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I am now proud to be from Tirana Dear Editor I am Albanian, born and bred in Tirana. I left the country at the beginning of 1998 after the social unrest and economic breakdown of 1997. Since then I have worked in different countries in the capacity of an international expert in my own particular field of work. I go back to Albania regularly every four to six months. Having had the privilege of travelling and working in countries facing similar development challenges as Albania, I feel the need to explain my point of view on Edi Rama. He is a good Mayor for Tirana, and in my opinion he should be the Mayor of the Year. When Mr Rama was elected Mayor of Tirana, it was one of the most difficult of times for Tirana and Albania. It was a country that had lost everything, its economy, social stability and most importantly, its hope. The stagnation of the economy was reflected in every single kiosk vendor as they sat like lost birds in Tirana's streets. There wasn't a road, school or hospital repaired or maintained by local government funds or through other financial resources channelled through local government. Even the concept of local government as an institution didn't exist in any form, other than that reminiscent of the Communist Party Executive Committee, which before the 1990s distributed TV authorisation once a year for distinguished workers. By the end of the1990s nobody needed or wanted such an authorisation, because nobody required the services of a useless institution. What people needed was a "gomone" (speed boat) to migrate to Italy, and those less lucky needed just a shelter anywhere in Tirana or its surroundings in which simply to live until they made enough money to catch the next boat. In political terms, governing the capital meant simply the colours of party politics, which don't imply the colours of people's lives. Local government, community, participation, responsibility, development were merely ideas expounded by politicians and journalists during election campaigns, and once they were over, these sentiments meant almost nothing both to those elected and those who elected them. Mr Rama took office right in the middle of all that. I believe he was elected because he was the only one who had the courage and ability to articulate and translate all the frustration into an agenda for action - an agenda that for once didn't get lost when he took office. In less then five years Tirana changed utterly, and by that I don’t mean the colourful facades of the old buildings. Decisive actions by the new local governments under Mayor Rama's leadership turned, hopefully forever, the way the city and its citizens were behaving. In the beginning, many people, including myself, didn't believe that his first action, colouring facades, would make any difference. And maybe I am right, the coloured facades will not be there after 10 years but the people of Tirana will be. Those facades created a wonderful magic in people's minds. They brought back their hope and self-esteem and revived their optimism. For the first time in years the people of Tirana realised that here was a government that was willing to do its job and live up to its promises. People started to observe, listen and eventually support and take action, participating with the local government. Mayor Rama's administration ensured that the voice of the public was heard, that the community developed, participated and implemented its own plans and decisions. For a developing country, where the responsibilities of the local government were not commensurate with the control over power and resources, Rama's strategy of winning the hearts and minds of fellow citizens and then actively involving them in decision-making and implementing joint actions, proved to be an unmitigated success. The hallmarks of his success were in establishing a solid institution that was transparent and accountable to the public, responding to its needs, and in introducing information technology to manage that institution in order to communicate effectively with the people. His aggressive approach to mobilising the help available from international donors compensated for the initial lack of resources. This was a wise decision, for it showed tangible results in public works projects such as roads, public transport and other basic services. For the first time on the agenda and plan of action of a democratically elected local government in Albania, there are now such items as an urbanisation development plan, an education plan, welfare, youth involvement and public participation. What I have witnessed over the past five years has led me to sincerely believe that these plans are more than words. This is why I no longer feel shame in saying: ‘Yes, I am from Tirana.’ With my vote I am not trying to say that Mayor Rama and his administration will be able to solve all the problems of unemployment and poverty, to repair every building, street or school of the capital, and overcome all the difficulties of Tirana. What I am saying is that this Mayor is a visionary. He looks beyond the colours of city facades. He listens and understands his fellow citizens and is able to communicate with them, and on behalf of them. His personal quality of inspiring people to believe that there is hope, and that things can change, is reminiscent of Rudi Giuliani's celebrated walk through the streets of New York City after 9/11. He is an example of what an administrator can achieve, with very little, in a developing city. He has set the standards for the country. His way of leading, acting and contributing is worth sharing and promoting among other countries facing similar problems. During Mayor Rama's first campaign I remember reading in a newspaper that he cited, "I have a dream!" Well, as someone who visits her retired parents in an anonymous apartment in Tirana every four to six months, have no political attachments and no economic or financial investments anywhere in Tirana. All I can say is that Mayor Rama, slowly but surely, is working towards that dream. This is the reason I forwarded your link to at least 20 other Albanians from Tirana and to other non-Albanian friends who have had a chance to visit Tirana over the years and witness the changes. My guess is that most of them have voted for him and I suppose they have forwarded to more people that they know. In a nutshell, be prepared to see even more people voting for Mayor Rama. I look forward to seeing which of the Mayors will win this year’s top award. I don’t think that in not winning the award it will influence the way Mayor Rama works, but I suppose that by winning it, it might motivate him even more! Best regards, Blerta

Introducing World Mayor 2006 The World Mayor project is now in its third year. As in 2004 and 2005, this year’s World Mayor will again be seeking out mayors who have the vision, passion and skills to make their cities amazing places to live in, work in and visit. The World Mayor project aims to show what outstanding mayors can achieve and raise their profiles. It honours those who have served their communities well and who have made contributions to the well-being of cities nationally and internationally. The most outstanding mayor of 2006 will be presented with the World Mayor award. In 2004, Edi Rama, Mayor of Tirana, won the Award. The 2005 winner was Dora Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens and now Greek Foreign Minister. Between January and May each year, citizens from across the world are invited to nominate mayors for the World Mayor Award. They are also asked to provide reasons for their choice. After the close of the nomination stage, City Mayors, the organisers of the contest, prepare a shortlist of mayors who go forward to the second round of the World Mayor contest. In 2006, the list of finalists includes 50 mayors from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australasia as well as Africa.