ST. PETERSBURG, September 6 (Itar-Tass) —— Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has urged Georgy Poltavchenko to continue the development of St. Petersburg and not to forget about the city’s status of the cultural capital.
“I will not dwell on the significance of St. Petersburg, as it is well known. The St. Petersburg authorities have done much in the recent years to develop the city infrastructure and to strengthen the position of the city, but there are still a lot of problems to resolve,” Putin told the new governor on Tuesday.
He asked Poltavchenko about his first impressions from the St. Petersburg situation.
“In the past I was visiting my family, my mother, in this city. I paid attention to little else but facades of the buildings. The city authorities have done a lot. We need to keep the pace of the previous years. The St. Petersburg budget is well balanced, but it has a slight deficit. Yet it is important that the city budget has funds for social affairs, higher salaries of teachers and doctors and accommodation of benefit holders, among them war veterans,” Poltavchenko said.
He admitted a number of problems in the preparations for the winter season. “We will make a sweeping check of the city public utilities to make sure that the city is ready for winter,” he said.
On Tuesday President Dmitry Medvedev reshuffled his representatives in three federal district following the decision to appoint ex-Presidential Representative to the Central Federal District Poltavchenko as the St. Petersburg Governor.
Valentina Matviyenko, who had been the city governor for eight years, resigned following her victory in the municipal election. The seat in the municipal council enables her to become a member of the Federation Council. Presumably, she will be the next Federation Council speaker.
Consultations on the new head of the St. Petersburg executive authorities lasted for about a week.
United Russia suggested three candidates - Presidential Representative to the Central Federal District, Acting St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko; Vice-Governor – Head of the Governor’s Staff Mikhail Oseyevsky and Chairman of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly Vadim Tyulpanov – for governor at last Monday’s meeting with Medvedev.
Medvedev chose Poltavchenko. He made the statement at the July 30 meeting with Poltavchenko at the Bocharov Ruchei residence.
“I have decided to nominate you for St. Petersburg Governor,” the president said. “You know St. Petersburg well. You have been the Presidential Representative to the Central Federal District for ten years. Hopefully, you will successfully fulfill your duties, because one must fulfill the duties of the head of the second largest city with merit.”
“The city became beautiful, the infrastructure improved and many things changed when Valentina Matviyenko was in office. This does not mean though that St. Petersburg is free from problems, including those in public utilities. It is necessary to develop the transport infrastructure and to solve ‘winter’ problems. I hope you will form a team for tackling these issues,” Medvedev told Poltavchenko.
“I will use my entire experience and knowledge to justify your confidence,” Poltavchenko told the president.
“I realize that [St. Petersburg] has plenty of problems although a lot has been done in the recent years. The team lead by Valentina Matviyenko has done much for the city. I have seen results of their work in the past week,” Poltavchenko said.
He said he would start with solving the problem of dilapidated homes and preparing for the winter season.
“We have realistic plans. I think these plans must be fulfilled without abandoning the earlier positive experience. The most important is that we enjoy support and confidence of St. Petersburg residents. I am confident we will succeed,” he said.
This Tuesday Medvedev signed an ordinance to appoint Oleg Govorun as the Presidential Representative to the Central Federal District, the Kremlin reported.
Another ordinance dismissed Presidential Representative to the Northwestern Federal District Ilya Klebanov due to the latter’s transfer to a new position.
Govorun was born in Bratsk, Irkutsk region, on January 15, 1969.
He served in the Armed Forces from 1987 through 1989.
He graduated from the Moscow Forestry Institute with a degree in chemical technology in 1993 and went into business.
In 2000-2004 he was the first deputy head of the main territorial department of the Russian president.
In 2004-2006 he was a deputy head of the presidential department for the domestic policy.
From March 20, 2006 he was the head of the presidential department for the domestic policy.
Medvedev appointed Nikolai Vinnichenko as the Presidential Representative to the Northwestern Federal District.
Vinnichenko was born on April 10, 1965.
He was a prosecutor in Leningrad, later on in St. Petersburg, from 1988 through 2001.
In 2001-2003 he was the chief federal inspector in St. Petersburg.
In 2003-2004 he was the St. Petersburg prosecutor.
From October 2004 he was the Director of the Federal Bailiff Service – Russian Chief Bailiff.
Medvedev appointed Vinnichenko as the Presidential Representative to the Urals Federal District on December 8, 2008.
Medvedev appointed Yevgeny Kuivashev as the Presidential Representative to the Urals Federal District.
Kuivashev was born in Lugovskaya, the Khanty-Mansi district of the Tyumen region, on March 16, 1971.
He graduated from the Moscow Military Institute of the Federal Border Service with a degree in law in 1999.
Kuivashev was a student of the Tobolsk medical school after his work at the Surgutremstroy trust and military service. He moved to the town of Poikovsky in the Nefteyugansk district and worked for the town administration from 1997-2005. His last position was the head of the town administration.
In 2005 he became a deputy head of the Moscow department of the Federal Bailiff Service – Deputy Chief Bailiff.
In December 2005 – July 2007 he was the head of the Tobolsk administration.
From July 2007 through January 2011 he was the head of the Tyumen administration.
On January 29, 2011, he was appointed as a deputy presidential representative to the Urals Federal District.