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Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and the Mayor of the Year 2021 laureates, Source: Krasimir Svrakov for Brand Media Bulgaria
Hundreds of citizens took part in the voting process to determine the best of the best in local leadership
Today, the ‘Mayor of the Year’ 2021 official ceremony was held in Sofia Tech Park and the best Bulgarian mayors took an award in one of the seven categories. Municipalities were divided by population size into small, medium and large, as the voting process took place online, where citizens were able to support their favourite local leader.
For the ninth year in a row, the ‘Mayor of the Year’ awards is bringing regional authorities together, creating an informal network where they can share the best practices. While last year’s awards were somewhat focused on the pandemic and the way local leaders handled the medical emergency, this year’s awards showed a shift in the policy agenda as they featured a new ‘Green Municipality’ category.
Here are the winners:
Mayor of the Year
Small Municipality - Georgi Dimov, Mayor of Bozhurishte
Medium Municipality - Nikolay Dimitrov, Mayor of Nesebar
Large Municipality - Kalin Kamenov, Mayor of Vratsa
Mayor of the Citizens
Small Municipality - Grigor Daulov, Mayor of Chavdar
Medium Municipality - Ivaylo Simeonov, Mayor of Elin Pelin
Large Municipality - Stanisalv Vladimirov, Mayor of Pernik
Smart City
Small Municipality - Tihomir Yanakiev, Mayor of Sozopol
Medium Municipality - Julian Naidenov, Mayor of Silistra
Large Municipality - Georg Spartanski, Mayor of Pleven
Sports and Youth Initiatives
Small Municipality - Penyo Nenov, Mayor of Byala
Medium Municipality - Dobromir Dobrev, Mayor of Gorna Oryahovitza
Large Municipality - Hristo Grudev, Mayor of Asenovgrad
Urban Environment
Small Municipality - Vasko Stoilkov, Mayor of Slivnitza
Medium Municipality - Nikolay Mitkov, Mayor of Parvomay
Large Municipality - Valentin Revanski, Mayor of Yambol
Tourism and Culture
Small Municipality - Silvia Krasteva, Mayor of Tryavna
Medium Municipality - Emil Kabaivanov, Mayor of Karlovo
Large Municipality - Zhivko Todorov, Mayor of Stara Zagora
Green Municipality
Small Municipality - Vladimir Dzhambazov, Mayor of Dolna Banya
Medium Municipality - Donka Mihaylova, Mayor of Troyan
Large Municipality - Tanya Hristova, Mayor of Gabrovo
The 'Mayor of the Year' 2021 is organised by Kmeta.bg - the portal of Bulgarian municipalities, with the media partnership of TheMayor.EU.
Boyan Tomov, the founder of Kmeta.bg, expressed his support for local governments in bringing regional issues to the national stage. He continued: "Every success is dictated by the way you work - whether you do it with heart and soul, or for something else."
What are the reasons for that and are there any possible solutions for that problem?
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