Interview with KATARINA GUGIC Mayor of Vela Luka
We met in the office of Katarina GUGIC, the mayor of Vela Luka and the first female mayor in the history of the island of Kor?ula. The beautiful blonde Katarina won over her fellow citizens for the third time, who elected her mayor since 2017, when she was first elected.
1. You won your third term as mayor of Vela Luka. What is the secret of your electoral success?
There is no special secret. The election results confirm that the population supports our work over the past eight years. Being elected for the third time is both an exceptional responsibility and an obligation because you have to justify the trust of the voters.
2. Your projects and engagement are visible in every corner of Vela Luka, from the original mosaic on the streets to the arrangement of public areas.
We have done our best to provide as much as possible to the city, its maintenance and the appearance of every corner of Vela Luka.
Have you used EU funds?
The money that comes from the EU is not given as a gift, but is acquired through well-processed projects and perseverance. Thanks to EU funds, we have rehabilitated waste dumps together with the Blato municipality, created a recycling yard, made maximum use of the social fund plus for employing women who help the elderly and disabled, of which there are 66 in our municipality, we have also invested in ecological cleaning campaigns, projects for a kindergarten, provided jobs for a pedagogue, speech therapist, psychologist, provided free extended stay, free English courses and sports activities for young people. We also received funds for the renovation of the current municipal building, for a new kindergarten, we created a unique mosaic on the streets, asphalted the roads ...
4. Since you became mayor, Vela Luka has become known for the largest number of employed women in responsible positions, we can say the first in Croatia if we take into account the number of inhabitants and the number of female directors..
The truth is that the women of Vela Luka are in very important positions such as the director of the incubator for preparing and helping in opening the enterprise , the director of the public library, the director of the cultural center, the director of the Kalos special assistance, the director for the elderly and disabled, as well as three leading positions in the municipality. Not to forget the presidents of various associations, from folk music to the president of the football club.But that doesn't mean that men are not equally effective in leadership positions.
5. Many municipalities have had corruption scandals.
We in Vela Luka have not had these problems. Everything is done in accordance with the law.
6. An increasing number of foreign workers coming to Croatia has been recorded.
Vela Luka has recorded an increase in seasonal workers in construction and tourism. The reason for this is the lack of qualified labor, so foreign labor is requested.
7. More and more people are writing about problems with crime. What is the situation in Vela Luka?
We can safely say that Vela Luka is a safe city in terms of crime. There have been some sporadic reports of thefts related to seasonal workers, but nothing more.
8. Recently, news was published that a big apartment on two levels in Vela Luka was sold for almost a million euros.
It is true that everything on the island is getting more expensive, from life to real estate. Private individuals can set their own prices for their houses. There was a joke these days that "it's lucky that we haven't resolved the property catastral situation yet and that the geodetic measurements haven't been completed, otherwise many more would have been sold". I think it is important to have clean catastral plots, which is expected to be resolved in the next few years.
9. How do you explain the boom in prices in Croatia, which foreign media classify as expensive holiday destinations?
I think that prices are really too high, but we have no influence on that. The retail chains create them.
Personally, I think it is necessary to change and stop the price increase because it can return to the market like a boomerang. This situation is unsustainable primarily for our population and for the development of tourism because foreigners are looking for destinations where they can relax and spend normally, not where they will have prices more expensive than at home.
10. When we talk about the population, the population of Vela Luka is decreasing
Unfortunately, this is true. As a municipality, we have launched a lot of entrepreneurial initiatives, from providing support for self-employment, support for newborn children, for opening crafts ... Vela Luka today has 3773 inhabitants, while a few years ago it had 4137 inhabitants, which means that there are 380 people less. What worries me is that many more people are dying than being born. The population is decreasing throughout Croatia. Many measures have been taken to stimulate, but the government must primarily implement policies to stop the departure of young people and give them security for the future.
