council, the State Fund for Cultural Capital, the Ministry of Culture of Latvia and the joint-stock company Latvijas valsts meži . Thus, the Gors Latgale Embassy found its place on the world map of organ music. And earlier, Inga Apkalna brought from Basel and presented to the music school, which she once graduated from, a collection of notes by Bach , Mozart and other composers ^[1] .

Memory of the Motherland

On August 24, 2012, in Rezekne, near the house where Yuri Tynyanov lived in childhood and adolescence, a monument was erected to a remarkable Russian writer ^[20] . Since 1982, in his homeland, the writer Veniamin Kaverin organized Tynianov readings ^[21] . Now their organizing committee is led by professor of the Literary Institute Marietta Chudakova , they are held every two years. For many years, the bronze bust of the writer’s work by sculptor Mary Kalnini was kept in secondary school No. 6, where the museum was organized. Valentin Sergeev, editor of the newspaper Panorama Rezekne , took the initiative to turn the bust into a monument. A letter to the Ministry of Culture was signed by prominent cultural figures of the city and the region - more than 50 people. The project was supported by the Rezekne Duma, and the townspeople helped him completely disinterestedly: Pavel Ostaptsev prepared the installation project, and Dana made a pedestal of granite.

Latgale Force

On August 8, 2012, Anton Kukoys ^{[22] was} immortalized in Rezekne, a Latgian poet, writer, and also an artist, ceramist, actor, and director ^[23] . The idea was made by the sculptor Svetlana Skachkova, who considers Kukoys to be the personification of Latgalets - cheerful, open and hospitable. The figure in human height was made in the Foundry of monumental sculptures in St. Petersburg, and was installed in the square near the Latgale cultural and historical museum . The writer seemed to see you and got up from the bench, leaving his briefcase on it, which has already been polished by the residents and visitors of the city to a shine.

On June 9, 2016, A. Bartashevich was awarded the silver badge of honor of the second degree of the Latvian State Lachplesis Foundation. The award marks work for the benefit of the city of Rezekne and the Latgale region. The badge of honor was awarded by the President of the Lachplesis State Fund, Janis Ivars Kasparsons ^[24] .

Wife Olga is an entrepreneur.

Son Vladislav works in the field of finance.

Water sports, mountaineering, architecture (design).

He speaks Russian, Latvian, English.

• Alexander Bartashevich on the website of the Center for Accord association
• Biography of Alexander Bartashevich on the website gramata21.lv (Latvian.)