As Valletta mayor Christian Micallef enters his fourth month at the helm of the local council, he shares his vision for tackling problem areas that create tensions between residents and business-owners. Interview by Ramona Depares.
On Monday, it will be three months to the day since you were appointed mayor of Valletta following Alexiei Dingli’s resignation. What were your priorities then, and how has being in the hot seat helped them evolve?
When you’re a councillor, deputy mayor, or even just a candidate, you have full faith that you’ll manage to turn the entire system on its head. Enthusiasm is in overdrive and you believe you can solve all problems. Then you get appointed and you’re faced with practical realities; you realise that you need to be very creative in order to reach maximum efficiency.
Having served as deputy mayor prior to taking on this responsibility, I was lucky as I already had a good pulse on the most urgent issues. I hit the ground running.
I’ve learnt quite a few things in these past few months, one of the most important lessons possibly being that when the budget from central government is not enough for all the projects that I planned, it does not mean I give up. It simply means that I have to think out of the box.
What does ‘thinking out of the box’ entail?
I create initiatives to generate money for the locality. I am a firm believer in working with the private sector without, of course, compromising one’s political position.
Nowadays, most serious companies have a functional Corporate Social Responsibility programme and are happy to take on board worthwhile initiatives that benefit a community.
I’ll give you one example – not too long ago the council managed to introduce a system whereby elderly Valletta residents are offered free transport around the city itself and to certain landmark destinations such as the Floriana polyclinic and Mater Dei. (See sidebar)
The initiative came from the council, it is not something that government had allocated any funding for. Had we waited until official funding came along, the whole thing would never have gotten off the ground. Instead, we held talks with a private company, who have offered us two vehicles as part of their CSR programme.
This is the way to get finances, by creating initiatives for the good of the locality itself and the residents and roping in the private sector.
I don’t believe in being a passive mayor. If there isn’t any money for something that will be of benefit to the residents, then I try to find it. This is what I mean by thinking outside the box.
What has been your plan of action since your appointment?
I was appointed at a strange time, about four months before local council elections take place. Because of this, it would be presumptions of me to initiate a list of new projects immediately. Being an efficient mayor also involves keeping your feet on the ground. At this stage, I took stock of what my predecessor was doing and developed on that, at least until the elections are over.
My first priority remains the residents’ well-being, and that is where I am devoting my efforts at the moment, particularly with respect to some areas where a number of residents may have been feeling that the council was out of touch. I don’t want to bring the residents closer to the council, but vice-versa. It is the council that needs to reach out to the residents.
One topic that has become a bone of contention with residents is the re-opening of the old market on Merchant’s Street. Many feel that the landmark building – which was considered quite a focal point within the community before it closed down – has been transformed into a purely commercial entity that does not cater for the homegrown community. What are your thoughts about this?
This question brings me back to the topic of CSR. Yes, I am aware that a portion of residents were not happy with the way the building is being repurposed. However, the council recently held a very productive meeting, and a series of events that have the community at heart are being organised.
The council needs to regain control of the warden system
We’ve already held a very popular event where primary schoolchildren spent a morning preparing figolli with the staff from the market, and the response was very encouraging. It was very hands-on, and there was much laughter involved, as you can imagine.
There are plans for other events, including some that will focus on the elderly residents. It is important to include the community even in the commercial aspect, and CSR helps a lot with this.
Another bone of contention is the wardens system, which now no longer falls within the remit of the councils but is operated and controlled by LESA. Residents complain that the new system is more focused on generating revenue through fines than on ensuring residents’ wellbeing. What is your position as mayor?
No-one knows the problems of a locality better than the council of that locality. Before the system was privatised, we’d be aware of specific hotspots and we would set stronger surveillance and, if necessary take action.
Today, fines are issued but this does not benefit residents at all. For starters, the revenue from these fines now goes to LESA, not to the council. When you impose a hefty fine on a resident, you cannot even put it in a fund that will be used to benefit the locality, including that same resident.
