TOP 09 criticizes the selection process for the director of the development department

Prague - The opposition TOP 09 criticizes the selection process that Prague has announced for the position of director of the Department of Development of the City of Prague (ÚRM). According to them, only experienced officials can apply for the competition, meaning no architects or urban planners. Prague requires applicants to have five years of experience in public administration. TOP 09 stated this in a press release. Prague defends itself by claiming it is looking for a manager. Architects already work within this organization.
    ÚRM is a partially funded organization of the city responsible for territorial planning and city development. TOP 09 claims that under the applicant requirements, the future director does not need to have any professional qualifications. It is supposedly sufficient to have graduated from any university and to know several related laws and regulations. The selection process is also criticized by the Green Party and the initiative For a New Prague.
    "The director of the Department of Development of the City must be an expert who is respected by the professional public. The requirement of five years in public administration does not guarantee expertise in any way and doesn't make sense from the perspective of what I expect from ÚRM," stated councilor Zdeněk Tůma (TOP 09). "The appointment of a submissive official instead of an expert is a traditional path of corruption in Prague," noted his party colleague Tomáš Hudeček. Therefore, the opposition and experts are calling on the council to cancel the selection process.
    Deputy Mayor Josef Nosek (ODS) claims that Prague needs more of a manager for this position, who will oversee about three hundred employees of ÚRM. "The Department of Development is not the department of the chief architect. It is a service organization," Nosek said to ČTK. He compared the situation to some Prague hospitals, where economists or lawyers have held the position of director.
    The initiative For a New Prague also criticizes that no experts will sit on the selection committee. "It is therefore reasonable to assume that a decision has been made in advance, and that a vetted but primarily loyal official will take the position. It seems that the city leadership has decided to continue on its established path, despite formally declaring a willingness for change," stated the initiative in a press release, which aims to provoke a discussion between the city hall and Prague residents about the development of the metropolis.
    The previous director of ÚRM, Bořek Votava, was dismissed by the city leadership in January. According to his critics, Votava overly succumbed to pressures from entrepreneurs and developers in some decisions. According to the chairman of the Prague Greens and former councilor Petr Štěpánek, in recent years, ODS has been too accommodating to developers, leading to haphazard construction of substandard residential buildings, shopping centers, and office buildings often at the expense of green spaces or civic amenities.