How easy it is to talk about the Novosibirsk mayoral election.
Lucky them—they have an excellent candidate. You get to challenge the monopoly of United Russia and campaign for someone who really would be the best mayor at the same time.
Sergei Boyko—if you live in Novosibirsk, make sure to come vote for him. And urge all your neighbors and friends to do the same.
I’ve known Boyko for a long time. He is a reliable and intelligent person. He has public support—which is why he was barred from running several times.
And most importantly, he works for the people in order to earn that support.
Do you remember the story of how the incumbent mayor, Lokot—now the joint candidate of United Russia and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF)—tried to raise housing and utility rates by 15% for city residents? The money was supposed to go to Mikhail Abyzov (now under arrest, and at the time a minister), and the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) published an investigation into what was happening.
It was Sergei Boyko, together with a group of like-minded people, who organized several protest actions in the city and ultimately secured the reversal of the decision to raise the rates. In other words, he literally saved every Novosibirsk resident a lot of money.
Every city should have a mayor like that. Support Boyko.