The council needs to regain control of the system. I’ll give you an example to explain why the current one doesn’t work: let’s say that the warden shows up and finds a resident’s car parked on yellow lines, but not blocking anyone. The resident is fined. However, the car in the green box that is reserved for residents remains parked with impunity and no fine is imposed.
It is easy to see where the injustice lies. Both are in the wrong, of course. But the warden fails to consider that the resident may have returned from a long day at work, late in the evening, to find all the residents’ parking spots taken up by non-residents. The local council is in touch with the situation that residents face on a daily basis and is more in a position to enforce justice. As things stand, sometimes I fear that there is a lack of common sense.
To add insult to injury, not only does the driver that took a resident’s parking spot escape being fined, but the income gathered from the fine that was imposed on the resident will not even be used to the benefit of the city.
I am not happy with the current wardens system. In Valletta, it is inefficient. They are not all inefficient, but they are certainly not offering anything to the residents.
A related topic is that of waste management. It is no secret that on a typical morning, a number of street corners in Valletta could be easily mistaken for dumping sites, with small mountains of garbage bags that would have been taken out by business outlets late at night. What are your thoughts?
It is unacceptable. Again, responsibility for this was taken away from the council. This is not to say that when complaints are made I turn my face the other way simply because I am not the responsible entity. This is not the way I do things. I divert the complaint through the correct channels to the department responsible, and I do try to follow up and keep an eye on the situation.
According to the last census held by the National Statistic Offices, in 2011 the population in Valletta stood at just over 5,000. It has been on a steady decline over the past three decades. Yet, property prices keep increasing. What is happening?
The demographics in Valletta have changed. The original families are slowly getting depleted, with more foreigners and people who are not originally from the city moving in. This does not mean that the community itself is dying – what makes you part of the community is your attachment to it, not your birthplace. A foreigner who is involved within community life can be as much of a Belti as someone who was born here.
Having said that, I much fear that the new influx of residents includes a lot of people who only live in the city for a short while. For example, wealthy foreigners buy palazzi, restore them, and only use them while on their annual vacation in Valletta.
The same issue applies to a lot of those who rent, or even buy – their residence in the capital tends to be transient, and they can’t be really considered part of the Valletta community. This does not apply to everyone, of course, but there is a definite trend.
Property prices in Valletta have gone through the roof, which is quoted as one of the reasons why the community is being depleted. Are such high prices sustainable in the long term or is there a chance the market will implode?
I am not a property speculator, so I am not the right person to answer this question. But I will say this. I do hope that we don’t find ourselves in a situation where we have to regress, rather than progress.
Valletta’s tenure as European Capital of Culture came to an end in December. What is its legacy?
You can’t really say, not so soon after the tenure ended. You tend to see the effects of a legacy years down the line. The more immediate effects were tied to a boom in investment, especially in boutique hotels and restaurants. There have also been a number of infrastructural improvements, from the Renzo Piano Parliament building, to St George’s Square, Pjazza de Valette, St Elmo... these are all improvements that came about as a result of Valletta 2018.
The Valletta Cultural Agency was recently launched as what has been termed a ‘legacy’ to the Valletta 2018 Foundation. How strong is the council’s presence within this Agency?
The only facts the council knows about the Valletta Cultural Agency is what we read in the media. No meetings have been set. As a council, we have not been acquainted with its functions or workings, so I cannot speak about it.
And are you happy with this?
Right now our priorities are to lead the council to elections, but once those are done, the Valletta Cultural Agency is one of the issues the council will be addressing.
Can the commercial side of Valletta co-exist with its residents?
I believe in balance. Valletta lay forgotten for years until, back in 2011, former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi initiated a drive towards its regeneration. His vision worked and, nowadays, the capital is alive, even in the evenings.
But have we gone to the other extreme, from no commercial life to the exact opposite?
I believe in balance, in every area of life. This includes a balance between the residential and the commercial aspects of the capital. I also believe that when all stakeholders get together around a table and communicate, a lot of issues are resolved.
What about claims that the commercial and entertainment aspect of a European capital take priority over residents?
I disagree with these claims, categorically. As I said earlier, a balance between the two must be found. When I did not form part of the council, I was one of those who believed that we did not need a commercial presence in Valletta. Today, I see that I was being short-sighted.
However, this does not mean that businesses will be allowed to ride roughshod over residents. Also, let us remember that many businesses do provide employment for Valletta residents.
Parking remains a major problem for residents, with the green boxes either not being respected or simply not being enough. Are there plans to address this?
The council has come up with several initiatives to mitigate the issue. One such initiative involved transforming the area around what we call the Yellow Garage into a fully-functional carpark. The project was accepted by central government and there were several expressions of interest.
The council picked the offer made by Valletta FC, as it included a strong social element that offered benefits even to the residents. Parking would be offered to residents and the immediate family of residents at subsidised rates, and a shuttle service offered. This would be of great help for those who visit their elderly parents. There was even a plan to offer these people free parking over the weekend, which is when many events are held in the capital. This way, at worst a resident can use the carpark and take the shuttle home.
I don’t believe in being a passive mayor
When will this project be launched?
We don’t know as progress has stalled on the side of central government. After the best offer had already been picked, numerous enquiries made by the council were met with the reply that the government is evaluating some other proposals.
What do you hope will be your legacy as mayor?
I hope to be remembered as a mayor who fostered unity. I am not the mayor for the Nationalist voters or the mayor for the Labourites. I’m the mayor for all Valletta residents and my commitment is to all of them.
To this end, the council has launched a number of initiatives aimed at bringing Valletta residents together. We just had a comprehensive list of events to celebrate Valletta Day in March – to give you one example, all elderly residents were taken out for dinner to celebrate. We are opening a day centre for elderly people shortly; the idea is to not only bring together the people of Valletta, but also to offer a hang-out space for those who may be lonely.
I follow this philosophy of inclusion and unity with every aspect, even the offices of the council themselves, which are open to everyone. We plan to open a hub where those who belong to a Valletta association, whether related to sport, feasts or whatever, can hang out and showcase memorabilia. Another project is the opening of a centre from where Valletta residents can tend to certain health or civic related matters.
Free transport scheme for elderly to be extended
A pilot scheme that offers elderly Valletta residents free transport within and around the city, as well as to the Floriana Health Centre and Mater Dei, is now being extended to operate on Saturdays and Sundays.
The scheme offers a doorstep pick-up service via a phone booking system.
“The percentage of elderly residents in Valletta is high and, unfortunately, so is the percentage of steep hills. One of the recurring laments that the local council faces is that it can be quite difficult for an elderly person to get around the city to carry out the simplest of chores,” mayor Christian Micallef said.
The vehicles, which are provided by Continental Cars, not only stop at the main landmarks in Valletta but will take the elderly resident to any part of the city they wish. So far, it is mostly being requested for hospital and health centre appointments.
The population in Valletta tends to be concentrated around the peripheries of the city, which makes reaching the bus terminus a problem for many due to the steep hills involved.
An elderly person living near the Mediterranean Conference Centre, for example, needs at least 20 minutes to walk to the terminus. Besides the uphill they face exposure to the elements.
The initiative has been so well-received that Mr Micallef plans to encourage its use not only for what are viewed as ‘essential’ outings but also for leisure purposes.
“It is a reality that many elderly Valletta residents end up trapped in their homes due to lack of mobility. Our aim is to put a stop to this situation where many people end up feeling ‘cut off’ from life, sometimes spending days on end alone. If we have a situation where an elderly person books transport and is dropped off in the centre for a coffee and a stroll, and then is picked up again at a pre-arranged time, then I consider this a good thing.”